Global avocado player Mission Produce has announced successful completions to its 2015 campaigns in California and Peru.
The company opened new packing facilities in each country earlier this spring, marking upgrades in the company’s ability to serve its global customer base.
The group's new Oxnard plant was recognised as the largest avocado packing facility in the world, until the Peruvian plant opened just 30 days later.
In Oxnard, Mission christened a 230,000 square-foot facility, moving from the previous 58,000 square-foot plant it had operated since 1983.
“We really needed the additional production and storage capacity,' explained president and chief executive Steve Barnard. 'It is a huge upgrade in speed and efficiency, and gives us much more cold storage and loading dock capacity.
“We transitioned from the old facility early in the California season, and were 100 per cent moved over by July,” he added. “We continue to make off-season changes, including adding hydro-coolers, and streamlining our process.”
Within 30 days of opening of the California facility, Mission opened its new plant in Chao, Peru. The Peru plant is bigger than the Oxnard plant, weighing in at nearly 280,000 square feet. Construction of the facility began in early 2014, and was completed in time to begin production in May 2015.
According to Brian Miller, senior vice-president of sales & marketing, both California and Peru marked positive seasons for the company.
“We were able to seamlessly open both packing houses within a month of one another,' he said. 'Both new facilities give us the ability to diversify packs, improve product handling and cold-chain management, and set the stage for future growth.
Barnard added, “Growing in California and being fully vertically-integrated in Peru are big parts of our global strategic vision.'
