Moroccan grower-exporter supplies Sainsbury’s with avocados for first time after new acquisition
Moroccan fresh fruit and veg grower-exporter Delassus is supplying avocados to UK retailer Sainsbury’s for the first time.
The move follows the group’s investment in a new avocado farm, which has expanded its total avocado acreage to 80ha.
Delassus began supplying Sainsbury’s via Fresca Group’s The Avocado Company back in December, with volumes expected to continue until mid-April.
The group’s total avocado production this year is forecast at 60,000 tonnes, deputy managing director Fatiha Charrat said.
This volume will increase over the coming years as young trees at the new farm continue to mature, she added.
As a result, Delassus expects to begin supplying UK Tesco stores in two years’ time, Charrat revealed.
“It’s difficult to grow avocados in a country that has water supply issues,” Charrat told FPJ, “which is why all production is located in a triangle of land in northern Morocco where it frequently rains.”
