How and why did you get involved in the fresh produce industry?

My father is an agronomist and because of that I grew up on a farm. So from an early age I have had a close relationship with the agricultural business and I feel very comfortable working in it. My father still works on the farm today, growing walnuts and prunes.

When did you become involved with the Chilean Hass Avocado Association (CHAA)?

I started working with the CHAC in July 2004. I was the sales & marketing manager for SGS (a Swiss surveyor and certification body) and they offered me the position of general manager of the Association. It was a big challenge but one I felt I could meet.

What are the Association’s main objectives?

Firstly, to increase the per capita consumption of Hass avocados worldwide; that means we have a gigantic educational challenge to change consumer behaviour. We use promotions, advertisement and PR as tools to fulfil this target.

We are sponsoring some technical programmes aimed at increasing productivity in the groves. We also focus on the quality of the fruit in the dry matter control programme, with which we check the ripeness of the fruit before the grower cuts it to ensure the fruit will arrive at its destination in good condition.

What do you hope to achieve in your role as president?

The industry is facing some significant challenges, such as bigger domestic crops, market development and more competition, especially in the US, where Mexico is going to be able to supply California from February 2007.

In the years ahead I would like to see a bigger share of the exports going to the EU and Asia, while maintaining a strong Association and increase the positioning of Chile as a reliable source of Hass avocados to the world.

Why are you so passionate about avocados?

What a great fruit - I love them. They deliver on taste, nutrition and healthy characteristics, as well as versatility for cooking and many other things. For me it is a worthy challenge to spread the word about avocados to many people in the world who don’t even know they exist and if they do recognise one they don’t know what to do with it.

Chile has recorded a bumper crop this year. Do you think production will continue to increase or has it reached saturation point?

We will have a very big crop this season (2006/07); we are expecting to have around 206,000 tonnes, with 156,000t for export and around 50,000t for the domestic market. As for future production, there is room to increase volumes and I can’t yet foresee what our limit might be.

From a demand point of view, there is no limit; it’s an educational challenge and Chile is working in that direction.

Do you think Chile will continue to have an edge over its competitors? If so, why and how?

Chile has played an important role in the avocado business in the last 15 years and will continue doing so. We have competitive advantages such as a very good, Mediterranean, climate; the country has natural boundaries in all directions which protect our production areas from penetration by pests; and our groves are very close to the coast.

But there are always competitors that are doing things well so we have to be alert to increase our productivity and pay close attention to the fruit quality.

How important is the avocado sector to Chile’s overall economy?

In 2005, Chile exported a total of US$2,126 million (£1.1bn) worth of fruit, and avocado contributed with US$166m (£85.9m), making it the third most important fruit after grape and apple.

A 20 per cent increase in uptake in the UK (as reported earlier this year) is very impressive. Do you think demand will increase at the same rate or do you think you might have almost reached the peak?

It is always easy to have big rates of increase when starting from such a small base, but after some years of growth with rates over 20 per cent, to maintain it takes a lot of effort from all players in the chain.

Also, you are talking about increasing the total annual consumption in the UK and Chile only has a share of it so we need other countries to participate in the promotion of avocados to maintain the rate of growth.

I believe the growth rate could exceed 20 per cent in the next couple of years and total consumption could double before long. Importers and retailers in the UK have been very supportive with our promotional efforts. They understood last year that to participate in the activities is a win-win game. With permanent promotion I would say the sky is the limit.

Are you pleased with the success of the promotional campaign that took place last season?

Absolutely, we increased the shipments to the UK by 63 per cent to reach a total of 6,140t. This year, we have fine-tuned the campaign and we have shipped more than last year’s total already and we hope to reach a target of 9,000t.

This year, you introduced the avo dog concept to UK consumers. Do you think we might see them on the McDonald’s menu here before long?

With the avo dogs, it’s a bit like running a long distance race - like the New York marathon I did in 1992: you have to persevere to spread this new, nutritious way of eating hot-dogs.

You have to push these ideas very hard but the chains are always open to new ideas. People responded very well to the 2,000 avo dogs we delivered in London’s Battersea park for the Bonfire celebration on November 1.

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