Delroy Orchards has launched Delcado, anew brand for its premium, slow-grown Hass avocados,in season from October to February.
The West Australian avocado growerhas been working on Delcado for eight years. It hopes the brand can capture attention at a time of year when imported avocados feature on Australian shelves.
Robbie Delroy, business development manager of Delroy Orchards and son of orchard founders Russell and Jenny Delroy, said Delroy Orchards had finetuned each part of its avocados’ journey through growing, quality checks, storage, ripening and supply chain.
“We’ve put a lot of energy into controlling the quality of our Delcados. This starts on the tree where we test the fruit for its oil content to make sure it has a rich flavour before it’s picked,” said Robbie Delroy.
“We’re also now using near infrared technology, in addition to our blemish technology, to see inside the avocado to better detect any internal damage. The technology is already used by apple growers looking for bruises in their fruit, while it is early days for avocados, we’re excited about what it could mean for quality control and the avocado category in general.
“Another key investment has been making our supply chain as efficient and controlled as possible, so we can monitor and temperature control every step of the Delcado’s journey from orchard to store.”
Delroy Orchards has invested heavily in research and development in partnership with Australian and international universities to improve supply chain efficiency, thereby offering a higher quality piece of fruit.
“Our Delcados will arrive at least two times faster to stores than imported avocados, meaning a Delcado you buy at the supermarket is potentially 12-15 days fresher,” said Delroy.
Delroy Orchards has launched a three-year strategic marketing programme for Delcado. Thisincludes a major integrated brand campaign with commercials on television and digital channels, public relations and social media programmes, out of home advertising, point-of-sale promotions and a media partnership with taste.com.au.
The campaign is set to highlight provenance, the investment and technology used to produce Delcados and will incorporate content from Australian chefs.
