Steady Flow of Chilean Hass Avocados to Fuel Winter Season

WASHINGTON, D.C. - This year's Chilean Hass Avocado season is in full swing, with a crop expected to provide the retail community a consistent supply of fruit supported by an aggressive communications campaign, said officials from the industry's marketing organization, based here.

Chilean growers will ship between 265 million and 290 million pounds of Hass avocados to the U.S this season, said the Chilean Avocado Importers Association (CAIA). Because the timing of the crop shifted later this year, more fruit than expected will be available toward the end of the season, providing a strong handoff from Chilean to California fruit in late winter 2007.

The Chilean crop will provide a larger percentage of medium and smaller sizes this year, increasing the value promotion potential for retailers.

Committed to showcasing the many ways to use and enjoy Hass avocados during fall and winter, the Chilean group will continue its $5 million marketing campaign to support avocado sales throughout the holiday season and into the late winter. The marketing effort features in-store merchandising, the Simply Sensational TV advertising campaign and public relations.

"This season is the start of something exciting and new for the Chilean Hass avocado industry," said Jorge Covarrubias, CAIA chairman. "We are funding and fielding an unprecedented promotional campaign this year designed to engage, excite and entice the consumer to incorporate Hass avocados into their fall and winter culinary routine and to transform months traditionally associated with slower avocado sales into months filled with substantial sales volume."
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