HASS AVOCADO SUPPLY GOES GLOBAL
AND YEAR-ROUND
NEW BOARD UNITES FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC AVACADO GROWERS WITH AVOHQ.COM
IRVINE, California (April 8, 2005) - Unifying Hass avocado growers around the world, the Hass Avocado Board (HAB) has launched avoHQ.com, the first Produce Global Intranet linking multiple producing countries that sell the same commodity in the U.S. market. "With this historic launch of avoHQ.com we have created a critical link for the global marketing partners to provide a steady flow of quality Hass avocados 365 days a year into the U.S. market," said Charley Wolk, HAB Chairman. "In just one year we brought together global marketing strategies through new technology to position Hass avocados as a promoteable, year-round category." The Web site unlocks the wealth of twenty years worth of collected marketing information, providing all players access to the same tools and the latest market intelligence for retail and foodservice sales.
AvoHQ.com provides members of the Hass avocado industry with critical data to make informed decisions about the U.S. retail and foodservice marketplaces. Users will know when and where marketing and promotion programs are running via the Marketing Intelligence Database. Other key functions focus on increasing grower knowledge about managing their production. Volume, shipments, arrivals and wholesale price information can be monitored through the Hass Avocado Product Tracker and Industry Spotlight.
While California avocados still dominate Hass avocado volume consumed in the U.S., increases in imports from Chile, Mexico, New Zealand and the Dominican Republic have pushed total Hass volume up 40 percent in the past four years. Volume is expected to top 1 billion pounds by 2010. This ongoing increase in Hass avocado supply was the catalyst for the development of HAB's strategic marketing plan to build industry cohesion and optimize market demand.
AvoHQ.com will connect packers with domestic and foreign producers (from California, Chile, Dominican Republic, Mexico and New Zealand) to exchange crop and marketing information. AvoHQ.com operates out of HAB's state-of-the-art Network Marketing Center (NMC) in its Irvine, California headquarters. The NMC serves as the hub for avoHQ.com where information will be collected, tracked, analyzed and disseminated.
The Hass Avocado Board (HAB) was established in 2002 after approval by producers and importers of Hass avocados in a national referendum. Operating under the supervision of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the HAB has contracted with the California Avocado Commission (CAC) to implement its marketing programs. Both producers and importers are involved in the HAB, which covers fresh domestic and imported Hass avocados sold in the U.S. market.
