Camposol, a leading agro-industrial company in Peru, expects a good development of this year’s avocado season, especially on the Asian market and advances as planned to reach the objective of a year-round avocado supply thanks to the investments in Colombia. The growth and internationalization strategy of Camposol is linked to the highest environmental and social standards under the Camposol Cares from Farm to Family concept.

By the end of the first quarter of 2019, Camposol had planted new cultivation areas of 500-plus hectares in Colombia, where it had bought 1,031 hectares of land in 2018 — and investments are still going on. Future activities will include the planting of about 1,000 hectares per year until completion of the investment plan.

Jorge Ramírez, chief executive officer of Camposol, said, "With the investments in Colombia we have taken another step toward our long-term goal of being a world leader in fresh and healthy foods, offering a year-round supply of certain key products. We expect to export the first Colombian avocados in 2021. From that moment on, we will be able to offer fresh avocados throughout the year, as the Colombian season is perfectly complemented by our production in Peru."

In line with the CCFFTF concept, also in avocados the company focuses on sustainable production and a reduction of the environmental impact to a minimum. This implies a state-of-the-art water-management system, based on drip irrigation, that has enabled Camposol to reduce the water volumes needed. An innovative technology permits to reuse water from the avocado operations for the irrigation of green areas and forests. Apart from that, continuous efforts are made to constantly reduce the use of pesticides and support the existing ecosystems by applying biological control mechanisms instead of pesticides wherever possible.

Further to its traditional markets in North America and Europe, Camposol supplies China with increasing volumes. Indeed, exports to the Asian country more than quintupled in only two years, from 639 tons in 2016 to 3,591 tons in 2018. Camposol attributes this success to an in-depth knowledge of the Asian markets thanks to the experienced team in their local office in Shanghai, direct interaction through social media with consumers interested in a healthy lifestyle, and especially the close partnership with the leading e-commerce platform Alibaba.

Also, direct relationships with Chinese retail companies have been intensified, as many supermarkets prefer vertically integrated suppliers that offer products from their own production. Last year, the market introduction of avocados in China was accompanied by in-store tastings with the purpose of educating consumers, and further promotional activities are scheduled for 2019.

“In China, with a per capita consumption of 30–35 grams per year, and possibly also in Japan and other Asian countries, we feel there is a huge potential for healthy, top quality produce which we strive to develop — without losing sight of our traditional markets in Europe and North America that offer good opportunities for direct sales," said Ramírez.