Avocado lovers rejoice! Avocados Australia has today welcomed the news that ALDI has become the first Australian supermarket to exclusively range 100% Australian Avocados in all of their 586 stores, ahead of a strong Summer season.
Whether Avo lovers prefer them smashed, sliced or diced, this is certainly welcome news, as data released by Avocados Australia, the peak industry body for Australian avocado producers, shows that in 2021/22 avo-hungry Australians consumed about 4.76kg of avocados per person1. With Australian production more than doubling1 over the past 10 years, the demand for Australian-grown avocados is continuing to gain strong traction, as consumers look to support local growers and regional communities. Avocados Australia has welcomed ALDI's commitment to stocking 100% Australian-grown avocados, with CEO John Tyas explaining, "ALDI's commitment to stock Australian avocados exclusively for this season ahead is a positive step forward for the industry given the strong supply we have forecasted from the region."
"The Australian avocado industry invests heavily in delivering consistent and high-quality Australian avocados to consumers, so this is a great win for consumers, ALDI and the Australian industry." "Avocados have well and truly become a staple in many of our customer's weekly shops. By making this commitment this year, we are proud to be forming long term relationships with local growers and supporting them and their businesses to grow. Seeing that Avo farmers around Australia are having a strong start to the season, particularly through the September to February harvesting period means we can meet our customers' insatiable demand for avos with purely Aussie fruit. It is always our intention to support Aussie growers first, so it makes complete sense for us to stock only Australian avocados in our stores," says Matt Atley, Group Director, Produce at ALDI Australia.
"We work closely with all our Aussie growers to ensure a wide range of quality produce is available at affordable prices in all our ALDI stores. Our Aussie first supplier policy means that we turn to our local Aussie growers for more than 97 per cent of the produce in our stores. It is only when we can't get the volume, or the items are out of season, that we have to look outside Aussie shores to meet demand," Mr Atley continued. Avocados Australia CEO, John Tyas said "Excellent growing conditions in Western Australia and Tristate this year means that we will have a great supply over the summer season. It is great to see ALDI take this opportunity and demonstrate their support for Australian farmers by choosing not to import any avocados this season." Brad Rogers, Avocado grower and Chair of the industry body said "Australian retailers have first sourcing policies and these policies play an important role in the sustainability of the avocado industry here in Australia. It's great to see ALDI stand by their commitment to support Australian farmers first particularly considering that we have a strong supply of quality Australian avocados this summer season. This commitment puts money back into Aussie farms like ours, so that we can continue to deliver fresh avos for consumers into the future." The updated long-term forecast suggests Australia's avocado production is expected to continue to increase to about 170,000 tonnes by 2026. Avocados Australia expects Australia's reliance on imported Avocados to diminish, as Australian growers can supply all year round. [1] 2021-22 AAL Facts-at-a-glance (avocado.org.au)
