Just Avocados’ plan for increasing business in Asia has gone well this season with some markets doubling their avocado volumes, says Jacob Darling, who is general manager of sales and marketing for Darling Group and avocado packer and exporter Just Avocados.

“With a market plan at the beginning of the season aiming for 50 per cent of our volume going into Asia, up from 20 per cent in 2019, we are pleased with having achieved 45 per cent and believe this will futureproof against some of the industry’s long-term challenges awaiting.”

Jacob says Asia performed well in comparison to the early Australian market. “Particularly through the first part of the season, the Australian market was filled with an abundance of east coast volume.”

Just Avocados increased their volumes into Asia from 90,000 trays of avocados in 2019 to 185,000 trays in 2020.

“Our sales and marketing team has worked on promotional activity to push the New Zealand avocado story and our volumes into Taiwan and Thailand have doubled, with Korea also up from last season.

“Achieving a significant lift in volume in 12 months goes a long way to suggesting we are on the appropriate path.”

Just Avocados carried out instore tasting and promotional activity across Thailand and Taiwan this season as well as introducing a new packaging format.

“Our focuses are to educate consumers in Asia on the NZ product and its point of difference, create a relationship between consumers and our brand, and provide products that fit in with consumers’ lifestyles.”

Just Avocados developed a custom-designed three-pack of avocados incorporating their Darling Avocado and Jake’s Avocado branding and sold them into Thailand and Taiwan for the first time this season.

“We created a three-pack of smaller avocados using our fun and eye-catching branding that’s easy to pick off the shelf and provides more space for us to share information about using avocados, we also used instore tasting and information online to educate consumers.”

Consumers can scan QR codes on Just Avocados’ new packaging, fruit labels and their trays and be shown information about where the avocados are grown and their nutritional benefits, recipes and handling information.

“Feedback from instore tastings in Thailand showed that confidence is low among consumers when choosing and using avocados but through interaction with promotional staff, consumers reported they would buy avocados from knowing more about how to handle them.”