In this episode, Kate Brooks, SVP of sales at Calavo Growers, discusses how they are advancing in the fresh fruit and vegetable market for customer growth and nutrition. She gave a quick overview of Calavo, a 100-year-old avocado supplier with two business units: Calavo commodities, tomatoes, and papayas, and other is guacamole and salsa. She briefly discusses the value-added fresh food side, which has a limited shelf life and is supplied exclusively in the United States. She goes into depth on the manufacture of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables held in cold chain storage for distribution in warehouses and retailers. She discusses in detail on the production of fresh cut fruits and vegetables held in cold chain storage for distribution in warehouses and retailers. She told us about how logistics is vital for their business and how it is carried out so that it can reach on time to customers. We also went through how food safety and quality are handled at the Calavo growers. We discussed the marketing initiatives used to increase brand awareness among retailers. Kate spoke on the packaged food sector and consumer behavior trends.

Calavo Growers, Inc., headquartered in Santa Paula, California, is a global leader in the procurement and marketing of fresh avocados and other fresh produce, as well as the manufacturing and distribution of prepared avocado products and salsas. They have expanded their reach in the refrigerated fresh category with the addition of Renaissance Food Group, which offers fresh-cut vegetables and ready-to-cook meal enhancements. Calavo has been supplying produce wholesalers, retailers, and restaurants globally since 1924, and their continued commitment to offering nutritious, fresh, convenient meals has allowed them to genuinely expand into “A Family of Fresh Foods.”