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OPN Connect: What is the history of your organic avocado production?
PL: “Del Rey Avocado opened its doors in 1969 and has been owned by the Siemer and Lucy family since 1987, making us a third generational grower and packer.
We started marketing California organic avocados in 2006 when our largest grower converted most of their ranch to organic. We needed to make sure we found the best customers.
I started Del Rey’s organic program with Jessica Hunter, who is Vice President of production and operations. We were young, working for an amazing company our fathers had created. We saw the organic program as a way to make our mark and help the company grow.
As our grower base grew and we transitioned our own groves to organic, Del Rey’s customer base grew too.
Jessica and I knew we would never be the largest conventional grower but knew we could be the largest organic and we set that goal.”
Jessica Hunter and Patrick Lucy
OPN Connect: How are you able to provide organic avocados to consumers year-round?
PL: “Del Rey is able to offer avocados year-round working with the finest organic growers throughout the world. The majority of our organic avocados come from Mexico. We partner with growers from other countries to make sure supplies stay steady when Mexico is down.
We are the leader in importing Peruvian organic avocados and have Chilean production beginning the next two years to help bridge the supply gap. We guarantee that when our customers sign up for our organic avocado program, they have year-round coverage.”
Organic Lamb Hass, Del Rey Avocado
OPN Connect: What are your growers doing as it relates to sustainability?
PL: “Growing organic avocados is hard and expensive. There are more rules and regulations and inputs cost more. The only way to be a sustainable organic farmer is to be progressive.
Our California organic ranches use the most up to date growing practices, such as reverse osmosis systems to make sure the water is as pure as possible. We use solar to lower electricity usage to run our wells, R/O systems and irrigation. All these helps cut costs and make our ranches more sustainable.”
OPN Connect: What product lines are the most popular and what innovative packs have you introduced to stimulate growth?
PL: “Loose organic avocados are still the most popular item at retail. Bagged small sized avocados are catching up quickly.
Our most innovative item is our organic Reed avocado in production from June-July. Reeds are a fantastic eating avocado and have a nutty-buttery taste. They are smooth skinned and the size of softballs or bigger.
Reeds give the avocado consumer something different in the summer. When most people try their first Reed they always come back for more.
Patrick Lucy, Del Rey Avocado
OPN Connect: What challenges have you experienced growing organically and how are you overcoming them?
PL: “The biggest challenges on the growing side is cost. It is tough to convince farmers to go organic because there is a preconceived notion their production will be down, and costs will be higher.
If you are willing to put in the money and farm the ranch correctly, we have seen no difference in yields. There has been tremendous improvement and innovation in organic fertilizers and organic sprays to combat pests.
The single biggest cost for avocados in California is water, costing as much as $7,000 per acre each year.
Organic growers need the organic premium to cover those costs and make them sustainable for the future.”
OPN Connect: What do you see as your commitment to the future of organic production?
PL: “We are committed to growing our business----- to planting and growing more of our own organic avocados in California, whether it be the Hass or Reed variety.
We are committed to growing our international grower base and showing the benefits to the farmers in Mexico, Peru, and Chile why growing organic avocados is important and sustainable for them. We are committed to our customers that we will continue to grow our supply of the finest organic avocados in the world.”
