Riverside, C.A. — Index Fresh is eager to kick off its season of marketing the GEM avocado, a precious new variety that is expanding the California avocado category. The worldwide avocado marketer is looking to double the volume of its GEM offering from last year.
Index Fresh has been excited about the GEM avocado since its introduction and sees a number of benefits in marketing GEM for both growers and retailers. It’s a wonderful extension of the avocado category providing a new quality experience that complements the Hass variety. “GEM is a larger piece of fruit that sits internally in the tree, covered by leaves. We haven’t seen alternate bearing yet, not to say it won’t come in the future. It’s just a very good eating piece of fruit, and there’s no consumer educational period because it blackens when ripe,” said Bailey Diioia, Field Representative at Index Fresh.
According to Index Fresh, there’s about a year to two-year waitlist for GEM trees, showing early excitement for this new variety and its long-term potential. The avocado marketer is currently in partnership with growers who are committed to building a dedicated program based on delivering high quality fruit to store shelves.
The GEM is a high yield per acre variety that allows for efficient harvesting. “By carrying the GEM variety alongside Hass, we believe that it will just boost the overall category and increase general sales without taking away from the Hass,” said Todd Elder, Vice President of Sales at Index Fresh. “One of GEM’s attributes is that it’s usually a very large piece of fruit, which makes it a large premium offering for retailers who are also carrying a smaller size, economical variety. All in all, this gives the consumers a variety of options while shopping for avocados during this season.”
In 2020, the GEM avocado will be available for six to eight weeks, starting the first week of April. In the future, both the volume and the length of the season will expand. “We’re excited about GEM. It’s not often that we get to introduce a new variety of avocado, and we look forward to working with both growers and retailers to provide a new and flavorful expansion of the avocado category,” said Diioia.
Index Fresh is sending samples to retailers along with information on the GEM variety that highlight the potential for extending the avocado category and increasing their overall avocado sales. For more information on the GEM avocado variety, visit www.indexfresh.com/Gem or contact the Index Fresh sales team at sales@indexfresh.com.
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ABOUT INDEX FRESH
Index Fresh is a global marketer of avocados, sourcing from all major growing regions around the world, including California, Mexico, Peru, Chile, and Colombia. Through its dedication to quality, consistency, and innovation, Index Fresh continues to be a leader in the industry. Over the years the company has earned its reputation for quality and integrity with an unwavering commitment to honesty, hard work, and providing outstanding results to their partners — growers and trade alike. Headquartered in California, the company has facilities spread across Texas, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Ohio, Colorado, and Illinois. Index Fresh started operations at its packing, bagging, and ripening facility in Pharr, TX, in 2018.
