Main exporters include Propal, Agricom, Jorge Schmidt Cia, El Parque, Santa Cruz, Subsole, and Cabilfrut. These top seven players account for 83% of the total export volume.
Spot purchases vs. Program deals
• A few UK-based importing firms similarly confirmed that there are only a very few spot purchases compared to program deals; spot purchases are usually done in wholesale markets which are mostly closed since many of them supply to F&B businesses, which has experienced a slow-down in operations.
• Moreover, Chilean avocado harvests aren't as plentiful as they once were: Supplies have become very limited since the climate has not been favorable for a good harvest. Pricing has not been attractive for exporters; the few Chilean avocadoes exported to the UK have been mainly absorbed by the retail chains (since the usual channels for avocados, like tourism and the F&B industry, are mostly closed.)
• Retail chains are only conducting program deals. A manager from one of the UK-based importing firms made a rough estimate that at least 75% of the deals are program deals.
Fulfillment Times:
Q3 (July ~ September)
• Needs to settle everything by end of July, latest by mid-August as the first shipment needs to be ready to be shipped out by end of August, gradually increasing in September and hitting the peak in October
• Needs to start tapping the buyers accordingly in order to target sales accordingly
• Pre-booking & Overtaking usually takes place in July and by August, most of the suppliers are pretty much locked in
Q4 / Q1
• October is usually the peak season for the shipments
• Shipping operations should take place in Q4 ~ Q1, meaning during this period, only operations should be executed
• The Chilean avocado season normally continues until the end of Q1, meaning that approximately 6 months will be fully dedicated for shipment operations once we lock in programs
The issues when approaching Chilean avocado suppliers include the existence of just a few main players, a decrease in production levels, and low international prices caused by COVID-19. These issues are challenging to meet but doing so will be productive since demand is greatly exceeding supplies at the moment.
Possible Issues when contacting suppliers:
1. Only a Few Main Players in the Industry
• Roughly 8 companies dominate the industry, providing only a narrow window of partnership possibilities.
2. Decreasing Production
• Drought and insufficient water supply will make the return to former production levels challenging
3. COVID-19
• COVID-19 caused a drop in prices and discouraging export levels, with a large portion of production used to meet domestic demand
The most consumed sizes in South America usually range from 48s to 84s, which is equivalent to 16 to 30 in the European market. Size popularity trends also depend on seasonality.
Seasonality by Variety
Seasonality by Country
Global Market
Avocado Export Markets (2020)
Avocado Import Markets (2020)
Trends and Characteristics
MY 2019/2020
MY 2020/2021 (2020 Aug – 2021 Feb)
MY 2021/2022
Besides the UK, the markets that have growth their value on Chilean avocado imports the most are;
- France - 117% YoY in 2021
- South Korea (new market) - 300% YoY in 2021
- China - 28% YoY in 2021
- Germany - 35% YoY in 2021
The UK Is Ranked 2nd in Chile's Hass Avocado Export