Jalisco helps bridge summer avocado gap as GLC Cerritos boosts US programs
Jalisco-grown avocados are helping smooth out one of the United States market’s trickiest seasonal squeezes, with additional supplies set to provide importers and retailers with much-needed summer stock.
Sophia Koorndyk, US Sales and Marketing at GLC Cerritos, told FreshFruitPortal.com that the western Mexican state, which was officially approved for avocado exports to the US in 2022, has been key to the firm’s strategy since its 2024 debut.
“Adding Jalisco fruit has been a game changer for Mexico,” Koorndyk said. “New-crop from Jalisco really helps bridge the summer months better than Michoacan was able to do alone in the past,” she said. “There are weeks in July, August, and September when Jalisco represents as much as 40 percent of the fruit coming in from Mexico.”
The Mexican avocado industry recently crossed a historic threshold, exporting more than 2.5 billion pounds of avocados to the US this season, with five weeks still left on the calendar.
GLC Cerritos bets on growth
Since January, Mexican avocado exports to the US have risen 37 percent year-on-year, pushing weekly volumes into the 65 million to 70 million-pound range in January and March, GLC Cerritos noted.
Retail demand also strengthened during the latest four-week period ending on April 19, according to the Hass Avocado Board (HAB)’s latest category data update. National unit sales increased 20 percent, adding 47 million units. The report also noted that average selling prices fell 25.3 percent to 96 cents per unit; however, GLC Cerritos is still calling it a “very satisfying season”.
The company also expanded its fair trade and sustainability efforts this year.
“Doubling the Fair Trade Program has earned recognition and respect from a number of colleagues,” Koorndyk noted. “We also published and distributed our inaugural Sustainability Report, which sets benchmarks moving forward”.
Tight supplies ahead
Despite GLC’s stellar start to the season, a recent market update by Produce Alliance warns of possible price constraints. With reduced harvesting activity, industry inventories are expected to tighten faster than usual.
“Many growers are strategically slowing harvest activity in anticipation of stronger late-season pricing, which has caused field prices to escalate rapidly over the past two weeks as packers compete for tighter supplies,” the assessment read.
Koorndyk acknowledged that market conditions can shift rapidly, and emphasized the need for adaptability among retailers and suppliers.
“Fresh produce is never the same,” she said. “John Steinbeck wrote that growers forget about the wet years during the dry years and forget about the dry years during the wet years.”
She noted that abundant supplies supported strong retail promotions for much of the season, while previous periods of elevated prices encouraged alternative sourcing from South America.
“Ample supplies allowed for aggressive promotions from August through Cinco de Mayo,” Koorndyk explained. “However, it is easy to forget that from June through April of the previous season, prices were historically high. Peru and Colombia were able to establish new records of volume shipped to the US that year. Flexibility is key.”
Looking ahead, the company plans to expand export-certified acreage and invest further in value-added and logistics operations targeting the US market.
“About one-third of our groves are young, and one-third are not yet certified for the US,” Koorndyk said. “As these orchards come into full production and become certified for export, we will continue to build out programs.”
The company also plans to expand operational capacity.
“We anticipate increasing bagging, regional ripening, and distribution hubs to better satisfy customer needs,” she said. “As we look forward to the 2026/2027 season, which begins in just a few weeks, Jalisco will play a key role in keeping Mexico an even more important year-round avocado supplier.”
*All images courtesy of GLC Cerritos.
The second edition of the Global Avocado Summit will be held on November 11, 2026, at the Monticello Casino Events Center in Santiago, Chile. Organized by the Chilean Avocado Committee and Yentzen Group, the meeting seeks to bring together the main players in a growing industry.
The event has established itself as a key space for addressing commercial and sustainability issues in the industry, bringing together producers, exporters, buyers, certifiers, and innovators to analyze the sector’s challenges and opportunities.
For more info, contact
events@yentzengroup.com
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