California avocado crop tracks 330 million-pound forecast as demand accelerates

Golden State avocados are holding the line as the season moves through its key marketing windows. Local growers have kept on track with early estimates and are forecast to produce about 330 million pounds.

Ken Melban, President of the California Avocado Commission (CAC), told FreshFruitPortal.com that initial shipments went out slower than expected before accelerating in May and June.

“Fruit sizing has been good, and quality has been outstanding. Overall, California growers were able to provide excellent-quality fruit throughout our key spring and summer window,” he said of this year’s harvest.

Photo by Engin Akyurt via Unsplash.

The crop benefited from early-year rainfall across the state's growing regions, with Melban saying the precipitation timing allowed soils and trees to absorb much of the moisture between storms, supporting overall tree health and fruit sizing.

California avocado growers focus on demand as imports overlap

With West Coast fruit competing with imports from Mexico and South America, the CAC is emphasizing demand generation and retail execution.

The commission increased its use of customized retail programs this season, working with individual customers on California-branded displays and signage, digital and social advertising, promotions, coupons, demonstrations and influencer activations.

Melban said identifying California origin becomes particularly important when fruit from multiple sources appears in the market at the same time.

“It gives consumers the opportunity to actively choose California fruit,” Melban noted.

This, he explained, helps meet the commission's goal to maintain consumer demand and retail activity during the period when local growers have their largest volumes available.

Rising costs and pest risks

California avocado growers continue to manage high input costs, labor challenges, water availability, and invasive-pest risks, Melban indicated.

Growers use integrated pest management, monitoring and targeted treatments to manage existing pests while controlling costs. The CAC also continues to advocate for what Melban described as rigorous USDA phytosanitary oversight of avocados imported from Mexico.

Image by Shutterstock

“Preventing these pests from becoming established in California is critical to protecting our groves and avoiding significant new production costs for growers,” he emphasized.

Freshness anchors California positioning

The CAC is also positioning California avocados around freshness, quality, US origin, and supply reliability as it seeks to differentiate the fruit at retail.

“Our avocados are grown by approximately 3,000 California growers and, for many consumers in our core markets, can move from grove to grocer in just days,” he noted.

Melban also pointed to the industry's family-farming base and growing practices as part of the California story, noting that many growers operate multi-generational farms. 

“When shoppers see the California origin, meet the growers behind the fruit, understand the care that goes into producing it, and experience the quality taste of California avocados, we believe that it collectively creates a meaningful value proposition for both consumers and retailers,” he concluded.

*Main image courtesy of California Avocado Commission.

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 Paltas de Chile 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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