In Europe, in 1998 there was a consumption of 180,000,000 kg of avocado. In 2005 it had only gained 10,000,000 kg and in 2010 it went to 240,000,000 kg. This figure has been growing until in this 2020 they have exceeded 600,000,000 kg, which represents an annual growth of 8.9%.
Several conditions have contributed to this strong growth. Among them, according to Colilles, is the introduction of the concept of ripened or ready-to-eat fruit, which makes the shopping experience repeat itself. AND
he fact of being able to have Hass 12 months of the year has also contributed to this increase in consumption. Without going any further, this variety has risen from 129,000,000 in 2005 to 583,000,000 in 2020, representing 86% of avocado consumption (it was 69% 15 years ago). The Hass has grown 10.6% annually. The rest of the varieties, the green ones, have gone from 60,000,000 kg in 2005 to 91,000,000 kg in 2020, it has doubled, but in the case of Hass it has multiplied by 4.
Currently, in Europe, per capita consumption slightly exceeds one kilo per person / year and in avocado consuming countries the average is between 3 and 5 kg. “I am sure that we can double consumption, which will mean another 600 million kg more.” Colombia is growing a lot and Europe is one of its main markets, Peru is also producing a lot, “but we have a lot of margin.” In Spain, for its part, with the avocado boom there are many other areas, in addition to the traditional ones, Malaga and Granada, that are planting avocado.