Smashing it: How Freshcourt is tapping health and RTE trends for avocado boom in Asia and Middle East

Freshcourt prides itself on its pre-packaged avocado portfolio, which brings both sweet and savoury products to shelves, while maintaining its colour without the use of any artificial chemicals or preservatives.

“We have perfected the use of the high pressure processing (HPP) technology to kill bacteria but not alter the flavour or colour of the avocadoes in any way, so the end products are 100% natural with no preservatives,”​ Freshcourt Marketing Director Eddie Garcia told FoodNavigator-Asia​.

“We have a good 12 different products in our portfolio, from guacamole to avocado salads to parfaits and more – the main aim for us is to develop avocado products that will to all sorts of different taste palates across the many different markets.​

“So these could range from spicy savoury flavours like jalapeno and habanero guacamole to southwest style avocado salads to sweet tropical blends like mango and pina colada – the tropical blends in particular are very popular as it’s a whole separate category with no onions or spices and can be considered either a snack or a dessert.”​

The firm already has a footprint in markets such as the United States, Canada, UK and Japan, and is looking to expand further into Asia and the Middle East as well.

“It’s interesting because in the Middle East, not too many consumers are that familiar with avocado as the climate here doesn’t allow for it to be grown, but it has turned out to be a fruit that really matches their palate,”​ he said.

“This is also very in sync with the demand for healthier products in this region and despite the fact that guacamole is not yet that common here, it is a healthy and clean product that can apply to many consumption occasions so there can be good demand.​

“Asia is also a very good market as there is some level of familiarity with avocadoes here and we are already in Japan and looking more closely at places such as South Korea and Singapore as well.”​

Its expertise in HPP technology has also played a major part in opening up export markets due to the extended shelf life of at least 60 days, a crucial consideration when it comes to avocado supply chain logistics, given that any staleness would be immediately apparent in the product colour as avocadoes tend to blacken once exposed to the elements.

“HPP has allowed us to extend the products’ shelf life by a lot – what we do is process these to guacamole or salads and so on in Mexico and freeze them, then once the destination is reached these are thawed for sale,”​ he said.

“Once thawed this is where the benefits of HPP are clear as the products will have another 60 days of refrigeration – and once opened, these will look and taste exactly the same as the first day that they left the production company in Mexico.”​

Watch the video above to find out more.