Eco Farms Avocados Inc. in Temecula, CA, endeavors to distinguish itself from others in the avocado business by the quality of its pack, according to President Steve Taft.

The company packs California avocados and also handles fruit from Mexico, Chile and Peru.

A perfect storm of high volume, high demand and high quality is propelling Henry Avocado customers into a safe harbor with the Escondido, CA-based company for the foreseeable future, according to a July 27 company press release.

West Pak Avocado Inc. in Temecula, CA, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and which is experiencing continued growth, is currently “in the midst of a major investment in personnel and infrastructure within the company,” said Doug Meyer, vice president of sales and marketing, July 31. “[We] are positioning ourselves for the next 30-plus years of growth within the industry.

In past years, the season for “SlimCado” brand green-skin Florida avocados from Brooks Tropicals LLC in Homestead, FL, has wound down with the arrival of the new year. But this year “we’ve got new ‘SlimCado’ varieties that extend our calendar dates,” said Marketing Director Mary Ostlund.

Giumarra Agricom International LLC in Escondido, CA, has “just recently hired an individual that will be working with our East Coast team to develop Midwest and East Coast wholesale, foodservice and retail accounts,” said General Manager Bruce Dowhan in an interview with The Produce News July 25.

Preconditioning and bagging programs at Calavo Growers Inc. in Santa Paula, CA, have grown steadily through the years, but not always as a percentage of volume, according to Rob Wedin, vice president of fresh sales.

In 2010, which was a large crop year for California avocados and a record year for aggregate avocado volume in the United States, “we saw a smaller percentage of those value-added programs in our sales,” he said.