Massive ‘Avozillas’ go viral
The CQ farmer smashing the sizes of the avocado
❝amazed We were to see how big the fruit got. We were very pleased with the size.
— David Grove
MASSIVE one kilogram avocadoes grown in Queensland are about to hit grocery stores in Sydney, Adelaide and Perth.
The ‘Avozillas’ weigh between 1kg and 1.8kg and retail for about $12, but supplies are extremely limited.
Farmer David Grove, from the Groves Grown Tropical Fruit business based in central Queensland, is currently the only supplier of Avozillas in Australia.
The Groves planted 400 Avozilla trees about four years ago and just last month the first crop from these trees was harvested.
“We were amazed to see how big the fruit got. We were very pleased with the size,” Mr Grove told news.com.au.
“1.2kg is quite average for an Avozilla.
“We do have smaller ones and the biggest one was 1.8kg, but that one was a bit of an outlier.”
Avozillas originated in South Africa and were originally called Post Office, before being renamed by their plant breeding rights owner.
Mr Grove said a different grower had just planted another 2000 trees, but it would be several years before they deliver a crop.
“They’re a very small market. We’re only selling a few boxes a week and we’ve sold through wholesale markets, limiting it to Sydney, Adelaide and Perth,” he said.
“There’s an awful lot of excitement but I’m not confident that will translate into commercial success.
“The sort of money you have to get for these fruits will put a lot of people off.
“There will always be Avozillas but it’s just a matter of supply.”
They’re currently being sold to wholesalers and almost immediately sold out.
Tropical and exotic fruit sales manager at Mercer Mooney in Perth, Cameron Perna, said the Avozillas were being sold for $12 each and sold within 24-48 hours of landing at the distribution centre.
“The only ones we struggle with are the smaller ones but the larger ones are already pre-sold before they even leave Queensland,” Mr Perna told the ABC.
“We have two to three buyers that pretty much clean them up before they even land.”
Mr Perna said Avozillas were great value for money.
“I cut one open the other day and got nine pieces of smashed avocado on toast out of half. It’s an exciting product because everybody eats avocados and instead of buying two or three a week, you only have to buy one.”