There is currently lower availability for avocados to be used for making avocado oil, says Irene Njeri, CEO of Kenyan avocado oil exporter Vegbatian: “The supply of avocados comes in curves, and at this moment, we’re seeing the curve of Hass and Fuerte is coming down. The main season is almost over, which means the fruits are now rather expensive to buy. So much so, that the price has actually doubled when compared to the start of the season.”
So instead of getting the best avocados suited for the product, Vegbatian will now have to obtain produce from the local market. Which gives them enough product to continue, Njeri explains. “For us, this means we’ve now switched to procuring avocados from the local market to process them into avocado oil. However, the local yield of avocados is very limited, and the product itself is not the best for avocado oil processing.”
There will be a second wind for the company later this year though, as there should be more avocados available in two months’ time: “We will hopefully get a new supply of fruits from the second flowering in the month of October. After this point we’ll have to wait for the new main season to start, which is in April of next year. The avocado oil market is still intact though, and we’re seeing our clients purchasing as much as they can, as the availability of our product is seasonal.” Njeri concludes.
For more information:
Irene Njeri
Vegbatian
Email: [email protected]
www.vegbatian.com