Twelve acres in Katikati, three varieties we love, and one very stubborn idea.
Our family has grown avocados in the Bay of Plenty for two generations. My grandfather planted the first Hass tree in 1978 on a hillside above Katikati — soft volcanic soil, warm sea air, and just enough winter chill to make the fruit hold its oils.
For most of the last forty years, our fruit went to a pack-house, then a wholesaler, then a supermarket cool-store, then — finally, weeks later — onto a shelf. We were getting around $1.00 per avocado at the gate. The same fruit sold for $3.50 in the shop, often bruised and gas-ripened. Customers were disappointed. Growers were squeezed. Something in the middle was very broken.
Avoroa — "avocado" and Aotearoa — is our answer. We pick to order, wrap in compostable kraft, and drive to Auckland and Hamilton twice a week ourselves. Growers get paid fairly. Customers get fruit that actually tastes like an avocado. Nothing sits in a cool-store for a fortnight. Nothing rides on a container ship. Nothing in the middle.
We didn't want one avocado. We wanted the right one for every week of the year.
Most orchards grow one variety and sell it to a wholesaler who blends it into a bin. We planted three, because each of them is genuinely different — and each of them shines at a different time.
The one you grew up on. Dark, pebbly skin, buttery nut-brown flesh. High oil content, big flavour, the reigning champion of guacamole.
Round, smooth, glossy green. Twice the size of a Hass and creamier, but milder. One Reed feeds two on toast. Stays green when ripe — squeeze, don't stare.
First off the trees each winter. Thin-skinned, light, gentle in flavour. The variety our kids reach for first — perfect for smoothies and salads.
A quieter, better way to sell fruit.
- Picked to order. Nothing leaves the tree until your order is in. No cool-store, no gas-ripening, no guessing how long that fruit has been off the branch.
- Fair pay for growers. Every fruit we sell direct returns 4× the gate price to the orchard. That's how family avocado farming survives another generation.
- Nothing in landfill. Kraft cartons, NZ wool insulation, paper wraps. Everything in the delivery either composts or recycles.
- Real people at the other end. If a box arrives with a bad fruit, message us — we'll replace it or refund it. No call-centre, no forms. Just an email to the family that grew it.
