Avos: The ultimate tree huggers

You’ll never see the perfect avocado on an avocado tree. Why?
Because avocados are smart. Just like your average banana or apple, avocados have the ability to ripen without being attached to their tree. But unlike these common fruits, the savvy avocado knows a thing or two about saving energy. Instead of wasting their reserves ripening up on a branch, avocados sit pretty amidst the lush leaves enjoying the good life. Avocados only kick into ripen mode once they’ve been picked.

So when do we pick them?
Avocados are known for keeping their maturity under wraps. On the tree, they don’t tend to display many signs that they are maturing, so it can be difficult to spot the perfect picking window. And you can’t just harvest any avocado at any time and expect it to ripen. It’s important that avocados reach a specific level of maturity before they leave the tree – take them too soon and they will not ripen nicely. Pinpointing the optimal maturity depends on the variety, and most good quality avocados can be over a year in the making.

How does an avocado ripen?
Avocados have a unique make up which results in the ripening process being particularly complex. Each avocado produces the natural plant hormone ethylene which triggers the ripening actions – and as soon as the avocado is picked the ethylene production goes into overdrive. This is when the physical changes kick in; the avocados become softer, the colour changes, and underneath the skin, the fruit starts becoming more flavourful.

There’s a catch…
Once picked, avocados don’t ripen at a perfectly consistent rate. How long it takes to fully ripen depends on how mature the fruit was when it was picked. Then, things like temperature and humidity can affect the process (high temperature and humidity will speed up the ripening). This means how avocados are picked, processed and stored can significantly influence their ripening.

For The Avo Tree farmers timing the perfect pick has become an art and a science. Our farmers have developed orchard settings where avocados can sit quite happily on the tree for up to 18 months. Then, thanks to streamlined systems and a commitment to picking on-demand (rather than using a cool store) we can deliver freshly picked seasonal avocados almost all year round.