Mr Avocado, a joint venture between California-based Mission Produce and China-based Lantao and Pagoda, has announced an agreement to build a second avocado ripening center in southern China. 

The new center will complement the group’s first facility in Shanghai, which opened in early 2017.

Mission Produce president and CEO Steve Barnard said: “We believe in this country and we think the opportunity is huge."

The newest ripe center is slated to open in September 2018, with the intention to further supply Pagoda's 2,800 stores across China. The center will also supply ripened avocados to additional retail outlets throughout the region.

Pagoda general manager Qidong Zhu said: "We thank Mission Produce and Lantao for their support. We are committed to working together to make the project a success.

"After opening the first ripening center in Shanghai, we experienced strong demand from Southern China. This new center will give us the opportunity to supply this region."

Lantao CEO John Wang said that launching a ripe program in China has been a great success and that the company has seen strong consumption increases over the past year.

"The next center will position us to better serve customers in the south," he said.

The partners plan to open additional avocado ripening facilities across China over the next five years.

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