U.S.: Growers of famed 'long-necked' avocado have plenty more surprises up their sleeves
When a giant 'long-necked' avocado recently went viral, the image shot a small Floridian farm to stardom. Yet the co-founders of the farm - called Miami Fruit - said they have many more unusual fruits to please the category's fans.
"Some other interesting varieties are purple avocados, which are beautifully colored, and Brogden avocados, which have edible smooth thin skin," co-founder Rane Roatta told FreshFruitPortal.com.
"The demand for these fruits is very high, especially for the long-necked avocados. It's very high in comparison to the amount that we have available since we are small-scale," he explained.
The pair - Rane and his partner Elle Shlegel - ship these one-of-a-kind categories across the U.S. and Canada.
"You can order an avocado box and try many different varieties of avocados," he noted.
"You will receive big ones, small ones, and even some the size of your head."
One option the farm offers is a small box, weighing 3-6 pounds (1.3-2.7 kg), which costs US$47.
At the other end of the scale, the farm also ships bulk boxes, containing 35-45 pounds (over 15-20 kg) of avocado, which costs US$197, reported Business Insider.
The pair added that there are hundreds of different varieties that they grow in Miami.
"And we ship avocados almost year 'round! You can order at www.miamifruit.org and we will deliver you the best quality avocados straight from the trees to your door," they concluded.
Co-founders taking preorders to deal with avocado demand
Regarding the odd fruit that started it all, the pair said the demand for the 'long-necked' variety is now so high that they are already taking preorders for next season.
They commented that they have been surprised by all the attention their fruit is getting.
"We were not expecting our photos to go viral because we are used to seeing long-neck avocados! We are very grateful though," said Edelle.
"There are many varieties of avocados that look like this; these are very common for us in our location," she added.
Rane said one question the two keep getting is whether or not the unusual fruit is real. But the two have actually been selling 'long-necked' avocados for years, reported news.com.
The publication added that they are likely the Pura Vida variety — which are typically gourd-like in shape. They are nearly as big as a squash, too, measuring about 18 inches (three feet). Moreover, they weigh between 1 - 2.8 pounds, or 453 grams (g) - 1.3 kilograms (kg).
For comparison, the standard Hass usually weighs about 151 g.