A team made up of Colombian institutions and businessmen is making strategic plays to accumulate yards and score during the LVII version of the Super Bowl, the longed-for touchdown that will give victory to Hass avocado exports towards the United States.

This Sunday, Feb. 12, the inaugural game will be between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles at 6:30 p.m. local time at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

After Thanksgiving, this is the event for which families and friends gather the most in the United States. Over the years, the Super Bowl has also become a cultural spectacle and a food festival where guacamole is king.

Last year alone, 139.4 million lbs (62.23 million kg) were consumed, according to data from Tiger Fitness.

Players and their positions

A key organization playing for the home team, possibly as a quarterback, is the Colombia Avocado Board (CAB). Made up of producers, exporters of hass avocado, and North American importers with the purpose of promoting and encouraging the consumption of the fruit in the U.S.

Ricardo Uribe, President of the board of directors of CAB, spoke with FreshFruitPortal.com and indicated that a large part of the strategy to increase Colombian avocado exports to the United States consists of marketing on the East Coast.

Production fields in Cartama. Courtesy: Mission Produce

"We know that Mexico is the main supplier of the United States. However, their main market is on the west coast and their products are transported by land, while we are 5 days by sea to the port of Philadelphia and 3 days to the port of Miami, which is a great advantage.

We understand that we are going to compete in this market with other origins, but we are aware of our advantages, such as proximity and availability 52 weeks a year, which makes Colombia unique compared to the world," Uribe added.

Another player that would play as a wide receiver is the company Mission Produce, just like in American soccer, they are in charge of receiving passes, advancing yards, and scoring a touchdown.

In other words, it markets Colombian Hass avocados in the United States and Europe. Brock Becker, Senior Manager of Sales and Export Supply, told us that the company is vertically integrated in Colombia in partnership/collaboration with the Cartama group to produce about 1,500 hectares of avocados.

More than 800 hectares are currently producing fruit, most of which are destined for the European market. Mission Produce is committed to developing emerging sources of supply to supply the growing global demand for avocados.

Becker also added that: "Limited quantities of Colombian fruit are arriving in the U.S. and the peak weeks of the main Colombian crop have supported the increase in anticipated demand for this weekend's Big Game with high-quality fruit."

The other important players in this Hass avocado production and export chain would complement the team by making defense, complete passes, field goals, and even bonus points, through good management in harvest, post-harvest, logistics, and promotion.

In this way, the Colombian Hass would score more points for the season.

Opinions and numbers from the sector

Carmen Caballero, president of Procolombia said that "The Super Bowl is a key event for the avocado industry worldwide because it generates a great demand for snacks that are accompanied by sauces made out of the fruit.

In 2022, Colombia multiplied its avocado exports to the United States tenfold, a positive trend that we hope will continue in order to take advantage of the potential of the market and of this sector, which is a great driver of the country's agro-industrial exports, generates quality employment in the regions and has a year-round supply, which gives us a competitive advantage over other suppliers."

Finally, according to figures from the U.S. Hass Avocado Board, during 2023 Colombia exported 961,664 kilos to the United States and for the week of February 12-26, another 976,317 kilos are expected to be exported.