Avozilla - © allygeorge111 via Instagram

Giant Avocado Makes My Day!

Here in the Frozen North, where we joke that we have three months of summer and nine months of bad skiing, the Avocado is a cherished, relatively scarce reminder of kinder, gentler climates and an easier way of life. Imagine my joy to find that a new Giant Avocado has appeared, amplifying the love…

Avozilla vs Ordinary Haas Avocado - © TescoA Tesco supermarkets rep compares Avozilla to ‘ordinary’ Haas Avocado. No Comparison.
Its South African originators already export some Avozillas to the UK, Europe.

We may not get them all that soon here in North America, but just knowing they’re out there makes life a little more pleasant in the here and now. They’re called ‘Avozillas’, they weigh an average of 3 lb.  / 1.3 kg, and those who’ve been privileged to taste them insist they’re just as buttery and flavourful as their smaller, traditional cousins.

Guacamole enthusiasts have calculated that a single Avozilla could produce enough of their fave dip to coat 9 dozen Corn Chips or 18 slices of Avocado Toast.

Just one problem…

The Avozilla is only available in Australia and South Africa at this time. Developed by traditional plant breeding techniques in South Africa, they’re not exported from that country, probably because savvy Aussie and SA foodies grab them up as soon as they hit the supermarket shelves.

At (US)$9 apiece, they’re a bargain, by my reckoning. So why not plant thousands of Avozilla trees and ship the fruit all over the globe?

Because the Avozilla is tied up in a costly breeders licensing agreement under which the Aussie growers – who have the space to create gigantic plantations – may be ready, on the basis of the initial success of the Avozilla, to pay the steep fees for the rights to do so. But the owners of the breed aren’t too keen, apparently, on selling the Aussies the rights to grow more. Keep them scarce, keep them pricey.

My take…

I challenge growers in Mexico and the U.S. to license the rights to Avozilla and bring this marvel of the Vegetable kingdom to North America. Whoever gets in there first will make a killing and establish its brand as an iconic household word – like Chlorox or Kleenex or Bandaid.

I don’t know how long it takes an avocado tree to grow to maturity and start to produce fruit, but I do know that there’s not a moment to spare. As Will Smith’s Character in Independence Day famously said, of his alien fighter ship: “I gotta get me one of these!”

~ Maggie J.

P.S.: Neither the goofy gal in the front page teaser photo nor the one in the main photo on this page are me. Really.