Will Brett Lee bowl Indians over with Australian Avocados?

CEO John Tyas shares its strategy for the Indian market with the veteran cricketer.

After establishing its presence in Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong, Australian Avocados (the representative body of the Australian avocado industry) is all set to enter the Indian market. By appointing Brett Lee, a former Australian bowler as its ambassador, the brand aims to introduce a premium and healthy option to Indian households.

As per media reports, India consumes 4000 tonnes of Avocados per year. The avocado market in India is gaining traction, much of its credit to the food service industry. 

As per the company, Australia produced 115 tonnes of avocados in 2022-23 and is forecasted to increase to 170 tonnes by 2026.

John Tyas, CEO of Australian Avocados says, “The volume we are producing needs a market with a huge potential. With a rising middle class, we found that opportunity in India.” 

Initially, Australian Avocados will target just the premium market in India. Tyas adds, “It’s about 2 to 2.5 crore people in that segment, that’s about the population of Australia.” 

Initially, it is targeting modern retail outlets in metropolitan cities. After establishing its presence there, then it will move to traditional markets.

The representative body is partnering with chefs on social media to create recipes to show how oily fruit can be incorporated into Indian cuisines. 

He highlights, “We’ve seen in China, that’s how they have perceived avocados being similar to how we do, I think there’s a great opportunity of the same in India.” 

Lee has been chosen as the ambassador, as he’s popular in India and has an authentic story to tell about Australia. In the future, the brand may consider choosing an Indian face. 

The former Australian pacer imagery will be used at the point of sales, and the body has also done video campaigns with the veteran player, which will be out soon.

Currently, Australian Avocados are available in 5.5 kgs trays, and they have not decided on the pricing yet.

In India, avocado is not a commercial fruit crop. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, it was introduced in the country from Sri Lanka in the early part of the twentieth century. Today it is grown in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Sikkim in a very limited scale and in a scattered way. 

Hass Avocado is the most popularly consumed variant in India. The Australian Avocados are also Hass variants. While domestically grown avocados are sold at a price range of around Rs 150-Rs 250, imported avocados can go up to Rs 500 per piece, depending on the quality.

Tyas doesn’t consider Indian avocados as competitors. He believes, “The Indian avocado is a different product from imported ones. They have green skin and are not as creamy. Also, they have different use cases as compared to imported ones.”

Australian Hass avocados were granted provisional access to the Indian market last year. It was announced in a joint statement by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on 11 March 2023.