By Amy Taxin
SOMIS, Calif. (AP) — Andreas Tomporos fired at least a third of his home and avocado orchard last year, but the 47-year-old grower isn’t worried about his farm coming back.
California farmers often rattle around a list of challenges they face, including high labor costs, water restrictions and international competition, but many avocado growers say there are good things. The main reason may come as a surprise to some – Mexican imports.
When the US lifted the Mexican avocado ban in 1997, California growers initially worried that imported fruit would replace production.
But the steady flow of avocados feels helpless without damaging their sales, by allowing annual supply to markets and restaurants that hinder demand. Before the influx, most American consumers considered avocados to be specialized items. And when it came to the season in California, industry officials had to work to restore widespread interest to sell them.
There’s no more.
Avocado consumption has been booming in the US for the past 20 years. Federal statistics show that the amount of fruit available per person per person tripled to more than 8 pounds between 2000 and 2021. Avocado toast and guacamole are not only a culinary hub like New York, but also regular products in cafes in the Midwest and South.
Avocados are in demand
On a hillside on a steep sun-soaked hillside in Los Angeles, Tompolo repots around 300 avocado trees, with the belief that American fruits and his hunger for the orchard continues to grow.
“It’s coming back, and I believe it’s going to be better than it used to be,” Tomporos, who previously ran a software company in Hollywood, said of the orchard he filmed in a small community in Somis five years ago.
The demand for avocados is also supported by growing consumer interest in healthy fats, said Emiliano Escovedo, executive director of the Has Avocado committee.
The 2000 US law created a board of directors that raised 2.5 cents for every pound of avocado imported or produced in the United States. The board used the money to sell avocados and carry out nutritional research. This is an effort widely believed in the ubiquitous presence of fruit in supermarkets and restaurant menus.
“It’s very successful. It generates more money than most of these other industry committees,” said Richard Sexton, a well-known professor of agriculture and resource economics at the University of California, Davis. “When looking at the growth rates of avocado consumption compared to all fruits, the difference in growth rates is dramatic.”
Successful crops
Escobedo said that around 60% of US households currently buy avocados, and about half of these are responsible for the overwhelming majority of consumption.
“There are many opportunities for certain groups of people to increase avocado purchases,” Escovedo said.
The Trump administration has threatened tariffs along the way with Mexican goods, but avocados have been spared. California growers said they want Mexican avocados to continue flowing into the country, but they also want robust US inspections of imports to protect pests to protect crops.
“If you’re going to a farm in California, avocados are about the best deals right now,” said Kenmelvan, chairman of the California Avocado Commission.
California farmers grow about 10% of the avocado they eat in the US, making up almost all of the country’s avocado production. Fruits are mostly grown in California from April to September, and Mexican imports arrive year-round to meet national demand, he said, more than what the state farmers grow.
In Ventura County, Southern California, many growers have moved to avocados as lemon prices were surrounded by cheap imports from Argentina. Colin Bell, a farm commissioner for northwestern Los Angeles, said avocado production in the region would likely rise if the recently planted tree bears fruit and fruit in a few years.
A booming market despite wildfires
Avocado trees do not come without risk in areas that are prone to wildfires.
Still, demand for trees jumped because of interest from lemon growers – and the burning Ventura County avocado orchard, a fire-capped Ventura County avocado orchard, said the family-owned nursery had been supplying avocado trees to California growers for 70 years.
“Now, we’re essentially sold out this year,” Brocau said. “And we’re pretty much sold out in 2026.”
Tomporos discussed whether to plant a more fire-resistant lemon tree or another crop after the fire ran through Somis, but decided to repot it due to the demand for guacamole and avocado toast in the Super Bowl.
“It’s a superfood and it’s still growing in popularity,” Tomporos said.
He is careful not to plant too many trees in what will eventually become a rebuilt home, as dry leaves that help nourish the orchard’s soil can fuel the flames.
It may take several years, but Tomporos hopes that his newly planted tree will not be able to bear fruit much longer.
Original issue: May 29, 2025, 1:01pm EDT
