“Long story short’’, we worked in ravel for 22 years or so and C-19 has forced us to pivot our passion. With open mindsets and a philosophical view, an opportunity was offered in Maungatapere – We found ourselves intrigued by the avocados that thrive on the land. It is a year-round business in the avocado world, technically- there is no off-season or peak season, it is simply a switch from the old season to the new season. The avocado world has given us the fulfillment we miss from our travel world. We are putting the emphasis on growing avocados with a simple and honest philosophy – always looking for ways to reduce our footprint, protect the environment and provide cafes, restaurants, and the local community with avocados. It is fabulous to work with a product that people are very appreciative of.
A labour of love.
OUR STORY
What started out as a passion project of Valentina’s is now an integral part of what we do. It was always incredibly hard to find avocados that you would not have to let ripen for a few days before using to make avocado margaritas, guacamole or a perfectly Instagrammable avocado burger. It’s a labour of love overseeing the ripening process, we call it “babysitting’’ the avocados. It is also taken on a degree of cultural cachet, in part due to the proliferation of a perfect avocado from the core to the skin. It is that moment when you cut the avocado and split it, you can tell right away what you are dealing with. It is almost picture perfect. Holding one in our hands, we know when it is going to be ripe, we have a sense for it. You could say we have an obsession with our avocados!
THE BABYSITTER
We have a theory about avocados and why they are so popular: It is because you can eat them with pretty much any food, Indian or Mexican, French, Spanish, whatever. They just go with everything.
THE AVOCADO
Babysitter
How do we get them to be so perfectly ripe? The formula includes obsessive attentiveness to the avocados. We understand these fruits better than most. How they change in colours, in touch, or even how they smell. So trust us in getting your fruits just perfectly ready for you.
PICK
BABYSIT
BOX
FREE DELIVERY
EAT
We cut the fruit from the tree after carefully selecting prime stock from our avocado farm in Maungatapere, Northland. If you would like the babysitting service, please order up to 10 days prior to delivery.
After picking they are separated into batches we watch each batch daily, checking in on them four to six times a day. We oversee the ripening process depending on what a chef requests.
We craft each crate specifically to your order getting the perfect mix of colour, firmness, and flavour that you have requested. We box them with love to ensure they stay just as perfect as they were packed.
We monitor our trucks temperatures and how the boxes are stacked during their 179 km journey.
The last stop is a restaurant kitchen or perhaps to perch atop a piece of your toast.
Valentina is protective of the methods she uses to coax avocados to those specific levels of ripeness; a level of secrecy surrounds her warehouse. We rely on instinct, not technical formulas.
OUR BEGINNING
There was never a set plan for Love in Avocado other than to get clarity of mind and to live a slow life. It has been a labour of love; starting out of passion, we are now self-taught amateur horticulturists. There has been sweat, tears and a lot of hard work, but we would not have wanted it any other way. Our community is at the heart of everything we do and getting people involved as much as possible. Looking back, it is almost as everything was meant to happen.
UNIFIED BY A LOVE FOR THE EARTH AND THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN IT.
We are not perfect but we try to integrate as many sustainable means as we can and do our best to support health and sustainability for both our community and the planet, embodied through responsible farming and a contemporary take on local produce. We absolutely love raising the avocados the way they are meant to be and consumed in our community in the season they are harvested.
LOCAL, SUSTAINABLE AND GROWN WITH LOVE
Embracing the health and sustainability of both community and planet, we put the emphasis on our avocados with a simple and honest philosophy – Always looking for ways to reduce our footprint and protect the environment.
