Calavo Growers

What Calavo Growers does

Calavo Growers, Inc. is a Santa Paula, California-headquartered producer and distributor of fresh produce and prepared avocado-based foods, founded in 1924 as the California Avocado Growers Exchange. The company operates two primary divisions: the Grown segment, which sources, packs, and distributes fresh Hass avocados, greenhouse-grown tomatoes, and Hawaiian papayas (Calavo Gold brand, ~75% share of Hawaiian papaya imports); and the Calavo Foods (Fresh Foods) segment, which produces ready-to-eat guacamole, dips, avocado pulp, IQF/frozen processed avocado products, and other prepared foods under the Calavo, AvoFresco, AvoCrema, and private label brands, holding an estimated 33–40% of the North American guacamole market.

The underlying technology centers on High Pressure Pasteurization (HPP) for prepared foods, which extends shelf life and preserves nutritional content without preservatives—a meaningful differentiator for ready-to-eat guacamole and dips. Calavo also employs ripening and sorting technology in fresh-produce operations and runs a vertically integrated facility network across California, Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, New Jersey, Texas, and Mexico (Uruapan/Michoacán and Jalisco packing and processing plants), with sourcing extending into Peru and Colombia. The technology stack is conventional for the produce industry rather than software-driven; there is no disclosed AI/ML or platform architecture.

Calavo operates a sales-led B2B model, distributing fresh produce and prepared foods to grocery retailers, club stores, foodservice operators, wholesale distributors, e-commerce platforms, and food manufacturers on transaction-based pricing (specific pricing is not publicly disclosed). FY2025 net sales totaled $648.4 million, down from $661.5 million in FY2024, while adjusted EBITDA grew 12% to $40.8 million and net income from continuing operations rose 192% to approximately $20 million following the 2024 divestiture of the Fresh Cut business for $83 million. On May 28, 2026, Mission Produce completed its acquisition of Calavo for approximately $430 million in enterprise value, making Calavo a wholly-owned subsidiary within a combined entity targeting ~22% of the North American avocado market and ~$2.0 billion in pro forma net sales.

Name

Calavo Growers

Legal name

Calavo Growers, Inc.

Website

https://calavo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Calavo Growers is a Santa Paula, California-based producer and distributor of fresh avocados, tomatoes, Hawaiian papayas, and prepared guacamole products, serving grocery retailers, foodservice operators, club stores, and wholesale customers across North America via vertically integrated operations in the U.S. and Mexico.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fresh Produce Distribution

NAICS

Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114), Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing (311991), Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Ingredients, Spices & Culinary Supplies Distribution (CRAOABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Plant-Based Prepared Meals & Convenience Foods Manufacturing (AFAKAGAL), Pesto, Cooking Pastes & Concentrated Flavor Bases Manufacturing (AFAKADAN), Frozen Plant-Based & Vegetarian Meals (CRADADAF)

Keywords

• Fresh avocado distribution
• Prepared guacamole products
• Fresh produce supply
• Avocado pulp processing
• HPP food pasteurization

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Paula

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Fresh Produce Sales: Revenue from selling fresh avocados, tomatoes, and Hawaiian papayas to retail and foodservice customers. The Grown segment includes sourcing, packing and distribution of fresh produce.
2. Prepared Foods: Revenue from Calavo Foods division selling guacamole, avocado pulp, IQF/Frozen processed avocado products, and other dips to grocery retailers, foodservice, wholesale, and food manufacturing customers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Calavo Growers is a global leader in the distribution and marketing of fresh Hass avocados, tomatoes, and Hawaiian papayas, along with prepared guacamole, dips, and avocado-based foods. The company operates a vertically integrated farm-to-table supply chain across the U.S., Mexico, and Central/South America, using High Pressure Pasteurization (HPP) technology to produce preservative-free ready-to-eat prepared foods for grocery retailers, foodservice operators, club stores, and food manufacturers.

Product overview

Calavo Growers is a global leader in fresh produce and prepared foods, operating two divisions: the Fresh Foods division producing guacamole, dips, and avocado-based foods, and the Grown division handling avocados, tomatoes, and papayas. The company operates a vertically integrated model from farm to table, using High Pressure Pasteurization (HPP) in its prepared foods to maintain food safety without preservatives. Products include fresh avocados, tomatoes, Hawaiian papayas, guacamole and dips (Calavo brand and private label), AvoCrema, avocado pico de gallo, IQF/frozen processed avocado products, and USDA Certified-Organic options. The company was acquired by Mission Produce in May 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Avo Fresco: Brand for guacamole, avocado pulp, IQF/Frozen, processed avocado products
• AvoCrema
• Calavo Gold

Products and services

• Fresh Avocados Fresh Hass avocados sourced from optimal growing regions across the United States, Mexico, Central and South America, supplied to retail and foodservice customers as the company's core offering with nearly 100 years of expertise.
• Farm Fresh Tomatoes Year-round supply of vine-ripened round and Roma tomatoes, 100% greenhouse grown with high food safety standards, sold to retail and foodservice customers.
• Hawaiian Papayas (Calavo Gold) Premium Hawaiian papayas marketed under the Calavo Gold brand, with Calavo importing and marketing 75% of all Hawaiian papayas to retail and foodservice customers.
• Guacamole & Dips Ready-to-eat premium guacamole, salsas, and plant-based dips sold under the Calavo brand and private label to grocery retailers and foodservice providers, using High Pressure Pasteurization (HPP) for food safety without preservatives.
• Organic Avocados & Guacamole USDA Certified-Organic Hass avocados and guacamole products targeting health-conscious retail and foodservice customers seeking organic produce options.
• AvoCrema Avocado and sour cream blend product used as a dip or condiment, featured in recipes and marketed as a convenient prepared foods option for retail and foodservice customers.
• Avocado Pico de Gallo Fresh salsa combining avocado with tomato, onion, jalapeno, cilantro and lime juice, sold as a prepared food product to retail and foodservice customers.
• IQF/Frozen Processed Avocado Products Individually quick frozen (IQF) and processed avocado products sold to retail, foodservice, wholesale, and food manufacturing customers for use as ingredients or finished products.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12% EBITDA growth to $40.8 million in FY2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mission Produce: Now the parent company of Calavo following the May 2026 acquisition. Mission Produce is a global leader in Hass avocados with operations across 25+ countries and is the most directly comparable avocado sourcing, ripening, and distribution business.
• West Pak Avocado: Family-owned U.S. avocado grower, packer, ripener, and distributor serving retail and foodservice; competes directly with Calavo's Grown division across North American fresh avocado supply.
• Index Fresh: U.S.-based avocado grower-shipper sourcing from California, Mexico, and South America with ripening and distribution operations; competes head-to-head with Calavo in fresh avocado marketing and distribution.
• Wholly Guacamole (MegaMex Foods): Leading branded refrigerated guacamole manufacturer owned by Hormel Foods/MegaMex; competes directly with Calavo Foods in retail and club store guacamole aisles where Calavo holds 33–40% share.
• Sabra Dipping Company: Joint venture between PepsiCo and Strauss Group producing hummus, guacamole, and refrigerated dips; directly competes with Calavo's AvoFresco guacamole and AvoCrema avocado-based dip products in retail deli.

Broad incumbents

• Fresh Del Monte Produce: Global producer, distributor, and marketer of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables including pineapples, bananas, melons, and avocados; broad incumbent with overlapping avocado and prepared produce capabilities.
• Dole plc: Global fresh produce company producing, sourcing, and distributing fruits and vegetables worldwide; operates broader portfolio but overlaps with Calavo in fresh produce sourcing, ripening, and distribution to retailers.
• Chiquita Brands International: Major branded fresh produce distributor (bananas, pineapples, avocados) with global supply chain; broader incumbent with similar customer base in retail and foodservice channels as Calavo.

Regional players

• Bonduelle Group: Global leader in packaged and prepared vegetables including fresh-cut salads and IQF/canned vegetable products; comparable to Calavo's prepared foods business but primarily serving European markets with limited North American overlap.

Others

• Avocados From Mexico: Marketing and promotional organization jointly funded by Mexican avocado growers and U.S. importers to promote Mexican avocados in the U.S.; adjacent ecosystem participant that influences category demand Calavo benefits from.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Calavo_Growers
• Facebookfacebook.com/Calavo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/calavo-growers
• Instagraminstagram.com/calavogrowers/?hl=en
• Pinterestar.pinterest.com/calavo
• Xx.com/calavo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Calavo Growers