By Roberto Hugo Gonzalez
As originally published in Texas Border Business newsprint edition October 2019
La Bonanza Avocados, an avocado export company, located in Michoacan, Mexico, opened for the first time a USA distribution warehouse in Mission, Texas. The grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony took place inside of a state-of-the-art cold storage unit located at 802 Trinity St., Mission, TX.
The president of the Texas International Produce Association (TIPA), Dante Galeazzi, acted as the master of ceremonies of this great event. TIPA represents companies involved in the entire fresh produce supply chain. That includes trucking, box manufacturers, seed distributors, farmers, growers, and sellers.
“Most importantly,” he said, “He represents importers just like La Bonanza Avocados.”
La Bonanza Avocados is managed by a very dedicated family that prides itself on the producing, packaging, processing, transporting, and distributing of avocados for more than two generations.
Now in its second generation, Gabriel Alejandro Villaseñor Zurita president, has grown and packed avocados for more than 25 years.
The avocado is a popular item adored and consumed by people all over the United States. To give readers an idea, during the Super Bowl Sunday, Americans will eat 69 million pounds of avocados in one day.
It was also mentioned that La Bonanza Avocados company will benefit U.S. consumers as well as many companies that depend on their business. La Bonanza Avocados will generate business in transportation, warehousing, cooler technicians, box manufacturing, and pallets, to name a few.
The opening of La Bonanza Avocados is tied to the local growth of the Mission and Rio Grande Valley.
Mission mayor Dr. Armando Ocaña welcomed the Villaseñor family for opening their business in Mission, Texas.
Also, Luis Cantu, president of the Binational Council for the Economic Development of Reynosa
COBIFER extended his congratulations to the owners of this new venture. He recognized their effort to open up this distribution center in the United States.
Maggie Hall, who is part of the La Bonanza, said, “This is not the final step for La Bonanza. This is yet another part of our vertical integration. We are now from farm to table. We are a grower, harvester, packer, exporter, processor, and now an importer.” She continued, “This is the future of Mexico is to be able to bring, it’s green gold directly to our customers.” In today’s market, the avocado is called the new “green gold.”
Valeria Villaseñor also said, “For us as a family, it’s essential, because our company has become a 360, from farm to the table.” She continued, “Everything started with my grandfather. He had a small farm of avocados in the 70s, and after that, in the 80s, he started exporting to Europe. And in 1997 to the USA, and now we’re here.”
Rigo Villarreal, the superintendent of Reynosa-McAllen and the Anzaldúas bridge, welcomed the Villaseñor family. “I want to thank Joaquin for inviting me. He is a visionary and is making things happen in many of the Rio Grande Valley communities, like Mayor Ocaña said, if you progress, we progress.” In the end, Villarreal said that he was there to provide one hundred percent support to the Villaseñor family.
La Bonanza owns, harvests, and packs its own Hass Avocados as well as fruit from trusted family farms.
Their agricultural land is located in the region of Uruapan, Michoacan, fertile volcanic soil, and best farming practices allow to harvest the best avocados in Mexico.
The Villaseñor family are experts in farming in many elevations and use of high-density planting that produce larger levels of Avocado production.
Once harvested, the fruit runs through a modern packing facility where they are sorted, packed and cooled the same day.
La Bonanza Avocados aims to become one of the leading suppliers of avocados in the United States, Japan, China, and Canada.
Special thanks to Joaquin Spamer, who also is involved in promoting industry on both sides of the border and for inviting this publication to witness the first distribution center of avocados by La Bonanza Avocados.
