HAB Holds Second California Avocado Grower Barbeque in Pauma Valley

On Wednesday, October 18th , the Hass Avocado Board celebrated a sparkling day at the Lazy H Ranch in beautiful Pauma Valley, Ca with a California avocado grower Bar-B-Que to help close out the 2023 California season.

Hosted by California grower, long-time serving HAB Board member, and current Chairman of HAB, Bob Schaar, who invited local growers and interested producers from the surrounding area to join us for a day of great food and conversation.

To better communicate with growers, and understand their challenges and opportunities in the groves, the group relaxed in an avocado grove in the iconic Pauma Valley mountains and enjoyed a very flavorful taco lunch served right in the grove. Brief HAB updates on programs and plans were initiated by HAB staffers Emiliano Escobedo and John McGuigan, and then Schaar told the group about the work of being a board member and the work that HAB was doing to positively impact all of the growers the board works for.

The short talks gave way to a lively discussion among the attendees, and the session gave all the speakers a chance to weigh-in on the work of HAB, what value it creates for growers, and what opportunities may still lie ahead for the organization, and the industry. Growers learned about how their assessment dollars are spent, and the vision of the Board for the future of the industry. The conversation covered sustainability, nutrition, viability, and how growing demand was a continuous job to do with world production levels ever-increasing.

It also provided the growers with a chance to question the organization about what it can do to better conditions and returns for growers in a changing landscape of avocado production worldwide. As always it was also a call for interested growers to become more active with the Board, and to even contemplate placing themselves into nomination for a board seat – which is all about a concerted grass roots effort to get new and differing perspectives onto the board.

The lunch was enjoyed by all, and the conversation, as everyone recognizes is the only way to make sure we find alignment in our commitment to make Hass avocados America’s favorite fruit. A good time was had by everyone, and an understanding that our collective efforts, growers, marketers, board members, and HAB staff is the solution for keeping the forward leaning direction for our industry, focused on our industry to continue the positive demand growth of the past twenty years. Demand growth that continues to make us the envy of the produce aisle.