Hass Avocado Board’s Leadership Development Program Providing Future Leaders with Foundational Education
Home//The Board Leadership Development Program (BOLD)
The Hass avocado industry faces both extraordinary opportunities and challenges moving into the future, and the industry needs to face an increasingly complex marketplace with increasingly sophisticated problem-solvers.
BOLD is designed to develop emerging leaders who are both motivated and equipped to meet those opportunities and challenges. BOLD is backed by the Hass Avocado Board (HAB), the only independent avocado organization that equips the entire industry for success. But the program has been embraced by every country organization and the California Avocado Commission, as the industry seeks future leaders for all the boards to keep the industry one step ahead of its competitors. BOLD, through its design and implementation, will develop knowledgeable , skilled, confident, and board-ready candidates for all the affiliated organizations.
This years BOLD Class 1, made up of 12 of the industry’s bright future stars is an example of how the program can be a benefit to producers and importers of Hass avocados alike, and brings these groups together to develop working relationships that can last a lifetime. An adjacent mentoring program gives participants access to board experienced leaders who have traveled this path, to provide input and insights into how the system works.
Participants have already had the opportunity to learn about HAB, USDA oversight, and enjoyed 12 hours of US Davis lead learnings covering a wide spectrum of subjects to develop future leaders that are board-ready and prepared to participate on day one. Future sessions include an avocado supply chain deep dive, attending board & association meetings and events, and personal interactions with each of the avocado commissions & associations to learn in depth about go-to-market strategies of all these marketing powerhouses.
The 12-member inaugural 2021 class of the BOLD program includes:
Sean Bettles – Producer Connor Huser – Importer Juan Monsalve – Importer Monica Robles – Importer David Ruiz, Jr. – Producer Ricardo Vega, Jr. – Producer
BOLD was developed to bring out the best in all of us. Ultimately, BOLD will result in an ever-growing group of credible and steadfast advocates for the Hass avocado industry – and a brighter future for all of us.
Latest “Regional Category Development Drivers” study identifies Key Drivers of Category Development by Region to Maximize Retail Sales of Hass Avocados.
Annual conference aims to give health professionals the tools to discuss food choices that are both healthy and delicious with their patients, with support from Love One Today.
If you have a passion for the future of the avocado industry, consider getting involved in the 2023 nomination and voting process to fill ten board member seats. Read for the key dates and information on the new online system.
Fresh Hass avocados, as well as all other raw fruits and vegetables, became eligible for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements for the “Dietary Saturated Fat and Cholesterol and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease” health claim, earning the difficult-to-achieve American Heart Association Heart-Check Food Certification.
2021
BOLD Program
The BOLD initiative is a leadership development program designed to help train the next generation of HAB board members and avocado industry leadership. By equipping BOLD participants with training that they need to meaningfully contribute to the HAB board and to advocate for the avocado industry, HAB is investing in its future success.
2020
Quality Improvement
Helping to ensure fruit quality across all countries of origin led HAB to create a set of best practices for each step in the supply chain. The Avocado Quality Manual is the #1 download from the HAB site. The focus on quality provides substantial value to the collective industry as it seeks to deliver consistency and exceed customer and consumer expectations – one avocado at a time.
2013
Fresh Avocados – Love One Today®
Armed with a deep bench of highly credible nutrition research findings, HAB launched Love One Today®, a leading source of the healthiest reasons and tastiest ways to enjoy fresh avocados. The Love One Today® efforts that are still going strong today have helped to educate countless registered dietitians, health professionals, and consumers about the nutrition benefits of fresh avocados regardless of country of origin or seasonality, and ways to include them in everyday meals – literally changing public perception of the fruit and removing consumption barriers.
“Love One Today® has changed public opinion of avocados. Avocados were perceived to be a high-calorie fruit that had to be consumed in moderation. Today they are known as a nutrient-dense, heart-healthy fruit that you can enjoy and feel good about it.”
Emiliano Escobedo, Hass Avocado Board, Executive Director
2010
Avocado Nutrition Center
As the American palate was developing a taste for avocados, it was coming with some caveats around concerns about fat content and nutritional benefits. Could something this tasty really be good for you? HAB launched the Avocado Nutrition Center (ANC), a world-class nutrition research program to find out. During the past two decades, more than 40 nutrition studies conducted independently by researchers at top-tier institutions have been funded delving into the unique benefits of avocados on heart health, diabetes, weight management, cognitive function and more. The highly credible and transparent nutrition research findings have proven powerfully favorable for the little green fruit. In fact, the heart health-related studies helped avocados meet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s definition of a “healthy” food. Without the ANC, most of the research into the avocado as a whole food wouldn’t exist.
“Time and time again trends circle back to nutrition, and as studies continue to fill the pipeline, we realize we are just scratching the surface of our understanding of how nutritionally dense and dimensional the avocado is for mankind.”
Scott Bauwens, Former Chairperson, Hass Avocado Board and CEO, Simpatica
2014
Hass Avocado Committee
The Hass Avocado Committee created a venue for discussion of motions at the committee level before going to the board for the final decision. Under this structure, domestic and foreign representatives now had a voice and input on important matters that came before the board, as well as a platform to solve industry challenges together. The Hass Avocado Committee was and remains a revolutionary step in building trust and fostering cooperation among competitors for the greater good.
“Becoming an independent organization meant we could own the vision. We had to build better relationships. The Hass Avocado Committee started with dialogue and bringing people together to broker cooperation. It took a lot of persistence.”
Bob Schaar, Former International Representation Committee Chairperson and Avocado Grower, California
2014
Avocado Volume and Inventory System (AVIS)
While the concept of data sharing is as old as HAB itself, in the early days, the quality was hampered by the pervasive mistrust among the HAB partners. Yet, over time as collaboration and cooperation evolved, so did the credibility and quality of the data inputs. The key players saw the value and built the Avocado Volume and Inventory System (AVIS) which became a widely successful global industry intelligence engine providing invaluable information related to U.S. avocado supply, inventory and sales.
“The information coming out of HAB on volumes is fantastic. HAB does a great job of listening and responding to our consumers and has done a very good job informing the industry on who our customers are and how to grow our business. We as marketers use this information to grow the entire avocado category and we share this information with our customers.”
While the concept of data sharing is as old as HAB itself, in the early days, the quality was hampered by the pervasive mistrust among the HAB partners. Yet, over time as collaboration and cooperation evolved, so did the credibility and quality of the data inputs. The key players saw the value and built the Avocado Volume and Inventory System (AVIS) which became a widely successful global industry intelligence engine providing invaluable information related to U.S. avocado supply, inventory and sales.