Mana Agro Expands its Avocado Business to Saudi Arabia
November 1st marks the day the company’s first container of hass avocados arrives at Jeddah Islamic Seaport.
May 2, 2021 · 2 Minute Read 
After the purchase of Pacific Fruits, Mana Agro has moved forward to expand to other parts of the world. Saudi Arabia was the first country that came to mind as a newfound destination for the world-renowned Colombian hass avocados.
With a population of 35m, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the most important markets in the Middle East, and there is a strong tradition of eating fruit – visit any home and you will find a fruit basket for the home dwellers themselves or to offer to visitors.
— Rodolfo Ahumada, Commercial Director, Mana Agro
Many countries around the world have been in the tropical fruits business and more keep joining throughout the years. As of today, Mexico, the Philippines, Kenya and South Africa are the main suppliers. It takes approximately 25 days from Colombia to Saudi Arabia and Ahumada is confident that Colombia has all the capabilities to supply the market with extremely high quality fruit.
Provided we can reach the market with the right quality and condition, we are convinced that Colombian avocados will be popular with Saudi consumers and we look forward to developing the market with our customers by delivering a range of presentations showing different ways of consuming the fruit.
— Ahumada, Commercial Director, Mana Agro
Why Saudi Arabia? The Commercial Director stated that the country has an impressive mode of transport and excellent logistics, making it ‘the ideal hub from which to supply the rest of the region.’
Both Jeddah Islamic Seaport and King Abdullah Port have good terminals where fruit can be easily unloaded and distributed to other countries in the region such as Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Yemen and the UAE.
— Ahumada, Commercial Director, Mana Agro
After making shipments to Hong Kong and Dubai, it was crucial for the company to be open to the Saudi market. Hopefully, after having much success, the company will be able to expand to Argentina in the next couple of years.
