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Avocados from Málaga

It’s called the “butter of the jungle,” as well as the “alligator pear” or “butter fruit”: the avocado. For years, it has been considered the ultimate superfood. And they no longer come primarily from overseas. A visit to Frutas Montosa in Spain, one of Europe’s largest avocado producers.

This translation was created from the original text using AI (DeepL).
Avocado Production
Avocado Grove in Spain - Workers

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Avocado: A Superfood

  • Avocado farming in southern Spain: METRO imports avocados and guacamole directly from Frutas Montosa in Málaga rather than solely from overseas.
  • Quality Control & Ripening: The producer combines manual labor with modern technology to ensure unbroken freshness throughout the supply chain.
  • Resource Efficiency & Water Management: On-site insights demonstrate sustainable irrigation and consolidated METRO procurement.
Content:

The background noise is like night and day.

In the production hall, where avocados are processed into guacamole and other products, conveyor belts hum and machines clatter. Amidst it all, employees routinely inspect, chop, and sort the fruit.

In the avocado grove, just a few hundred meters away, it is quiet. At least at first listen. In fact, a gentle breeze causes the dense foliage to rustle softly. The workers’ voices only become audible when you get closer. Spread across 30 hectares, the ten men are initially barely visible in the thicket of meter-tall avocado trees. This crew, too, works with practiced ease: tree by tree, row by row. It is currently peak season for the avocado harvest in Spain. Every fruit is picked by hand.

Avocado Production - Harvest Workers on the Assembly Line.
METRO Private Label - Guacamole
Avocado Harvest in Spain

Frutas Montosa: Avocado Grower and Europe’s Largest Guacamole Producer

Even though the setting resembles a tropical jungle, we are in southern Spain, in the Málaga region, on the grounds of Frutas Montosa. The company is one of Europe’s leading avocado producers and also Europe’s largest guacamole manufacturer.

The company employs more than 600 people. Annual revenue stands at 150 million euros. METRO is among its customers.

This shows that, contrary to their sometimes poor reputation, avocados do not necessarily come from overseas. Frutas Montosa cultivates a total of 110 hectares of its own fields around Málaga and also works with 3,000 partner farmers. They supply their avocado harvest according to the company’s quality criteria. Every day, 100,000 kilograms of supplied fruit alone arrive at the production facility.

"To ensure product availability, we have to source fruit from various suppliers," explains Thierry Athimon, Sales Manager at Frutas Montosa. On the one hand, this is necessary to offset harvest fluctuations. On the other hand, the avocado harvest season in Spain runs from December to April, while demand for the superfood remains high year-round.
That is why Frutas Montosa also sources avocados from Morocco, South America, and Africa.

Rutas Montosa. The company is one of the leading avocado producers and the largest guacamole manufacturer in Europe.
The company employs 750 people and generates annual revenue of €130 million.
Even though the setting looks like a tropical jungle, we are actually in southern Spain, in the Málaga region, on the grounds of Frutas Montosa.
METRO's Private Label Guacamole

People and Machines in Avocado Production

Whether delivered or picked from the field next door: All avocados undergo strict quality control at Frutas Montosa. This inspection is also done by hand.

The operation is highly automated. It features a modern laboratory, automated ripening chambers, and conveyor belts. A grading machine sorts the avocados by weight, for example. The fruits roll off the conveyor belt at the point designated for their weight class.

But when it comes to appearance and bruising, humans still perform the inspection most reliably.

Trained employees sort the avocados on the conveyor belt with equal parts care and speed. Any avocado that isn’t quite perfect ends up on a parallel conveyor belt and is processed into guacamole. Flawless avocados are transported further based on their firmness. Depending on their destination, they continue to ripen in one of the temperature-controlled ripening chambers.

On average, one million kilograms of avocados are always in stock in the various ripening chambers.

Avocado Production - Harvest Workers on the Assembly Line.

Frutas Montosa supplies METRO in France, Austria, Poland, and more than a dozen other countries. Depending on the transport routes, the ripeness levels at which the avocados are packed also vary.

For example: If the avocados are loaded today, they will arrive at the METRO wholesale market in the Netherlands two days later. Transport to France, on the other hand, takes only one day. The fruit is pre-ripened accordingly for this destination market.

In addition to whole avocados, Frutas Montosa also produces guacamole and avocado pulp for the METRO Chef private label. Avocado pulp is a puree for further processing and is available in mild or spicy varieties. This is convenient for the food service industry: every fruit that doesn’t have to be laboriously peeled and pitted saves time in the kitchen.

In the production facility where avocados—among other things—are turned into guacamole

Handcrafting Quality in Guacamole and Avocado Pulp

In the guacamole production area next door, employees also halve the avocados by hand on a piecework basis. This could also be done by machine.

“But by cutting them open by hand, we ensure the highest quality,” Athimon emphasizes. “It’s very labor-intensive—but as a result, our guacamole contains no fibers or low-quality pulp.”

The in-house lab also conducts random microbiological tests on the finished products. The delivered avocados are tested as well. The percentage of so-called dry matter is particularly important here. The higher this value, the better: it makes the fruit more flavorful.

“It has to be at least 23%; by the end of the season, the value can rise to as much as 29%,” explains Athimon.

Modern systems reduce the environmental footprint

As popular as the avocado is, it also faces criticism. A common concern is its water consumption.

“But at Montosa, we’re extremely careful with our water resources,” says Athimon. A modern irrigation system is used in the fields. It measures moisture levels in two soil layers and irrigates only as much as necessary.

“We also use 100% of our partner farmers’ harvest to ensure that all the fruit is utilized. The fruit that doesn’t meet commercial standards for sale—such as those with cosmetic defects or smaller sizes—is used to make guacamole. The skins and pits are also used to produce avocado oil,” explains Athimon.

Consolidated procurement without middlemen

Whether it’s avocados, citrus fruits, or fish, METRO relies on “common sourcing” for its global procurement. This means that International Trading Offices (ITOs) consolidate demand from more than 30 METRO countries. The ITOs source products directly from local suppliers—without intermediaries. This ensures not only variety, freshness, and quality, but also price advantages that, in turn, benefit customers. In addition to the Spanish Trading Office in Valencia, which specializes in fruits and vegetables, there are other Trading Offices for meat and fish in the Netherlands and France. Global and local procurement in each country complement one another. Depending on the season and availability, products such as tomatoes come either from regional cultivation or—for example, during the winter months—from Spain or Portugal. METRO sources about 80% of its food locally, while the ITOs handle approximately 20%.

Fast, direct, efficient – Customised global procurement

Customised global procurement

Quality, freshness and diversity: A strong network of international trading offices handles food procurement for METRO.

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