The avocado, the fruit that tells the story of the 21st century

One day in the 1920s, Rudolph Hass, a mailman in rural California, purchased young avocado plants [of unknown species]. He wanted to plant them on his plots, which he hoped would eventually make a profit from this product that was beginning to gain popularity. The budding horticulturist wanted to graft avocado trees of the most common Fuerte variety onto these plants. All his grafts took, except one. On the advice of a neighbor, the mailman kept this last tree, apparently unproductive.

After a while, an unappealing fruit appears, with dark, thick, bumpy skin. Rudolph Hass finds it too ugly to sell, and refuses to even taste it. His children don't. And they find its flesh delicious, sweeter, creamier. The Hass avocado is born.

Since then, this variety has dominated the market thanks to its specific characteristics that distinguish it from the hundred or so others – it represents 95% of sales worldwide. Hass hides its defects well, can remain for several weeks without ripening, is easy to transport and grows in various climates. According to a study by Rabobank [a Dutch agricultural credit institution], it will be the most traded fruit in the world by 2030, with more than 3.2 million tons per year.

When Rudolph Hass