The prestige gained from supplying bananas and flowers has helped Ecuadorian avocados to have an alternative in this complex market.

Ecuadorian avocados are gaining ground in the world's most demanding markets. Leading the charge is Interanza, a company headed by Santiago Pinto, which has successfully positioned the Sierra D'Or brand in complex markets from the South American country. One of these markets is Russia, which they have accessed by combining commercial innovation, operational speed, and a keen understanding of global opportunities.

“We are a new country in avocado exports, but with a millennia-old production tradition,” Interanza’s CEO explains to Avobook, adding that “in the last ten years we have consolidated a rapid learning process, which gained strength from the pandemic, when Ecuador began to open important markets, especially in Europe.”

According to data from Agrocalidad, Ecuador currently has about 8,500 hectares of avocado, of which more than 3,000 are dedicated to the Hass variety, mainly destined for export from the highlands of the Sierra.

To explain their arrival in Russia with avocados, Pinto recalls that the company's business management model has been built on an inverse logic: go to the market first and then to the field.

“We work from the customer backwards. We go to the destination, identify the opportunity, and then structure the entire offering: field, logistics, packaging, and distribution. This is how we managed to place the product in the European market in just three months,” explains the international trade expert.

That same mindset led them to explore new destinations off the traditional radar. While many looked to Asian consumers, Interanza bet on Russia, a country that has maintained a stable trade relationship with Ecuador.

Russia: a demanding market open to Ecuador

The entry of Ecuadorian avocados into the Russian market did not happen from scratch. It was based on the reputation the country had built over two decades with iconic products such as bananas and flowers.

“We not only have the climate, the humidity, the hours of sunlight, but we have also done a lot of work on the ground here. For example, there's the banana industry, which I believe was one of the first to open doors for Ecuador in the Russian market. There's also the flower market: we are one of the main producers of high-quality roses, with gigantic stems, an abundance of petals, and unusual colors. We started exporting flowers to Russia 20 years ago. That allowed us to have a very good relationship. Then, through that process, we realized that avocados could also find their place,” explains the CEO of Interanza.

The strategy was, first, to understand how imports operate in that country. As Pinto explains, Russia has a particularity: “It is a market that operates heavily through brokers , intermediaries who buy directly for supermarkets.”

“It’s not the same as Europe or the United States, where there’s a more diversified network of importers. In Russia, there’s practically a direct connection with four or five giant supermarkets. We managed to find that opportunity and realize that our fruit could be in high demand,” the businessman points out.

“Sierra D'Or”: an identity that opens doors to Ecuador

In just a few years, Interanza has exported more than 4 million kilos of avocados, and currently, 95% of that export is under its own brand: Sierra D'Or. This change has generated a significant commercial impact.

“The presentation, the box design, and the visual identity made it seem as if we had shipped more fruit than we actually exported. At international trade fairs, we met Russian clients who had seen Sierra D'Or in Germany and other clients who had seen it in Dubai, and that allowed us to strengthen the presence of Ecuadorian origin in different markets,” Pinto explains.

According to the executive, Russian consumers prefer medium-sized fruit and high-quality fruit: “If we weigh up quality demands, Russia is on par with or even surpasses Europe.” It's a market supplied from various origins, which increases competition but also confirms the growing maturity of consumption.

To address logistical challenges, Interanza works with established companies outside of Russia that supply that market directly, ensuring continuity and security in operations.