Colombia
The facility marks an important step in the company's growth strategy. After seven years of operations in the country, Baika has established itself as one of Colombia's leading avocado exporters.
The new infrastructure has an operational area of 2,000 square meters and was designed to strengthen process control, ensure high quality standards and support the operation's projected growth over the coming years.
How is the new avocado packing house equipped?
The facility is equipped with four processing lines and has a capacity of 10 to 14 tonnes per hour. It also has logistics space to store up to seven containers of finished product per day.
Initially, the operation will focus on packing avocados for export and handling selected fruit for the domestic market.
“After seven years of operating in Colombia, having become one of the country's five leading exporters and with all the production growth projected through the end of 2026, we owed it to ourselves—and to our growers—to have our own operation that would reaffirm our reputation and the quality of our work”
The opening goes hand in hand with other technological and agricultural innovations the company is promoting on its farms, such as its recent commitment to assisted pollination across a substantial area of its orchards.
The plant's location in eastern Antioquia, one of the main growing regions with more than 5,000 planted hectares, will strengthen the company's ties with local growers and optimize supply logistics.
Impact on regional employment and international markets
The launch of this new operation will also have a significant impact on regional employment. Baika Colombia is currently hiring more than 60 people to lead packing activities, a figure that could double as export volumes to different destinations increase.
According to Juan Camilo Restrepo, Plant Director at Baika Colombia, this investment offers an opportunity to further strengthen Colombia's avocado production chain and expand its presence in international markets. The company currently supplies strategic destinations including the United States, Europe and Argentina.
Protecting fruit during these postharvest stages is vital to the business, especially during seasons with challenging regional weather conditions.
Quality control in the avocado industry
With this new infrastructure, Baika aims to reinforce critical factors for successful arrivals, including strict temperature control, full traceability from the orchard, efficient inventory management and optimal fruit care throughout the export process.
The plant will also complement the company's existing operations in Chile and Mexico, strengthening its regional strategy and commitment to quality and the industry's global development, offering all its customers high-quality avocados 365 days a year.
