We source our Tanzania avocados from Siha in the Kilimanjaro area to the north of the country. We also have sources in Njombe district in the southern highlands of the country near Iringa. Our family growers look after their trees in their two-acre lands via organic means. They forgo chemical sprays to reduce residual levels and instead use intercropping methods to eradicate pests. They enrich the soil with mulch from fallen vegetation and farmyard manure.
We harvest Tanzania avocados when they are just past their maturity date but not yet ripe. We use expert advice to know when to pick the fruits. We know that when picked too immature, they may not ripen with the right aroma. We use such factors as the color of the skin, which should be pale green for Fuerte and greenish purple for hass. We also ensure that the dry matter percentage in hass has reached 23.5 percent of its weight, based on firmness. Upon verification that the fruits we are picking are firm, sizable and of the right color, we use long catcher poles to twist them off the far-to-reach branches. We keep each of these in a basket while still with a few inches of its stalk at its button end.
