While working in the avocado industry, I visited Michoacán, a western Mexican state known as one of the world’s main avocado-growing regions. I wanted to see how avocados are grown and to learn what enables a steady, year-round supply.
What seems like a simple avocado has a much bigger story behind it. From the orchards of Michoacán to our tables, it is shaped by the land, the work, and the people who make it happen.
Reaching Michoacán took careful planning. Delayed flights, mountain roads, and long drives showed how far the growing region is from the markets where the avocados are sold. That distance set the stage for the journey I was about to explore, from orchard to table.
Where It Begins
Avocados have been part of Mexico’s history for thousands of years, long before they became a global commodity. Today, Michoacán is the heart of Mexico’s avocado industry and the main supplier to the United States.
The region’s unique conditions allow avocados to grow year-round. Its elevation and landscape create microclimates that enable trees to produce fruit continuously. Few places in the world can match that steady supply.
Michoacán is in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, an area with more than 100 volcanoes. Volcanic soil helps keep avocado trees healthy and nutrient-rich. In the past, seasonal rainfall made avocado growing easier. Now, increased production has increased the need for additional water sources.
In Michoacán, I visited an avocado ranch in Tancítaro, often called the avocado capital of the world. Walking through the orchard, I saw why the region became the center of avocado production. The trees grow tall and close together. This creates a cooler, shaded environment under the canopy and supports year-round production. Fertile soil, good elevation, and strong infrastructure help the region grow avocados well.
After harvest, the fruit moves to the next stage. Uruapan, the state’s second-largest city, is the central hub for avocado trade. The city has many packinghouses that handle packaging, shipping, and export. Each year, over 2 billion pounds of avocados are processed for shipment to the United States.
How the Avocado Took Hold
Avocados were not always popular in the United States. Many people did not know about them. The Hass variety’s consistency and shelf life helped change this. Interest in health and nutrition grew, too. As Mexican cuisine became popular, dishes like guacamole introduced avocados to more consumers. Over time, demand increased, and avocados became common in both retail and foodservice throughout the United States.
Before avocados became popular, they were once called “poor man’s butter” because they were rich-tasting and affordable. As exports grew, they shifted from a local staple to a higher-value product. Today, rising prices have made avocados less accessible, even for some people living in growing regions.
The People Behind the Work
Walking through the orchards gave me a greater appreciation for the physical labor involved in harvesting avocados. Much of the work is still done by hand using clippers. Workers climb tall trees, often on steep or uneven terrain, carrying heavy picking bags as they harvest fruit throughout the day. Not only is it physically demanding work, but it can also be dangerous. Seeing it firsthand made me think differently about how easily most of us pick up an avocado at the grocery store without realizing the labor that went into it.
Small farmers are the backbone of Michoacán’s avocado industry. About 80 percent manage fewer than 12 acres. For many families, avocado farming is a tradition passed down from generation to generation. Most of these farms are located in the highlands, where conditions are ideal for growing Hass avocados for both local use and export.
Indigenous Purépecha communities also play an important role, particularly in the region’s higher elevations. In some areas, avocado farming blends long-standing traditions with modern agricultural methods.
Large landowners, packinghouses, and exporters are also part of the system. Together with small farmers and local communities, they create jobs and help supply avocados to markets around the world. The industry depends on all of these groups working together, showing how interconnected avocado production has become.
How the Avocado Industry Took Shape
The Hass avocado is now the most common variety worldwide. It was developed in California in the 1920s by Rudolph Hass, a postal worker who experimented with avocado trees.
Hass avocados were introduced to Mexico in the 1950s and were quickly adopted in Michoacán because the region’s climate and elevation were well-suited to growing them. As demand for avocados increased in the United States and international markets, many farmers saw an opportunity to shift toward a more profitable long-term crop. In some areas, avocado orchards gradually replaced crops such as cantaloupes. But making that transition required significant time and investment. Unlike annual crops, avocado trees take several years before producing fruit that can be harvested and sold. Farmers often had to wait years before seeing financial returns. Larger producers were generally better positioned to manage that delay, while smaller farmers sometimes relied on loans or additional work to support their families during the transition.
As avocado production expanded, more land was converted into orchards, including some forested areas. Supporting industries such as nurseries, packinghouses, transportation, and agrochemical suppliers also grew. Much of this expansion occurred before stronger environmental oversight and land use regulations were in place, contributing to some of the challenges the region faces today.
What We Don't Always See
As global demand and production have increased, regions like Michoacán have experienced major changes in land use. Forests have been cleared for orchards, raising environmental concerns about water shortages, erosion, and land instability.
Some reports indicate that cartels have entered parts of the avocado trade. In some cases, this has contributed to illegal land clearing. In response, industry organizations such as APEAM (Association of Avocado Producers, Packers, and Exporters of Mexico), along with government agencies and export markets including the United States, have introduced voluntary agreements aimed at reducing deforestation. Beginning in 2026, these efforts include commitments to make avocado exports deforestation-free by 2030 and to implement stricter land-use verification requirements.
Other regional challenges also affect production. Some reports note financial pressure across parts of the supply chain, including illicit fees imposed by cartels during production and transport. At the same time, the avocado industry continues to drive the local economy. It creates many jobs, from orchard labor to packing and export. These realities show the ongoing balance between economic opportunity and regional challenges.
More Than the Orchard
While in Michoacán, the people I met wanted me to see more than orchards. Michoacán is often called Mexico’s cultural heart, with traditions rooted in the Purépecha civilization and shaped by diverse influences. There was a strong sense of pride in their heritage.
One afternoon, they took me to Barranca del Cupatitzio National Park, a few kilometers from Uruapan. The park centers around the Cupatitzio River, where streams and waterfalls flow through ravines, creating a peaceful contrast to the pace of the surrounding industry.
During that same visit, I was there on Día del Niño, when the packinghouse hosted a community celebration. The event included a jaripeo, a traditional rodeo-style gathering featuring bull riding and horse shows. There was live mariachi music and performances, including the Danza de los Viejitos, a traditional dance honoring elders. The event reflected a deep sense of pride, identity, and connection to heritage.
These experiences reinforced an important point: understanding the avocado industry also means understanding the people and culture that support it
Bringing It Back
Avocados may look simple, but growing them is complicated. Specific conditions, years of investment, and a complex support system are crucial. My visit to Michoacán showed how geography, farming, labor, and culture all influence the fruit that reaches our tables.
The global success of avocados depends on the hard work, pride, and deep connection to the land shared by the people of Michoacán. Their efforts continue to shape both the opportunities and the challenges surrounding one of the world’s most recognizable fruits.
Christine Connell~
