CALIFORNIA AVOCADO ASSOCIATION 



67 



"To be permanently successful the organization must be formed 

 by the grotvers, managed by them and the benefits returned to them. 

 None has succeeded in which the growers and the buyer and speculator 

 are joined together, because the interests of the two are not the same." 



It is evident that unless we could make some satisfactory arrangement with 

 a distributing organization already established, such as the California Fruit 

 Growers Exchange, that would be willing to introduce, popularize, and market our 

 product we shall have to take prompt and definite steps towards creating a mar- 

 keting organization of our own. This we can do just as surely as we can deter- 

 mine which varieties are best to grow and how to grow them. In fact it is the 

 next step for us to take — the one that our work so far leads up to. 



It has been suggested that, for the present at least, we should select one good 

 jobber in each city where we want to introduce our fruit, give him our support 

 and assurance of the benefits in the future arising from his missionary work, work 

 with him to educate the trade, and advertise to create a demand at times when 

 the crop is heaviest. We would expect him to make a specialty oi our avocados, 

 we would get the benefit of his organized sales force, his warehouse, his trucks, 

 and his good will with the trade, etc. This may be our best course for a few 

 years at least, outside the city of Los Angeles. One live commission house in 

 San Francisco writes: 



*'It is our opinion that it would be the very best policy to select one 

 firm in this market to handle the avocados. We speak of this with the 

 understanding that the Association will very soon take over and regulate 

 distribution. Frankly, we do not beheve that the avocado can be prop- 

 erly introduced on a large scale by the individual growers working from 

 their own ideas. The Association could give its instructions to one firm 

 which could be carefully carried out and in turn the firm could give the 

 Association any information from experience with selling the fruit. 

 We are awake to the important position the avocado will soon occupy 

 in California's agricultural world. The mere fact that the limited 

 supply is so readily absorbed at such extremely high prices is proof 

 enough that the avocado will be a very popular fruit when it becomes 

 more plentiful and the price comes down within reach of the ordinary 

 pocketbook." 



The majority of our members with whom I have discussed the question, feel 

 that sooner or later we have to do our own marketing. One of them says: "I 

 believe we should confine our efforts to one city at a time. As the greatest danger 

 of having the fruit rejected by one who does not know the avocado is from eating 

 it when it is not at its best, it will be of the greatest importance that there should 

 be one at hand who knows when each variety is at is best. The Association should 

 place such a man in the city to be educated and have him handle and sell the 

 fruit. Place him at a salary. Let him have but one object — to introduce and 

 make friends for our fruit. Only one who has a real love for and faith in the 

 avocado should be considered worthy for this position." One of the largest 

 growers in the Association says: "It goes without saying that the producers must 

 look forward to some other method of marketing their output than through the 

 commission houses." Another: "The commission houses want such high com- 

 mission that business through them is not satisfactory." I wish to quote from one 

 more source, from a man who has had a great deal of experience buying and selling 



