When did avocado become so popular in Australia.

Avocado took more than 150 years to go from botanical curiosity to national breakfast. Here's how it happened.

011840: a slow start

Avocado seeds were first brought to Australia around 1840 and planted in Sydney's Royal Botanic Garden. For about a century not much followed. Avocado was a curiosity, and growers struggled with root disease and irrigation in Australian conditions.

02The industry takes root

Commercial growing became viable in the second half of the 20th century, helped by better irrigation, such as drip systems, and progress against Phytophthora root rot. Today avocados are grown in every state and supplied year-round, with Hass making up the large majority of fruit sold and Shepard a significant seasonal variety.

031993: avocado on toast

In 1993, Sydney chef Bill Granger put avocado on toast on the menu at his café, bills, in Darlinghurst. He's widely credited with popularising the dish that became an Australian brunch signature. Smashed avocado with feta, lemon and chilli on sourdough soon spread through cafés nationwide, and eventually around the world.

04The boom years

Consumption climbed fast. According to industry figures reported by the ABC in 2017, Australians' per-person avocado consumption roughly tripled over a decade, from about 1.2kg to 3.5kg a year, while production more than doubled.

052016: the smashed avo debate

In October 2016, demographer Bernard Salt wrote a column in The Australian joking that young people spending $22 on smashed avocado could be saving for a house deposit. It set off a national debate about housing affordability, and cemented smashed avo as a symbol of Australian café culture.

06Where frozen avocado fits

Fresh avocado is notoriously unpredictable: too hard on Monday, brown by Wednesday. For cafés and manufacturers making smoothies, dips, sauces and dressings, frozen avocado offers consistent ripeness, no stones or skins, and far less waste. We supply chunky-cut frozen avocado for foodservice and manufacturing.