The most popular avocado of all: the Hass

Nature is magical. And when it is in a symbiotic relationship with humans, it is not only powerful but also generous. The history of the Hass avocado has a lot to do with this relationship... It was an American postman who, in the 1920s, invented the Hass variety, which, to this day, is the most commercially traded worldwide.

In this article, we will tell the story of the birth of the Hass variety and look at some of its characteristics. It is worth clarifying that at Campos del Abuelo, we declared ourselves fans of the avocado quite some time ago.

Not only do we have our own production so you can buy the best Hass avocados you will ever taste, but we are also part of their process from sprouting to harvest.

We consider this variety one of our jewels. What makes the difference is that we do not harvest the avocados until they reach their perfect fat content.

We will explain this in more detail below. The words of Eduardo, avocado farmer and founder of Campos del Abuelo, and Javier, fellow avocado farmer, will accompany us to learn more about the Hass variety.

But now let's go straight to California, USA, to learn about the story of Rudolph Hass and his avocado tree...

The story of the postman who brought the Hass avocado to life

Rudolph Hass settled in Pasadena with his wife and young daughter. They traveled from Milwaukee to the outskirts of Los Angeles, USA, in search of a better life.

What they didn't know was that they were settling on land where an avocado would change their lives. Rudolph had several jobs until he got a permanent one: postman.

One day, while doing his usual work, he saw an image on the cover of a magazine that strongly caught his attention: avocado trees, where instead of fruit, bags with dollar signs hung. The image was something like this, but of course, with bags of money instead of fruit:

So, the postman felt the call and pulled some strings to be able to buy a plot of land of almost 8000 square meters, which already had avocado trees.

Determined to continue planting avocado trees, he bought seeds of the Lyon and Fuerte varieties and sowed them in crates. Once the trees were small, he transplanted them into the ground.

Until the roots of baby avocado trees firmly attach to the ground, they require a lot of attention and also a lot of water. But Rudolph had been caring for his avocado trees from the seed, and they managed to settle. In these images, you can see the size of a newly planted avocado tree.

The next step was to graft these new varieties onto the avocado trees that were already growing in the field he had acquired. But he couldn't do it; it was as if the trees refused to accept the grafts.

Let's pause here. Avocado trees, like orange trees, need to be grafted to bear fruit. Farmers have trees we call rootstock or borders that need to be grafted with an avocado variety to produce good fruit.

It's not as simple as planting a tree or plant. You usually don't realize it, but when you buy a small tree or plant to grow fruit, the graft has already been done.

That graft is what will later make the cultivated fruit of the variety you desire. What Rudolph Hass was trying to do was graft the Lyon and Fuerte varieties onto an avocado tree.

There are several ways to perform a graft, for example, by making a T-cut in the bark of the rootstock tree. Then you need to find a strong branch from the tree with the variety you want, cut a small piece of the branch, and insert it into the T-cut made in the rootstock tree.

In these images, you can see how a side graft is performed.

Let's continue with our story. The problem Hass had was that grafts can only be done in spring. And the third time the tree grafted by Rudolph did not bear fruit, he wanted to give up and even, tear down the tree. But he didn't, luckily...

The following year, that same plant produced 3 avocados, and the next year it was 125. At first, Hass described them as strange: too dark, with rough skin; he even said they looked rotten. But when he and his family tasted them, they discovered that the flavor and creaminess of the fruit were incredible.

Mr. Hass began selling them retail until a colleague who knew the business encouraged him to send a box of avocados back and forth to Chicago. The surprise was pleasant when he saw that they had returned in perfect condition.

Thus, in 1935, Rudolph patented the mother avocado tree with his surname: Hass. The curious thing is that, despite having decided to enter the world of avocados because of the image of the tree with money bags, Hass did not get rich. He retired as a postman, and although he made money from avocados, it was never his main income.

All Hass variety avocados come from the tree that Rudolph grafted. Until 2002, this avocado tree could be visited, but then it became sick and had to be cut down. The legacy of the postman and his tree lives on throughout the world: wherever a Hass avocado arrives, this story is there.

The Hass variety not only has a very interesting history but also possesses a series of characteristics that make this avocado the most popular internationally and the most cultivated in the world...

Characteristics of the Hass avocado with our farmers

The Hass avocado tree is vigorous in growth, has horizontal branches, and forms a kind of inverted crown with a semi-open habit. An advantage of this avocado tree is its resistance to temperature variations. Although there are some points to consider that our farmers will explain to us.

When the fruits set and ripen, they hang from the tree in clusters. Of course, the best part is when they are ready to make delicious guacamole... In these images, you can see the avocado trees: these are the first three in a row. Also, their fruit when it's almost ready to be harvested, and an avocado ready to eat.

To learn more about the ideal temperature for cultivating avocados, it's important to note that if there are frosts, they will slow down growth or even kill the tree.

Regarding temperature, Eduardo, an avocado farmer, tells us:

If the temperature drops to 1°C, we lose the tree. But it depends on other circumstances, such as, for example, if the tree has enough moisture, it resists the cold better.

Many times it is worse for the temperature to be -1°C for an hour than -5°C for about 10 minutes. Another point is that if there is wind, the tree withstands it better because the cold does not settle on the tree.

For all these reasons, it is important to have it in warm areas, in areas where it does not freeze. Also, if there is frost (that ice that forms in the mornings, the frozen dew), the production also disappears.

Many precautions must be taken regarding temperature. Another example that can affect the avocado tree is the hot westerly wind... It is also not good because it dries it out and causes the leaves to fall.

Hass variety avocado trees are very generous trees and begin to produce after 2 or 3 years of being planted (just the time postman Rudolph had to wait to see his first avocados).

According to Eduardo, they produce approximately 1000 kg per hanegada when in full production, meaning about 10,000 to 12,000 kg per hectare.

They flower in spring, between March and April. As farmers, we consider it an advantage that the fruit can remain on the tree for a long time without deteriorating, since when harvest time comes, it is not necessary to pick all of them at once.

That's why one of its characteristics is that it has a prolonged harvest. In the case of this variety, the harvest runs from December to May.

Avocados have a type of pollination called "cross-pollination." This means that for pollination to occur, two different types of avocados are needed.

The Hass, for example, is of type A, so it needs type B pollinators, such as the Bacon avocado variety. If you want to know more about avocado cross-pollination, we invite you to read the article on avocado history and cultivation.

Anyway, Eduardo commented to us from his avocado field that natural pollinators are always the best: our beloved bees. He explains to us: we have to put beehives. Pollinators are usually placed because the wind carries the spores, but it is more effective for the bees themselves to do all this work. Many people no longer plant pollinators for this reason.

What are the fruits of the Hass avocado tree like?

The fruit is green, but when it ripens and is ready for consumption, its skin turns dark purple, almost black. Its skin is hard, thick, and somewhat rough. Its flesh is yellowish, and it has a flavor that reminds us of nuts like walnuts or hazelnuts.

The fruit is smaller than the rest. In fact, its seeds are also smaller, but if we look at them within the entire fruit, the usable flesh is greater. A Hass avocado usually weighs between 200 and 350 grams. Another characteristic is that it has no fiber, unlike other varieties.

As we saw at the beginning, in the story of the creator of the Hass avocado, its thick, rough skin makes it highly resistant to transport. This is also one of the reasons why it is the most widely traveled avocado around the world.

Since we had the opportunity to ask two avocado farmers about its cultivation, we asked them the same question: Why is the Hass variety the most popular?

Javier replied as follows: it is the most popular not only for its flavor, but for its strong, rough skin that protects it during export. Unlike, for example, the Bacon avocado, which has thinner skin, this is the king of export due to its protective layer.

And, in addition to being able to be exported without damage, to this day there are practically no pests, the tree yields well and the fruit tastes magnificent. For these reasons it is the most commercialized…

Eduardo, for his part, pointed out: marketing lasts a long time, it has a significant production volume, the size of the fruit is also good… Look, consumers don't want large pieces to then leave half in the fridge.

And last but not least, they are incredible to eat, they have that rich nutty flavor and the right amount of fat. Hass avocados also ripen easily.

What is the right time to harvest Hass avocado?

Avocado does not ripen on the tree, and must be harvested when it has reached the right fat content. Once harvested, it finishes ripening off the tree.

Unfortunately, many times they are harvested before they reach their proper fat content. The problem is that these avocados harvested prematurely will not reach their peak or ripen.

Javier, from the field, explains it very clearly: avocado is a climacteric fruit, which means that it does not ripen on the tree, but finishes ripening (i.e., becomes softer) once it is harvested. The most important thing is to pick it when the avocado has the right amount of fat.

It is not picked earlier simply because the fat is not well developed, if you pick it earlier it will not finish ripening off the tree. This is what happens in many countries, it is picked for export, it may arrive here hard and never ripen... and, even worse, when it ripens it turns black.

At Campos del Abuelo, we respect nature's cycles, which is why our avocados are harvested at the exact fat content. Therefore, to eat them at their perfect point, they must go through the ripening process. In this article, we explain how to ripen your avocados naturally.

And just in case, we share this video, in which Eduardo, an experienced farmer, gives you a very wise tip about avocado and its ripening, since - as he says - you have to be patient:

Just as the Hass avocado has its history, other varieties do too. The Bacon variety that came from California, the Fuerte avocado, the Pinkerton or the Lamb Hass are born from crosses between races and varieties and, generally, bear the surname of their creators as a name. It is very likely that not all of them have a postman as a protagonist, but surely they will be just as interesting.

For now, from Campos del Abuelo, we are comforted to know that we are part of the history of one of our jewels: the Hass avocado.

Remember that in our online store, you can buy Hass avocado and fruits and vegetables directly from the farmer and without post-harvest chemicals.

Until the next story and thanks for reading!