Henry Avocado on the road again, not that far

Henry Avocado Corp. has moved its headquarters, packing and distribution center in Escondido, CA, to a new building in a nearby industrial center.

The 50,000-square-foot two-story facility in Escondido is 20 percent larger than the previous site and features the latest processing, refrigeration and forced-air ripening elements in the industry.

The new Henry operation consolidates under one roof the administrative and processing machinery and personnel of several buildings at the old location, and provides space for 20 forced-air ripening rooms and five loading docks.

Phil Henry, president of Henry Avocado, said the company, which is a year-round grower-shipper, made the move to maximize efficiency of operation and now has the potential to custom-ripen more than 2 million cartons annually. The fresh product is shipped to customers via two adjacent major highways. The I-15 services the north-south corridor while the I-78 services the east-west customer network.

Henry also opened a large distribution center in Charlotte, NC, last year, which is part of its ongoing commitment to deliver fresh shipments that meet custom-ripening orders as precisely as possible.

“We consider the supply chain as paramount to quality, which motivates our decisions to modernize and relocate as required,” Henry added. “Our seven centers are strategically located, designed and managed to ensure quality, food safety and fresh delivery to customers wherever they are.”

Headed by the new Escondido building, all seven of Henry’s Primus Labs-certified distribution centers meet or exceed the federal, state and industry Good Manufacturing Practices guidelines. Two are located in Escondido and there is one each in Phoenix; Milpitas, CA; San Antonio and Houston, TX; and Charlotte, NC. Together they total 100 ripening rooms with delivery by a modern fleet of refrigerated trucks.

A pioneer in the industry, Henry was founded in 1925 and was among the first to commit to growing and promoting the Hass variety of avocados. Subsequently, Henry developed the first forced-air ripening rooms in 1983. By adding import contacts and capabilities in Mexico, Chile and Peru, Henry Avocado became one of the early year-round suppliers of fresh avocados in 1990.