We launched our businesses around the same time, and Thorley and his team are just around the corner in Te Puna, busy picking and packing Bay avocados straight from the orchard for fresh delivery straight to your door. I caught up with Thorley (and Prince the dog) over a cup of English Breakfast and a thick layer of avo on toast to chat about his journey — from a seven-year-old with a roadside stall to running NZ’s most loved avo-subscription service. Here’s what he had to say:

Hey mate, it’s been a while since those early days with your roadside stall in Katikati. Looking back though, how do you think that shaped the path to The Avo Tree?

Technically there were 2 periods of this. When I was about 2, my mum used to grow tomatoes and sell them at the Waihi Beach turn off. I was dragged along on that journey. Then at about 15 I bought 3 hawker licences between Omokoroa and Waihi beach. I grew 1500 Strawberry plants and a few hundred Potato plants over the last term of school. Then sold them in each spot on different days depending on what would work better on each day, over my summer holidays. I had no idea at the time, but I was probably learning quite a bit about both horticulture and selling. Fast forward 11 or so years from that and I started The Avo Tree. Really, The Avo Tree is a side of the road stall in many ways. The difference is, everyone has access to it.  

Your mission supports small-scale avocado growers in the Bay of Plenty - how do you find and choose them?

When we first started, I used to find orchards on google earth and turn up on their doorsteps. Most said, thanks but no thanks kid. But I managed to get some amazing growers (nearly all are still with us 10 years later) who were keen to take the “risk”. It paid off. For the first 5 or so years, we returned exponentially more than any other model to market. We still, year-after-year return better than most models. Not to mention drastically increased cash flow and complete transparency. Nowadays we’re lucky, and growers generally turn up on our doorstep.

How exactly do you deliver avos without cool storage?

Avos don't start ripening until they are picked. So, we use the trees as storage until we need the fruit. We are 90% subscription, so we can forecast week to week which means we can pick at the rate needed to service. No more, and no less. The length of ripening of a freshly picked avocado means we can get them off the tree, in a box, and to a customer well before they need refrigeration. This is partly what maintains the quality.

You've told me about the new season GEM avocados but what makes them different from common varieties?

GEM is a licensed variety of avocado. In New Zealand, Seeka holds that licence. They came to us with the fruit, and we have sold it over the past 2 seasons, with huge success. It’s got a great bold flavour, super nutty and buttery, all the great characteristics avo lovers are after. Similar to the also popular Reed avocado. But, unlike a Reed, it changes color when ripe, which makes management easier. We hope to sell them between August and December.

What’s next for The Avo Tree?

Global domination!! No, not quite. We’re on the precipice of a big rebrand, and tech rebuild. We are aiming to launch all that in late August. This has been an 8 month process, with lots of effort from a lot of people, and we’re so excited to show our customers the new look and feel!

And finally - if you could share a cup of tea with anyone, who would it be and why?

That's a hard one. I’d be looking for entertainment. So, Keith Richards. He’s a true dude, and I’m pretty sure his stories would leave you endlessly on the edge of your seat.

Good choice! 

You can check The Avo Tree here
And sign up to avo subscriptions here