Mission Produce Tour

Posted by Sandy Warren

on Mar 29, 2016

Rotary Ventura South Goes Offsite

For a Tour of Mission Produce

For our regular meeting on Monday, March 28, members of Ventura Rotary South gathered at Mission Produce in Oxnard for a tour of the state-of-the-art avocado processing facility. The massive building was designed by our own Nils Johnson, who organized the visit. After enjoying sandwiches, apples, and chips in the employee lunchroom (thanks to the Wedgewood Banquet Center), members set off on a tour of the 20-acre site.

Decked out in orange safety vests and wearing oh-so-fashionable hair nets, the 25 members in attendance were given the full tour, from the receiving area where avocados arriving from groves throughout Central and Southern California begin their journey through the facility with a 40-degree cold shower, to the shipping dock where pallets of the luscious fruit are loaded into semi-trailers.

During peak avocado season (roughly February through September), Mission Produce processes and packs approximately 1,000 pounds of avocados per minute. (That's a lot of guacamole!) The fruit is kept cool throughout the various areas of the plant, which range from 36 to 50 degrees. For that reason, those in attendance were unanimously grateful for the recommendation to bring a jacket.

Thanks to member Nils for coordinating the visit and to our hosts at Mission Produce for a fascinating look behind the scenes at their impressive facility!