In the lush landscapes of Pu’er, Yunnan Province, vibrant avocado orchards are bursting with ripe fruit, creating a perfect backdrop for the second annual Menglian Avocado Festival, aptly themed “Soaring Avocados, Green Menglian.” Set against the backdrop of the National Day holiday, this event aims to promote tourism while offering visitors a one-of-a-kind avocado experience.
Avocados, praised for their high protein content and healthy unsaturated fats, are often dubbed “forest butter.” Once reliant on imports, China has seen Menglian County rise as the nation’s largest avocado-producing region, cultivating over 120,000 acres devoted to this crop. Currently, nearly 25,700 acres are in active production, with the 2024 season anticipated to yield around 19,500 tons.
As the holiday festivities continued, both locals and tourists flocked to the Nan Yun Food Street, relishing various unique avocado snacks and browsing inventive avocado-themed products. Ms. Zhou, a vendor at the bustling food street, expressed her excitement: “This year’s festival coinciding with National Day has been an amazing opportunity. I brought along my home-grown avocados and coffee beans to sell, and we’re seeing tremendous interest, selling about 300 cups daily.”
Tourist Qiu Longge, who traveled to Menglian specifically for the festival, shared his enthusiasm, stating, “This is my first avocado festival, and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and size of the avocados in the orchards.” As someone in the coffee industry, Qiu sees this as a chance to gain insights into the avocado market and hopes to bring back innovative avocado-infused coffee ideas to other cities.
During the festival, Menglian held a special ceremony to grant the geographical indication trademark for “Menglian Avocado,” unveiled a quality tracing system for the fruit, and introduced a new product: avocado-infused yogurt. The event also included a range of cultural activities such as an ethnic market, a kick-off for the avocado harvest, a rock night music season, culinary contests, and cultural banquets, all aimed at celebrating avocados and drawing in tourists eager to experience the unique flavors of Menglian.
Qin Guowei, Deputy General Manager of the Menglian County Industrial Investment Group and Deputy Secretary-General of the Menglian Avocado Industry Development Association, highlighted the festival’s success, stating, “We’ve attracted business people and tourists from all over the nation, which speaks volumes about the quality recognition of our avocados. It’s encouraging to see many customers increasing their orders from their initial expectations.”
Cai Shuqiang, Chairman of Guangzhou Jinda Food City and a participating vendor, added, “Avocados are extremely popular in the Greater Bay Area. Through this festival, we aim to raise awareness about the value of avocados and collaboratively drive growth in the industry.”
