So, when restaurants and cafes were restricted to only take-away and home deliveries on March 23 to halt the spread of the coronavirus, Australia’s booming avocado industry took a hit. Between 10 and 20 per cent of all avocados grown in Australia are purchased by the food services sector. Avocado harvest is currently underway in Queensland. Credit:Bloomberg “We have seen a real drop in the volume of sales that would normally go to the food services sector,” says Avocados Australia chief executive officer John Tyas. Avocados Australia recently sent out an alert to growers on the impact of cafe closures on class one fruit. Harvest is currently underway in the Atherton Tablelands, Bundaberg and Childers in Queensland but Mr Tyas says avocados can be left for longer on trees.

“The message is making sure they are communicating with supply chain partners,” Mr Tyas says. “If they are not able to move fruit they need to slow down.” Although less than 5 per cent of Australia's avocado crop is exported, last year exports were up 30 per cent on the previous year, Mr Tyas says. “Our main markets are Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong and we are now getting access into Japan,” he said. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video But with global aviation grounded due to the pandemic “obviously that all came to a grinding halt a few weeks ago”.

The avocado industry is not taking this two-pronged assault lying down. The internet loves a smashed avo meme and Avocados Australia is about to launch a social media campaign urging the public to smash their avos at home. “If you used to enjoy a smashed avocado at brunch, eat them at home,” says Jim Kochi, an avocado farmer from Atherton in Queensland, who is also the chairman of Avocados Australia. “You can use a lot more avocado, more frequently, for a hell of a lot less price.” It’s a point he has been making ever since avocado toast became the symbol of the generation wars when demographer Bernard Salt suggested young people could save for a house deposit if they stopped forking out $22 for smashed avocado at hipster cafes.

“They can have their house and they can eat healthily,” Mr Kochi says. He is concerned about people’s eating habits in isolation after watching panic buyers stock their trolleys with processed frozen and canned food. “At the end of three months it’s not going to be corona, it’s probably going to be coronary.” Avocado prices have slumped in the wake of the cafe closures - Mr Kochi estimates by about 20 per cent - so consumers are getting good value for money. Mr Tyas says a big part of the campaign will be asking avocado farmers to share their best ideas for smashed avo. “They are the people who eat more avocado than anyone in the country and they have experimented a lot so it will be interesting to see what they come up with.” He confesses to being a bit boring himself - he is a smashed avo with balsamic vinegar man - but says the Australian Avocados website features recipes for everything from avocado ice-cream to avocado Jalapeno poppers. Sign up to our Coronavirus Update newsletter Get our Coronavirus Update newsletter for the day's crucial developments at a glance, the numbers you need to know and what our readers are saying. Sign up to The Sydney Morning Herald's newsletter here and The Age's here.