EDITORIAL
A COUNTRY Practice was given the chop; Fred Hollows passed away; the Yahoo Serious film, Reckless Kelly, was released; and Shane Warne bowled the "ball of the century".
The year 1993 is now officially 25 years in the past.
Another event can be added to that list, according to Avocados Australia: restaurateur Bill Granger came up with smashed avocado on toast.
It's a bold call but there seems to be general support for the historical footnote.
Mind you, before that it was just simply avocado on toast, without the "smashing" bit.
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It may come as a surprise to many of the younger folk sitting in exposed brick wall cafes with copper pipe features around the nation but many farming families were putting fresh avo on partially-cooked bread long before it was fashionable to take a photo of it and post it on social media.
Back then, particularly in the Sunshine State, an avocado tree was never far away.
Many wouldn't have dreamed of actually buying one from a shop. It was smeared across toast as an alternative to Vegemite or IXL jam. Of course, smeared avocado was never going to reach the tri-fold menus of inner city eateries.
Who could have predicted the phenomenon it would become?
Take a step back though. This is not an overnight success.
The point is, horticulture industries need to start thinking now about what needs to happen for long term benefit.
It took at least 20 years before it started to "trend" and make headlines and prompt high profile economists to blame it for young people not being able to afford a house.
It's been a slow burn with plenty of, dare it be said, lucky strikes to help kick it along.
What if Granger had never used it? What if Salt had not mentioned it? What if celebrity cooking shows had not been intrigued by it?
It could just have easily been muddled choko or trounced tomato making the front pages of recipe magazines today.
The point is, horticulture industries need to start thinking now about what needs to happen for long term benefit.
Planning is one thing; the luck factor is quite another. Unfortunately, there is no quick trick or guaranteed recipe for success for this.
Trends, the ones that hang around with the potential to propel an industry into profit margins it never dreamed of, take time.
It’s hard to find time to come up with a long-term marketing strategy amidst the immediate pest and disease threats. It may require new ways of thinking.
Planning is one thing; the luck factor is quite another. Unfortunately, there is no quick trick or guaranteed recipe for success for this.
Maybe that particular actor or upcoming chef just needs to use it once and give it a name.
Or maybe the nearest chic café needs to be introduced to the niche fruit/vegetable, or old fruit/vegetable consumed in a new way.
Is your crop the next brunch menu hero item?
Or will future consumers be wondering where that momentum and potential went, much like Yahoo Serious?