Mailman's Avocado Discovery

A story about how a Milwaukee mailman accidentally discovered the Hass avocado, which became the dominant variety worldwide.

"Avocados were absolutely not popular back in the day. Nobody ate them, they didn't taste very good. They weren't even branded well - some people called them avocados, some called them alligator pears, in Mexico they had their native word for testicle.

Enter Rudolph Hass, a mailman from Milwaukee living in California. He decided to plant an avocado tree, bought some seeds and tried to plant it. The grafting process didn't work, and he thought about cutting it down but never got around to it. He let the tree grow for a year or two.

His kids noticed fruit on it, plucked it, opened it up and really liked it. He was like 'Oh why are you eating that? That's not good.' But they said 'No it's great.' He tried it and realized it was actually really good - way creamier, had a nutty taste, and there was more space between the seed and the peel. It was softer, creamier with more actual filling.

Word started to spread. He partnered with a local nursery to help grow more of this tree, with them offering him royalties. Now Hass avocados are 80% of worldwide avocado sales. These trees are planted all around the world - Mexico, China, everywhere. This is the dominant fruit."