Campos Borquez Adds Organic Avocados to Growing Portfolio

As a fourth-generation family-owned grower and distributor of premium produce, Campos Borquez's mission is to strive for the well-being and growth of more families as it seeks to be the most responsible agricultural supplier in the world.

“The core of our business is rooted in hard work, determination, tenacity, and a commitment to social and environmental sustainability,” said Rodrigo Torres, vice president of sales and business development of the Scottsdale, AZ-based company. “Everything we do is an extension of our family.”

Rodrigo Torres, Vice President of Sales and Business Development, Campos Borquez

Campos Borquez is a premium supplier of high-quality, organic superfoods, delivering to stores fresh and direct from its growing regions in Arizona and Mexico. Although known for its asparagus and grape program, the company more recently got involved with celery, broccoli, and cauliflower.

“Four years ago, we decided to grow avocados in Sonora because the weather is hot; we are close to the ocean; and we have an ideal environment,” Torres said. “This year is going to be our first year for a commercial harvest. It will be low volume, but it will be the first time we are exporting avocados from Mexico to Canada and Europe.”

“The core of our business is rooted in hard work, determination, tenacity, and a commitment to social and environmental sustainability. Everything we do is an extension of our family.” - Rodrigo Torres

Dara Bella Gonzalez, marketing manager for the company, explained the cultural legacy of Campos Borquez started years before the Mexican Agrarian Reform, when Pablo Borquez's father lost all the family land and moved to Caborca to start from scratch.

Dara Bella Gonzalez, Marketing Manager, Campos Borquez

“It was 13 years later when Pablo, our company’s president, started with asparagus and grapes in the Yaqui Valley,” she said. “Today, we have a lot of products, and we are adding winter vegetables and avocados.”

The company was the first in Mexico to be recognized as being Regenerative Organic Certified and aims to redefine sustainability by using packaging materials that are kind to the environment.

“Today, we have a lot of products, and we are adding winter vegetables and avocados.” - Dara Bella Gonzalez

Borquez was focused on organics and sustainability from the beginning, telling his team that it was important to “give back to the soil what mother nature has given us.”

“That has been a core mindset for the company as we started to grow,” Torres said. “When you are a grower, you are always thinking what else you can do. Pablo is always thinking about what can come next, and what is the future. He has the vision that we need to feed the people and develop a better portfolio of product.”

Borquez family

Now that avocados are a successful item for the company, Borquez is already thinking about what the next crop will be.

“When you are a grower, you are always thinking what else you can do. Pablo is always thinking about what can come next, and what is the future. He has the vision that we need to feed the people and develop a better portfolio of product.” - Rodrigo Torres

“One of our main projects in the upcoming years is we are working on a mango program, and our goal as a company is to include mangos as part of our portfolio in Sonora,” Torres said. “We are working on the plans right now and making sure they will be able to grow in these weather conditions, and if everything goes well, in 2-3 years, we will have mangos from North Mexico to the US—and the world.”

A possible challenge to that could be current global economic conditions. Gonzalez noted the shortage of labor and higher material costs are problems that all growers are facing.

“We are implementing different strategies to minimize this impact and process,” Gonzalez said. “It’s a difficult equation with this economy because you still need to service with an attractive price, but the incremental costs are affecting the daily operation.”

“One of our main projects in the upcoming years is we are working on a mango program, and our goal as a company is to include mangos as part of our portfolio in Sonora.” - Rodrigo Torres

In 2022, Campos Borquez was recognized by Whole Foods as being a Supplier of the Year, the company’s most prestigious award given to suppliers who rise to the top in overall excellence. The company was also named the winner of Whole Foods’ Regenerative Agriculture Commitment Award.

“We focus on the wellbeing of people,” Torres said. “We are taking care of our environment, our soils, and our people.”