Welcome to Paradise Grove

In 1871, Judge R.B. Ord of Santa Barbara successfully introduced Avocados to the U.S. with trees from Mexico. By the early 1900s, growers were seeing the Avocado's commercial potential and ever since growers, enthusiasts and researchers have been hunting for improved varieties. A search through the industry's foremost history, in particular the California Avocado Society Yearbook, reveals that many new selections of Avocado were made in the industry's infancy and over subsequent years but few had commercial significance. By the 1950s, around 25 different varieties of Avocados were being commercially packed and shipped in California, with 'Fuerte' accounting for more than two-thirds of the production. Even though 'Hass' was discovered in the early 1930s and patented by Rudolph Hass in 1935, it was not until large-scale industry expansion occurred in the late 1970s that 'Hass' replaced 'Fuerte' as the leading California variety.