There is, quite arguably, nothing worse in life than cutting through the perfectly firm, black alligator skin of a ripe avocado only to find that it’s bloody rotten inside. Deeply upsetting moments like this are happening across the nation as we speak — that sweet, fleeting season of great, affordable avocados having come and gone, deftly taken from us to serve the booming export market. What’s left in its wake is a devastated population, starved of its all-time favourite South American superfood. Luckily, there is a solution.

Far from having to grope your way through a hundred unworthy specimens at your local supermarket, ‘pressing the button’ like some sort of pervert, The Avo Tree is a Katikati-based business sending out boxes of hand-picked, uncompromised avos from various boutique growers around the region. Founder, Thorley Robbins, was shrewd enough to recognise the potential of the domestic market last year, taking a family tradition to new heights.

Having launched his idea of sending avos to ‘those in need’ across the country — inexpensive avos that are fresh off the tree, never cool-stored and with handling kept to a minimum — these bad boys are now being shipped daily all across New Zealand from Cape Reinga to Stewart Island. Generally available from mid-August through to May, you can choose to sign up for a one-off delivery of either 10, 20 or 40 avocados (at the price of $1.45 each), if not elect to have them arrive on your doorstep on the regular. The idea of the latter being that as you eat your perfectly ripe first lot, the succeeding box is sitting in your fruit bowl, developing in colour and creamy consistency.

Avocado porn aside, it wasn’t until we were recently delivered a box brimming with the enshrined fruit that we realised how great of a gift/holiday contribution a decent supply of avos can be. With testimonies that vouch for The Avo Tree’s goods being “perrrrfect every time” it would seem that New Zealand’s third largest fruit export is on the rise domestically too.