Avocado weighing more than 2 pounds leads to fight between companies as to who can sell it
Two companies are battling it out over a patent involving an avocado weighing more than 2 pounds.
The legal challenge centers around the Carla, which is known for its weight and length of 5 inches, .
Officials with Agroindustria Ocoeña, or Aiosa, said it has a legal U.S. patent for the trees that produce the Carla until 2024, giving the company complete control over the profits made from the gargantuan avocado.
The fruit itself has grown in popularity over the years as cooks find ways to incorporate it into dishes and healthy choices, which is why having a super avocado could generate decent cash flow.
Studies show Americans purchase at least 7 pounds of avocados every year. The United States imports around $2.6 billion worth of avocados from countries every year as well.
In 1994, Carlos Antonio Castillo Pimentel discovered the Carla growing on his property in the south-central Dominican Republic.
One of the features of the Carla that has become super popular is the fact that it stays fresh for up to eight hours after it is sliced open.
Aiosa said Fresh Directions International has been creating illegal clones of the Carla and making money off the product. It started in 2012, when trees with a resemblance to the Carla were transported to the United States. Aiosa said it issued a warning to Fresh Directions International, telling it to stop producing fruit with DNA matching that of the Carla.
When the company didn’t stop, .
Lawyers for Aiosa said they went undercover to determine if the product was, in fact, a cloned version of the Carla. After testing, and eating, tons of the products – it was determined the Carla was copied.
Fresh Directions International pushed back against the lawsuit saying the company sold the avocados but didn’t infringe on the patent.
Officials with both companies are due to meet at the end of the month to discuss the lawsuit.