Avocado has taken on a special place in Australia. Not only is it part and parcel of many people's brunches, but it's also synonymous with young people's inability to get into the housing market.
We've been blamed for forking out way too much for a smashed avo with feta and balsamic vinegar that we're all falling behind on the age-old Aussie dream of owning that house with a white picket fence.
Finally, Aussies around the country have been thrown a bone, as the price of those delicious green things is set to drop, thanks to a record-breaking harvest. A whopping 75,000 tonnes is expected to be produced this financial years, meaning you'll be able to smash it, smear it, or even use the skin for a cappuccino until your heart's content.
Last year was particularly rocky for avo lovers, who were paying up to $6 PER AVOCADO at some retailers.
Credit: PA
Riverland fruit grower Colin Fechner has told the ABC: "The volume of fruit going through the market keeps moving, the consumers are happy because fruit isn't stale, and everybody is happy.
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"Returns to growers probably over the last 10 years would pretty well have doubled...but in the shop, they are really not a great deal dearer than what they were eight to 10 years ago."
Per capita consumption of avocados across the country is at a staggering 3.5kgs, which is triple the number seen just a decade ago. It's nearly a half a billion-dollar industry, with no signs of slowing down.
But it's not like Aussies have been chowing down on this green fruit for centuries; it's not even native to Australia. The first seeds were brought to our shores in 1840 and were planted in the Sydney Royal Botanical Gardens. However, no one really did anything with them for years as we didn't know the full extent of their health benefits.
Credit: PA
The best thing about our sun-scorched country is that avocadoes can be grown year-round and in every state. According to the ABC, Aussie chef Bill Granger is credited with making the fruit popular after chucking it on his menu in 1993.
We could even be producing about 100,000 tonnes of the fruit by the year 2025, if current trends are anything to go by.
Whether you've been lathering it on your toast for decades or you've just recently had an epiphany that they're the best thing ever, it looks like Australia will have plenty of avos to go around in the next 12 months.
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Credit: ABC
Topics: Price, Food, Awesome, Australia News, Australia