Avocados are a hit with consumers and investors alike: a 20 million funding round for Sicilian firm Halaesa

The avocado is now the fastest-growing tropical fruit on Italian dining tables: by 2025, the value of consumption had risen by 47%, according to the Ismea-Niq Observatory report presented at Macfrut 2026. This figure is borne out by import data: in the same year, Italia imported around 64,209 tonnes of avocados, a 47 per cent increase year-on-year, for a total value exceeding 164 million euros, more than 135 per cent higher than in 2020, according to data from the European campaign ‘Avocados and Mangoes from Europe: Fruit from the Heart’, promoted by Intertropic and co-funded by the European Union. The trend continues into 2026: according to the Cso Italy report based on YouGov data, in the first quarter, avocados were among the fastest-growing products in the fruit sector, with purchases up by 14 per cent compared with the same period in 2025, against a generally stable fruit and vegetable market.

It is against this backdrop that the financing deal finalised by PTS in support of Società Agricola Halaesa takes place, a Sicilian company active in avocado cultivation and backed by a club deal of investors aiming to achieve a turnover of 25 million euros at full production between 2033 and 2034 (current production value stands at 1.4 million).
The transaction, with a total value of 20 million euros, was finalised with a banking syndicate led by UniCredit, through its Agribusiness Sicilia team acting as lead arranger, and also comprising Crédit Agricole Italia, Mediocredito Centrale and BdM Banca, the latter two participating with a €5 million loan as part of the programme promoted by Mediocredito Centrale to support business initiatives in Sicily.
“This transaction demonstrates the financial sector’s interest in initiatives characterised by solid industrial prospects,” said Lelio Fornabaio, chairman of Pts, the financial adviser for the transaction.

The funds are being used to finance the investment plan of Halaesa, which was founded in 2022 and currently operates over 100 hectares of crops across the provinces of Palermo, Messina and Syracuse. The company’s stated aim is to reach 500 hectares by 2030. The first harvest of organic avocados, produced entirely in Italy, is expected this winter. Cultivation follows the principles of regenerative agriculture, without ploughing or the intensive use of plant protection products, even on land previously used for viticulture but abandoned due to high temperatures.

The growing interest in the fruit is affecting the entire supply chain. Battaglio, a Turin-based company founded in 1972 and one of the leading players in the distribution of exotic fruit in Italia, with a turnover of 250 million euros in 2024, unveiled on 10 December a new label and a new 550-gramme pack for Hass avocados, a fruit that the company has also been growing in Colombia since 2018 through Agricola Persea.

As regards the short supply chain, the cooperative project presented in June by Legacoop Emilia-Romagna, involving Coop Alleanza 3.0 and Apofruit – which reduced transport journeys by 34 per cent for 95 per cent of the winter volumes traded between the two co-operatives – has led to the commercial launch of the Italian avocado alongside the Regal You apple.