About the Avocado Festival

The idea of the California Avocado Festival® began in 1986 at a meeting between community leaders Rob Godfrey, Connie Korbel, Debbie Murphy, Fran Puccinelli, Bob Ealee and John Franklin.

A brainstorming meeting was called to create an ongoing weekend event that would benefit the fundraising efforts of the local non-profit groups. It seemed the plan would also help promote Carpinteria as a Southern California weekend getaway destination and boost our local economy.

Mission Statement

The California Avocado Festival is a non-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3), Tax ID #77-0159754, and is dedicated to promote Carpinteria’s local agriculture, fund other non-profits and community projects, and help the development of tourism within Carpinteria Valley. The festival is run by a volunteer board of directors along with dozens of community volunteers. The California Avocado Festival serves as a vehicle for the non-profits and community service groups to raise funds for local charities and social service organizations.

Avocado History

Well, Santa Barbara County is the third largest avocado producer in North America, with Carpinteria being a major contributor. It seemed like a natural food festival in the making. Why have the Festival the first weekend in October?
Oddly enough, statistics show that October is one of the sunniest months of the year with the least amount of rainfall.And there it began...the California Avocado Festival®.
The festival has evolved into one of the largest in California with three days of fabulous food, terrific music, and great safe family fun. It is one of only a few community festivals still operated in the heart of downtown.
As the Festival grows, so do the number of participants and festival-goers. This year over forty non-profit groups will benefit by catering to 100,000 avocado visitors. The California Avocado Festival™ itself is a non-profit group that generates its own operating revenue each year. The annual event is completely organized by a committee of volunteers, and includes one part-time staff person.
Thanks for joining us this year and celebrate our famous green fruit and the California Avocado Festival™.
The California avocado is a native American plant with a long, distinguished history. Today, the most popular variety is the Hass. The mother tree of all Hass avocados was born in a backyard in La Habra Heights, California.The avocado (Persea americana) originated in south-central Mexico, sometime between 7,000 and 5,000 B.C. But it was several millennia before this wild variety was cultivated. Archaeologists in Peru have found domesticated avocado seeds buried with Incan mummies dating back to 750 B.C. and there is evidence that avocados were cultivated in Mexico as early as 500 B.C.
Spanish conquistadores loved the fruit but couldn't pronounce it and changed the Aztec word to a more manageable aguacate, which eventually became avocado in English. The first English-language mention of avocado was by Sir Henry Sloane in 1696.
Fast forward to 1871, when 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 annals, 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 1950's 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 1930's 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.
Today, California is the leading producer of domestic avocados and home to about 90% of the nation's crop. Most California avocados are harvested on 60,000 acres between San Luis Obispo and the Mexican border, by about 6,800 growers. San Diego County, which produces 60% of all California avocados, is the acknowledged avocado capital of the nation.
California avocados are grown year-round. A single California avocado tree can produce up to 200 pounds of fresh fruit each year, approximately 500 pieces, although most average around 60 pounds or 150 pieces of fruit.

Board Members

Co-President
Gary Dobbins started with the Avo Fest 35 years ago as a volunteer. He wears numerous hats within the local community with one stand out as Co-Publisher of Carpinteria's local newspaper, Coastal View News. He was named the Community Hero in 2019 by TV Santa Barbara in which he has served over two decades on the advisory board.
With his busy schedule, he finds time to take long walks on the beach and participate as an active member of the local Rotary Club. He also served as a past President; it must be in genes! Gary is thrilled by the success of 2022 Avocado Festival after taking a hiatus for a few years. He is so grateful for the community's support and all volunteers who show up and make it happen. Gary is very much looking forward to a spectacular 2023!

Secretary
Andrea Lionello had no idea the compass and ambiguity of putting Carpinteria's coveted Avocado Festival - and she loved it and is back for more fun! She continues to chameleon in to wherever needed as well as wrangling her fellow Board Members into meetings. Whether she's checking in 6am Vendors or pouring you a cold one, she loves to be part of planning and stoked for the Avo Fest.
Andrea married into a 3rd generation of small batch Avocado Growers here in the Carpinteria Foothills. The growing and harvest each year turned into a labor of love in learning the science and care of their two family Orchards. With a decade behind and more to go, her family is hands on teaching their young children the next generation of farming and Carpinterians.

Vice President - our 1st Female VP for Avo Fest!
Melissa Brown Simpson is a 5th generation Carpinteria and an aspiring 3rd generation Avocado farmer. She has been involved with the Avocado Festival since her teenage years when her parents were avid volunteers. She's now found herself once again following in the footsteps of her parents.
Melissa works closely with the Operations Team and generally helps out where ever there is a need. She is looking forward to the next generation of the Festival and keep pioneering all about the Avocado!

Raised in Santa Barbara, Jeffrey and his wife Stephanie have called Carpinteria home since 2014. Jeff has worked in various industries including entertainment, hospitality, public affairs, and real estate development. He currently serves on the California Avocado Festival Board of Directors as well as the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation Education Outreach Committee.
Jeff & Stephanie are currently raising two future Carp groms, Jack Saint (4) & West Saint (1.)

Treasurer
Emily Miles joined the Avocado Festival Board in 2012 to be a representative and conduit for the avocado growers, packers and shippers for the Carpinteria Valley. Each year she oversees the George Bliss Expo Tent which houses avocado displays, demonstrations, history and general information regarding the benefits of our delicious Carpinteria avocados.
Emily comes from a long background in avocado growing. Her grandfather planted the first commercial orchard in the Toro Canyon area in 1922 and all of her immediate family and extended family continue to carry on the tradition of supplying the best quality fruit for consumption.

Co-President and Director of Production & Operations
Mike Lazaro is no stranger to Directing and Managing the local festival scene for the past few decades. In fact, he's the Wizard behind the Curtain for a plethora of our beloved Santa Barbara festivals such as Old Spanish Days, Summer Solstice, Earth Day, Rods & Roses Car Show, and 33 years of Carpinteria's very own California Avocado Festival.
If he's not entangled in festival hiatus, he's donating his time to other non-profit organizations and running his own, Lazaro's Event Management Company. There is no event big or small enough he can't tackle including professional sports teams to his co-founded Alcazar Theater, Carpinteria's local gem, a venue for performing arts and entertainment.
With miles and hours of events under him, the joy of bringing smiles to hundreds of thousands of people and local communities is his rocket fuel. His passion is production and for that, there always be an abundance of Avocado Festivals.