How Sigifredo Díaz Benavides, Colombia, designed a sustainable model from Avocados del Quindío Colombia
🔍 Article co-created with Sigifredo Díaz Benavides, CEO at Avocados del Quindío Colombia (🇨🇴 Colombia), and Augusto Unzaga, host of Keru Podcast.
🎙️ This article was inspired by Episode 12 of Keru Podcast.
Keru Podcast is a podcast (in Spanish) created by Globalita.io, where we talk with those who lead Latin American industry from the inside.
The growth paradox in the circular economy of the avocado industry
The rise of the circular economy in Latin America has brought with it a new kind of operational challenge. While companies seek to integrate sustainability into their processes, they face a structural paradox: scaling operations without losing control or compromising their principles. This dilemma becomes more critical in sectors such as the circular economy of the avocado industry, where international pressure for sustainable products collides with local logistical, technical and regulatory limitations.
Companies such as Avocados del Quindío Colombia, led by Sigifredo Díaz Benavides Colombia, are tangible examples of how these business models in emerging markets must operate without close precedents. The company produces extra virgin avocado oil from the first cold pressing, without chemicals or refining processes, respecting the principles of sustainable vegetable oil production. This means making operational decisions without pre-existing manuals, solving new problems with local creativity.
“Many operational problems are not solved with machinery, but with culture. Machinery can be bought, but culture is built every day,” says Sigifredo Díaz Benavides, Avocados del Quindío.
One of the main sources of tension in these environments is the lack of standardization of the raw material. Avocado, being a highly perishable agricultural product, shows extreme variability between batches. This lack of uniformity affects the oil’s yield, quality, acidity and sensory profile. For a company focused on the circular economy of the avocado industry, this demands fine control systems, adaptive processes and a constant flow of information between the plant, purchasing and quality.
“We had to redesign entire protocols because the fruit that arrived was not predictable. Some suppliers didn’t understand the impact of delivering a batch with low dry matter or damaged by bruising. And that changes everything,” says Sigifredo Díaz Benavides, Colombia.
Managing quality and scalability at Avocados del Quindío Colombia
The experience of Avocados del Quindío Colombia reveals that rapid growth in emerging markets is not only an opportunity, it is also an operational risk. Going from pilot production to exporting to 12 countries in less than three years required structuring a flexible manufacturing strategy, adjustable to the particularities of each destination country.
In the case of sustainable vegetable oil production, planning cannot be static. Each customer has different requirements: different sensory profiles, specific packaging demands, maximum permitted levels of peroxides or contaminants. All of this requires maintaining an extremely dynamic and technical industrial process.
“We plan by weeks, but we adjust daily. Because the fruit may not arrive, or may arrive out of specification. That forces us to rethink everything in a few hours,” explains Sigifredo Díaz Benavides, Colombia.
The solution applied at Avocados del Quindío Colombia is based on Lean principles: autonomous cells, quick format changeovers (SMED), decentralized decisions and visual protocols. But it is not just about applying methodologies: it is about translating them to a real plant, with limited resources, in a country with infrastructure challenges.
“We have operators who proposed layout changes to save two hours of cleaning a day. That’s not in the manuals, it’s in the experience on the plant floor,” highlights Sigifredo Díaz Benavides, Avocados del Quindío.
The challenge of sustaining this flexibility without sacrificing quality led the company to build layered control systems. The nitrogen system was reinforced to prevent premature oxidation, filters were redesigned to adapt to the tastes of the European market, and preventive maintenance plans guided by typical failures were established.
Despite these improvements, raw material remains a critical factor. Avocado logistics involves coordinating harvests on non-standardized farms, controlling variables such as temperature, ripening time, oil levels and pulp condition. If the input arrives out of parameters, there is no way to continue without affecting the final standard.
“We have had to reject entire loads. It’s not an easy decision, but if it doesn’t meet what’s needed to obtain a premium oil, we don’t process it. Our sustainable vegetable oil production model is non-negotiable,” says Sigifredo Díaz Benavides, Colombia.
Production culture at Sigifredo Díaz Benavides’ Avocados del Quindío
In the experience of Sigifredo Díaz Benavides, Avocados del Quindío, sustainability cannot be sustained without a strong culture. Sustainable vegetable oil production does not depend solely on standards or machines, but on a team that understands its role in the value chain. That is why, from the start, the strategy was to involve all operators in key decisions.
“There are no technical hierarchies when it comes to solving a problem. If the operator has the best idea, we apply it, and we recognize it publicly,” notes Sigifredo Díaz Benavides, Colombia.
This horizontal management approach has produced remarkable results. It was an operator who proposed the ultraviolet light disinfection system, replacing chemical products. It was the maintenance technicians who designed the implementation of solar panels to reduce electricity consumption. This was not about external training, but about internal cultural ownership.
The model is inspired by practices such as TWI (Training Within Industry), which combines technical instruction with building working relationships and task analysis. Instead of training operators who simply execute, Avocados del Quindío Colombia seeks to train technicians who understand, question and propose.
“I see the team taking ownership of the company’s purpose. It’s not a technique: it’s an attitude,” summarizes Sigifredo Díaz Benavides, Avocados del Quindío.
In addition, this culture makes it possible to sustain the operation even in times of crisis. If a machine fails, if there are delays in inputs or if an international audit comes up, the teams know how to respond with sound judgment. This is essential for companies that export to multiple markets with diverse requirements.
Flexible industrial planning at Avocados del Quindío Colombia
In the context of emerging markets, planning is not just forecasting demand: it is anticipating disruptions. In companies such as Avocados del Quindío Colombia, led by Sigifredo Díaz Benavides Colombia, the operating environment presents constant threats: power outages, failures in imported machinery, inputs that do not meet specifications, or unexpected changes in the regulations of destination countries. All of this requires flexible, dynamic planning anchored in operational risk analysis.
“I start every day with a full walk through the plant. I talk with the operators and ask what can be improved. There’s almost always something to adjust,” says Sigifredo Díaz Benavides, Avocados del Quindío.
This routine seeks not only to anticipate technical failures, but also to detect latent bottlenecks. In the sustainable vegetable oil production model, a minor change—such as a batch of avocado more acidic than expected—can compromise the entire day’s production. The sensitivity of the process requires measuring variables that other industries overlook: oxidation, pH, fruit integrity, waiting times.
To sustain operational continuity, the technical team implemented a dual strategy: preventive maintenance based on wear indicators, and a system of critical spare parts in inventory that allows quick replacements. For example, the press motors were standardized, which allows swaps without delays in the event of failures.
In addition, monthly planning is complemented by weekly review cycles and daily contingency protocols. This responds to an environment where variables change constantly, and where export commitments do not allow postponements.
“Our customer in Canada expects a specific quality. If I don’t deliver that quality, there’s no second chance. Planning is also protecting the company’s reputation,” stresses Sigifredo Díaz Benavides, Colombia.
The voice of the customer as a guide for processes
One of the least explored aspects of the sustainable agro-industrial sector is how to integrate international demand into operational logic. While many companies design standardized products, firms such as Avocados del Quindío Colombia build their process from the customer’s expectations. This is particularly complex in the context of the circular economy of the avocado industry, where the final product—oil—can have dozens of variants: flavor, color, viscosity, purity, type of pressing, packaging, traceability.
“There are customers who ask for oil filtered five times, others want it pressed without heat, others odorless. Each one has a different requirement, and that affects the process from moment zero,” explains Sigifredo Díaz Benavides, Avocados del Quindío.
This logic led the company to reconfigure its production layout to respond flexibly: parallel lines, rework capacity, and an in-house laboratory for sensory control. They also developed documentation per customer, so that each batch has traceability from the farm to the exported pallet.
In addition, the plant is designed to ship both in bulk and under its own brand or the customer’s brand. This duality requires not only different technical processes, but also specific commercial and logistical skills.
The implementation of this model is based on make-to-order production tools and modular manufacturing. Instead of mass production, Avocados del Quindío Colombia produces according to specific orders, minimizing inventories and reducing the risk of non-conforming product.
“We could produce more volume, but we prefer to maintain absolute quality. Our focus is not quantity, it’s reputation. That is our strategy to sustain ourselves in markets like Europe or Asia,” clarifies Sigifredo Díaz Benavides, Colombia.
International expansion with operational consistency
Internationalization usually involves a sacrifice: companies tend to relax their standards in order to reach more markets. However, in the model of Sigifredo Díaz Benavides Avocados del Quindío, consistency is non-negotiable. Expansion is only viable if it can be achieved without losing technical control or the commitment to sustainable vegetable oil production.
This approach has allowed it to consolidate in more than 12 markets in less than two years. To achieve this, they developed a management system by country, where each destination has its own product profile, technical requirements, regulatory demands and logistics strategy. The plant adapts, but the quality standard remains constant.
“We don’t use chemicals. We don’t refine. We don’t process with heat. All our customers know that, and it’s what sets us apart. If we can’t meet that, we’d rather not enter that market,” says Sigifredo Díaz Benavides, Colombia.
A key element in this expansion has been the ability to communicate the value proposition. The export team doesn’t just sell, it also educates. They explain the extraction method, the logic of the circular economy, the benefits of avocado as a superfood and the consumer’s role in choosing ethical processes.
This has made it possible to position the brand not only as an oil supplier, but as a benchmark in the circular economy of the avocado industry. The kosher certification, the cosmetics line, parallel developments with avocado seed and agreements with international institutes are part of this differentiation strategy based on operational principles.
People management as an operating system
Beyond the technical side, one of the fundamental pillars of the Avocados del Quindío Colombia model is its focus on organizational culture. In the words of Sigifredo Díaz Benavides Colombia, “it’s not just about training, but about building culture.” And this translates into concrete actions.
Every technical problem is treated as an opportunity for collective learning. Operators are invited to propose solutions, their ideas are tested, and when they work, they are formally implemented. In addition, individual contributions are publicly recognized, generating a sense of ownership that replaces traditional hierarchical control.
“If the person who washes the fruit understands that they are taking care of the health of a consumer on another continent, their work changes. It stops being a mechanical task and becomes a professional responsibility,” says Sigifredo Díaz Benavides, Avocados del Quindío.
This vision has been key to facing the shortage of technical talent. Instead of depending on staff with previous experience, the company invests in training from scratch, building skills and commitment at the same time.
This model makes it possible to solve two structural problems of emerging industries: high turnover and the lack of cultural standards. At Avocados del Quindío Colombia, team retention is high, and the culture of quality and innovation is sustained at all levels.
🔁 Keru Podcast is a podcast created by Globalita.io, where we talk with those who lead Latin American industry from the inside.
Is your operation ready to integrate sustainability, culture and scalability without sacrificing its essence?
Sigifredo Díaz Benavides was CEO of Avocados del Quindío in Colombia, an agro-industrial company that produces extra virgin avocado oil through cold pressing, without chemicals or refining. During his tenure, he led the company's production transformation and its internationalization to more than 12 countries, positioning it as a regional benchmark in sustainability and agri-food innovation. Since 2012, he has held the General Management of Avocados del Quindío, from where he not only strengthened the agro-industrial operation but also founded Logística y Mercados (wholesale trade) and Dracoprint Technology (industrial labeling), demonstrating vision to diversify and integrate sustainable value chains.
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