Multimillion-dollar investment for Europe's first avocado restaurant

Just six months after the launch in Amsterdam, restaurant The Avocado Show receives a multimillion-dollar investment to expand globally and launch a collection of avocado-themed gifts and products. Orange Wings, an investment company founded by leading avocado lady Shawn Harris and her business partner Adrielle Dankier, is the driving force behind this financial boost.

Ron Simpson, co-founder and creative mastermind behind The Avocado Show: “It reads like a fairy-tale: Two avocado-obsessed friends wanted to open their own place in Amsterdam; a month later they randomly ran into the biggest avocado importer of the world. The serendipitous rendezvous quickly turned into a partnership that led to this incredible investment. Now our own place' will expand across the globe.” The term ‘Holy Guacamole' has never been more fitting.

March 2017, The Avocado Show opened in Amsterdam as Europe’s first avocado restaurant, hitting media coverage in 60+ countries and 50.000+ fans on social media in a matter of weeks. Avocado lovers have been lining up outside the restaurant ever since. If it’s up to founders Ron Simpson and Julien Zaal, it’s a phenomenon coming to leading capitals worldwide. “Before we even opened, we received over 80 requests from entrepreneurs who wanted to start a franchise venue. Today, it’s 250. From all over the world”, Zaal explains.

The first new licenced venue of The Avocado Show is scheduled to open in Europe shortly. The founders are already negotiating with entrepreneurs in various European capitals, and have been approached by operators in North America, Asia, Australia and The Middle East. In addition to the international expansion, The Avocado Show will launch a collection of avocado products in 2018. Besides the usual merchandising like T-shirts, caps, umbrellas, avocado tools and to-go cups, The Avocado Show will sell avocado oil, avocado butter, cosmetics and other avo-goodies.

The Dame of Avocados Shawn Harris
The massive investment in The Avocado Show comes from a partnership with leading avocado lady Shawn Harris. "We grew from a regular customer-supplier relationship to true partners. And, from the point of view of her investment company Orange Wings, Shawn saw the potential of The Avocado Show." Before the opening of the popular avocado bar, the founders already teamed up with the ‘female Bill Gates of the avocado industry’, as Simpson jokingly describes Harris. Harris is the founder and former owner of Nature's Pride and has, therefore, been responsible for sustainable import and export of exotic fruit since 2005. Every picture-perfect avocado at The Avocado Show is environmentally friendly and socially responsible produced by Nature’s Pride.