Calavo Growers, Inc. CVGW

Competitive advantage analysis · consumer-defensive

Corporate Default
Overall moat score
60/100
Moderate

Ranked against 13 peers in Food Distribution

About Calavo Growers, Inc.

Calavo Growers, Inc. engages in the sourcing, packing, and distribution of fresh avocados, tomatoes, and papayas, as well as the processing of guacamole and other avocado products for retail grocers, club and mass-merchandise stores, foodservice operators, and wholesalers worldwide. It operates through Fresh and Prepared segments. The company provides avocados, tomatoes, and papayas, along with guacamole and avocado pulp. It … Full CVGW analysis →

Key strengths

  • Cash Generation Consistent Cash generation is consistent (score 0.83), indicating reliable business model.
  • Operating Leverage in Effect Operating leverage is evident (score 0.83), with margins expanding over time.

Key risks

  • Commodity Pressure / Weak Differentiation Gross margin at 16.7th percentile with high volatility suggests weak pricing power or commoditized products.
  • Scale Without Profitability Despite scale, profitability lags peers (score 0.38), suggesting limited competitive advantage.

The dashed ring is the peer median. Defense scores are percentile ranks against peers, so 50 is roughly the typical company in this group.

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Pricing Power

Developing
37
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Signals, strengths and risks for Pricing Power

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Signals, strengths and risks for Cost Advantage

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Signals, strengths and risks for Customer Stickiness

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Signals, strengths and risks for Capital Efficiency

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Signals, strengths and risks for Resilience

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Signals, strengths and risks for Scale & Market Position

Where CVGW ranks in Food Distribution

Calavo Growers, Inc. ranks #4 of 14 scored companies in Food Distribution by moat score — the top 29%. The widest moat in the group is G. Willi-Food International, L (WILC) at 75/100.

# Company Moat score Rating
1 G. Willi-Food International, L WILC 75/100 Moderate
2 Sysco Corporation SYY 67/100 Moderate
3 US Foods Holding Corp. USFD 66/100 Moderate
4 Calavo Growers, Inc. CVGW 60/100 Moderate
5 Performance Food Group Company PFGC 58/100 Moderate
6 The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. CHEF 57/100 Moderate
7 Mission Produce, Inc. AVO 55/100 Moderate
8 The Andersons, Inc. ANDE 53/100 Moderate
9 United Natural Foods, Inc. UNFI 45/100 Developing

See every General Corporate company ranked by moat score →

How CVGW scores on the Corporate Default defenses

Pricing Power

Score 37 · 20% of the moat score

Pricing power is the ability to raise prices without losing volume.

Cost Advantage

Score 67 · 15% of the moat score

A cost advantage means delivering the same product for structurally less — better purchasing, denser distribution, a more automated process.

Customer Stickiness

Score 62 · 15% of the moat score

Stickiness is what makes revenue repeat without being re-won every year.

Capital Efficiency

Score 60 · 18% of the moat score

Capital efficiency asks what the company earns on the money tied up in the business.

Resilience

Score 92 · 17% of the moat score

Resilience is the capacity to get through a bad year on its own terms — enough liquidity, enough interest cover, and enough cash generation to avoid a rescue financing or a forced sale.

Scale & Market Position

Score 66 · 15% of the moat score

Scale matters only when it converts into economics.

How each Corporate Default defense is measured, in full →

Understanding CVGW's moat

What is Calavo Growers, Inc.'s moat score?

Calavo Growers, Inc. (CVGW) scores 60 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as moderate. It ranks #4 of 14 scored companies in Food Distribution, the top 29%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 13 companies in Food Distribution. Its strongest defense is Resilience (92/100) and its weakest is Pricing Power (37/100).

How does Calavo Growers, Inc. compare with other Food Distribution companies?

Calavo Growers, Inc. ranks #4 of 14 scored companies in Food Distribution by moat score. The widest moat in Food Distribution is G. Willi-Food International, L (WILC) at 75/100. The companies ranked closest are US Foods Holding Corp. (USFD) at 66 just above it and Performance Food Group Company (PFGC) at 58 just below it.

How is the moat score calculated?

Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — Corporate Default in this case, chosen because the defenses that matter to a bank are not the ones that matter to a software company. Every defense combines several financial signals, and each signal is measured as a percentile against a peer group of 13 companies in Food Distribution. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.

Why is Calavo Growers, Inc. scored with the Corporate Default template?

Most public companies sell a product or a service at a margin, so the moat question is whether that margin survives contact with competitors. The Corporate template scores the six defenses that show up in a general operating company's financial signature: whether it can hold price, produce more cheaply than rivals, keep its customers, earn a return above its cost of capital, withstand a downturn, and turn size into economics.

Which competitive defenses are measured for Calavo Growers, Inc.?

The Corporate Default template measures 6 defenses, and CVGW scores: Pricing Power (37), Cost Advantage (67), Customer Stickiness (62), Capital Efficiency (60), Resilience (92), Scale & Market Position (66). Each is scored independently as a percentile against peers, so a company can be strong on one and weak on another — the overall score reflects how those defenses are weighted for this industry.

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