Maluma was discovered by Mr. A.G. (Dries) Joubert on his farm 'Maluma' in the Levubu region in northern South Africa in the early 1990s.

Maluma was noted by Joubert due to its proportionally larger fruit, precociousness and high yield compared to the regular 'Hass' trees in his commercially cultivated orchard.

Allesbeste Nursery then proceeded with semi-commercial field trials and found the fruit to be sufficiently unique and commercially viable as a new avocado cultivar.

[1] Allesbeste Nursery proceeded to formally name the cultivar Maluma after the farm where it was discovered and also applied and was granted a plant breeders' right in South Africa on 7 November 2004.

[5][6] Maluma was discovered as a chance seedling and because it did not originate from a breeding program, the parentage of the cultivar is unknown.