There is a steady supply of avocados from Mexico at the moment. “We’re seeing plenty of good quality fruit out of Mexico which is great for this time of year when demand for the Big Game typically starts to climb,” says Brooke Becker, vice president of sales for Mission Produce. Inc.
Becker says the Mexican crop is currently high in dry matter, meaning the fruit has a higher oil content. That level of oil content is associated with the creamy, buttery texture that consumers often prefer in avocados. “It also means we can more easily ripen avocados to stage 4, which is perfect for slicing and dicing, and stage 5, which is ideal for mashing and smashing,” says Becker. “We are committed to getting the ripeness right, which is key in driving incremental purchases and promoting a positive consumer experience.”
This is of course the time of year when preparations are underway for the Super Bowl--an event considered one of the most significant avocado consumption days. “Avocado demand is strengthening across the U.S., as is typical after the holidays with a renewed focus on health in light of New Year’s resolutions. On average, avocado sales lift by 20 percent in January according to Circana’s multi-outlet channel data from 2019 to 2022 2019-2022,” says Becker.
Shopping dynamics
Indeed, over half of avocado purchases are made only a day or two before the Big Game. Last year, 21 million U.S. households spent $52 million on avocados the week before the game, according to Circana’s multi-outlet channel data from Feb. 6-12, 2023.
As for bagged versus bulk, Becker says retailers can move on avocado opportunities this year by promoting bagged fruit the week of January 28th and bulk avocados the week of February 4th to manage shoppers looking to buy ahead and last-minute avocado buyers. “We are supplying fruit of all sizes to cover shoppers looking for large avocados to make party-sized dishes such as guacamole as well as mini avocados for small sandwiches and sides,” says Becker.
As for pricing, the market has recently started to balance in both size and price.
For more information:
Jenna Aguilera
Mission Produce, Inc.
[email protected]
www.missionproduce.com