Game time is fast approaching for avocados

For many Americans, fall means sports — which of course, also means game-time snacking. This is where avocados can play an important role.

“The strongest promotion opportunity in the fall is at the beginning of football season. Last year 57% of football fans bought avocados and spent nearly $19 on avocados during the 2021-2022 season,” said Brooke Becker, senior director of North American retail for the Oxnard, Calif.-based Mission Produce, citing Numerator Insights.

Peter Shore, vice president business development and marketing for Calavo in Santa Paula, Calif., agrees. “There are great opportunities for fall sports. Of course, football is always perfect for avocados and guacamole, but this year is special with the World Cup beginning in November,” he said of the soccer games set to kick off Nov. 21.

“Offer consumers fruit in bags with bulk displays throughout store and take advantage of cross- merchandising opportunities with guacamole ingredients and other avocado-related pairings,” he suggested.

Cross-merchandising avocados and avocado-based dips with other products for an eye-catching, game-day display can be as simple or as elaborate as you want, says Jay Alley, owner and vice president of sales for Fresh Innovations in Rhome, Texas.

“Merchandising tips could be as easy as a display of store-packaged chips and store-cut veggies in the produce or deli sections, or a well-designed display in a cold case in front of the store with ground meat, chicken wings, etc., that would become a one-stop, football party shop for consumers,” he said.

The California Avocado Commission offers a variety of creative plays for scoring avocado sales during the fall sports season.

Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics.
(Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)

“Tailgating is a perfect opportunity for themed avocado displays,” said Jan DeLyser, vice president of marketing for the California Avocado Commission. “Avocados already are strongly associated with the [Super Bowl], and fall tailgating gets the party going sooner.

“There’s opportunity to pump up avocado volume for other autumn holidays, such as Halloween and Thanksgiving, too,” she continued. “Pumpkins and cranberries are wonderful. How about signage suggesting serving guacamole in a hollowed-out pumpkin, or trying a cranberry avocado salsa?”

Consumers dip into cravings

For Fresh Innovations and its ¡Yo Quiero! brand of guacamole, salsa and other dips, fall is one of the busiest seasons, said Alley.

“Our wide range of premium dip products create the ultimate dip destination for any retailer. We provide trade promotions on our items so retailers can create a one-stop-shop for consumers looking for the dips they love,” Alley said.

The ¡Yo Quiero! lineup includes guacamole, salsa, queso, elote (Mexican-style street corn), escabeche (pickled vegetables) and new avocado cream cheese dips.

And while ¡Yo Quiero! guacamole minis fit nicely in back-to-school promotions and lunchboxes, football season is where the guacamole-buying action is at for the brand each fall.

“Our marketing efforts go up exponentially in the fall with football season and our relationship with the Dallas Cowboys,” said Tara Murray, vice president of marketing for ¡Yo Quiero!.

The company offers special packaging to retailers and in-store promotions that tie in with the Cowboys as well as recipes, giveaways and digital savings for consumers, Murray explained.

“For those retailers outside of our Dallas Cowboys promotional area, we offer great deals on all our products and focus on providing football party ideas to consumers via a micro-site which features recipes, party ideas and giveaways,” she added.

The News in Charts is a collection of stories from the industry complemented by charts from Agronometrics to help better tell their story.

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