Fort Belvoir display (Photo courtesy Military Produce Group)
All regions purchase more avocados the week leading up to Cinco de Mayo than the previous week, according to Avocados From Mexico.
For 2019, the areas that saw the most significant week-over-week volume increases included the Northeast (up 33.7%), the Midwest (up 28.8%), the West (up 18.4%) and the South (15.9%), AFM said, citing Nielsen data.
Stephanie Bazan, vice president of trade and market development for AFM, described Cinco de Mayo as a peak consumption period for avocados in the U.S.
“According to Nielsen, in 2019, U.S. consumers purchased 22% more avocados during the week of Cinco than the prior week and bought 5% more the week after Cinco de Mayo,” Bazan said.
Patrick Cortes, senior director of business development for Mission Produce, noted some of the same trends.
“I think the Midwest, the Northeast, the Southeast ... you see a lot of push there,” Cortes said. “Surprisingly, in higher developed avocados markets such as Southern California and Texas and especially South Texas, you don’t see that much of an increase — but then again they’re so highly developed already that their consumption rate is already very high to begin with.”
Gina Garven, vice president of commercial development and analytics for Robinson Fresh, contributed some additional detail.
“Major cities in the southern U.S. have been the most active in buying avocados around this holiday,” Garven said. “Specifically, based on total pounds share in 2019, Los Angeles had the greatest share of purchase at 15.6%, Houston was in second at 7.7%, Dallas/Fort Worth was in third at 7.5% and Phoenix/Tucson not too far behind at 6.9%.
“All retailers this time of year should stock up on avocados, but it’s especially important for those in the southeastern U.S. to ensure they are appropriately stocked up for the holiday,” Garven said.
Jan DeLyser, vice president of marketing for the California Avocado Commission, also commented on the growth of avocado sales around Cinco de Mayo in the Southeast. The region has the highest dollar growth year-over-year (17%) and in the past three years (112%). Volume sales around Cinco have also grown 56% in the past three years, DeLyser said.
She noted that while other regions have higher growth rates, the West is still an area of strength, with 17% of dollar sales and 18% of volume sales for Cinco de Mayo in 2019.
Related
Suppliers expect solid avocado volume ahead of Cinco de Mayo
VIDEO — Cinco de Mayo Display Inspiration
Cinco de Mayo on ‘Taco Tuesday’ means merchandising opportunities galore