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GUACAMOLE
ON THE GROW!
Consistency, health halo keep consumers coming back for more.
BAY JOYCE REINGOLD
restaurant in Austin, TX, known for the clever messages on its roadside signs recently captured the national mood with this one: “It’s Guac O’Clock.”To that, the
makers of prepared guacamole products and the retailers who sell them might add just one word: “It’s Guac O’Clock. Everywhere.”
The total guacamole segment grew at a 28 percent dollar-growth rate, according to year-over-year IRI Data ending Jan. 28, 2018, and is showing no signs of slowing, manufac- turers and retailers say. “It’s only getting more popular. Shoppers can’t get enough,” says Keith Cox, produce category manager for the Abingdon, VA-based K-VA-T Food Stores, the parent company for the Food City chain.
Although packaged guacamole sales still spike around dip-centric occasions such as New Year, Super Bowl and Cinco de Mayo, Jessica Brown, director of marketing for Cabo Fresh in Los Angeles, says the IRI data indicates “consumers are purchasing packaged guacamole more consistently throughout the year.”
Industry experts trace the start of the prepared guacamole phenomenon to the advent of High Pressure Processing (HPP), the pasteurizing procedure through which packaged avocado products are subjected to ultra-high pressure rather than heat. HPP allows the fresh guacamole to retain its flavor and nutritional value, while eliminating the need for preservatives.
“I think the technology of the high-pres- sure system, which is really the cold pasteur- ization of our product, has really boosted consumption and is the reason for the tremendous growth,” says Ron Araiza, vice president of sales and production for the Calavo Growers foods division. The Santa Paula, CA-based company, which got its start in 1924, markets a range of guacamole and
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CALAVO, HOPE FOODS, CABO FRESH AND DEL MONTE FRESH
avocado-based products that is experiencing “double-digit growth in our category,” says Araiza. “Freshness sells.”
The number and variety of packaged products in the refrigerated cases of super- market produce sections checks a lot of boxes for shoppers. They’re a convenient path to a quality-consistent dip or spread that has many healthful properties. Araiza cites price variability and difficulty in assessing the ripeness of avocados as other factors that tilt guacamole lovers toward the prepared blends.
“All those things are not the same on the processed guacamole side,” he says. “You get the same degree of quality year-round. The shelf life for my product is close to 100 days, which helps, and my cost is much less vari- able to retailers. There’s no need for retailers to manage the ripening process, and season- ality is no longer an issue. All those things contribute to the popularity. Plus the great taste. And we all know the health benefits.”
Trade groups such as Avocados from
Mexico and the California Avocado Commis- sion have changed the narrative of the fruit — once misunderstood because of its fat content — by broadly promoting its multifac- eted nutritional benefits. “Avocados contribute unsaturated ‘good’ fats, and good fats can help the body absorb fat-soluble nutrients Vita- mins A, D, K and E,” Avocados from Mexico says on its consumer-facing website. They are also fiber-rich. According to the California Avocado Commission (CAO), “One-third of a medium California avocado (50 g) provides 11 percent of the recommended daily value for fiber.”
“We believe guacamole is so popular because of the plethora of health benefits that avocados have,” says Will Burger, marketing director for Hope Foods based in Louisville, CO. Hope’s guacamole line, which is organic, includes Green Chile and Spicy Green Chile flavors. “Avocados are celebrated as the ulti- mate healthy fat due to being loaded with monounsaturated fatty acids. While some
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