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nWHO CAN’T SEEM TO GET ENOUGH PREPARED GUAC?
According to experts,
the landscape’s changing.
Guacamole’s fan base is growing. In fact, the craving for the delicious, avoca- do-based spread, dip and condiment is expanding around the globe.
Ron Araiza, vice president, Calavo Foods Division in Santa Paula, CA, says guacamole no longer finds an almost exclusive audience among Hispanics. “I think the versatility of our products is opening up to many new demographics; it’s no longer just the United States or Mexico eating it. We’re seeing a global trend; volume continues to increase to Asian and European countries.”
In fact, rather than the volume of demand, “which we believe will continue at a double-digit annual increase, the problem’s going to be production,” says Araiza, noting the ability to continue to generate volume to sustain momentum.
Similarly, Nielsen Homescan says while once linked predominantly to the Mexican cuisine, the convergence of taste palates and food fusion has extended the customer base. “Hispanics still represent a higher-than-average share of buyers and dollar spend on guacamole, though that’s been significantly reduced in the past five years as guacamole continues to become more mainstream, says Matt Lally, asso- ciate director at Nielsen.
Also in terms of dollars, while Nielsen Homescan finds guacamole attracts a more affluent shopper, somewhat surprisingly, it states, it’s not the major coastal cities where spend exceeds average. Rather, Denver and Chicago own those honors, followed closely by San Francisco, Los Angeles and Salt Lake City.
Based on more than 60 million house- holds’ retail frequent shopper card data, IRI Shopper Loyalty reveals this category is skewing primarily much more based on income than any other demographic attribute. Households with an income of at least $125k spend 1.5 times more than the average household on fresh/ refrigerated guacamole. Households with multiple children and teenage children outspend the average by about 1.2 times on fresh guacamole. pb
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four years, says Jonna Parker, principal for the Fresh Center of Excellence at IRI, Chicago. “This is fueled by an increase in average number of items selling and improved sales velocity each year. More and more stores are stocking fresh guac consistently, and consumers continue to buy in increasing rates,” observes Parker.
IRI has seen the average weekly items carried in this space double from an average of 5.1 items per store per week in 2014 to 10 average weekly items in 2018.
WHAT’S THE ATTRACTION?
So, what’s the lure of prepared guaca- mole? Araiza says consumers are drawn to prepared guacamole because of factors such as year-round availability, its healthy attributes and great taste, not to mention it comes in packaging ideal for grab-and-go, which is important to groups such as Millennials.
Dionysios Christou, vice president of marketing, Del Monte Fresh Produce, Coral Gables, FL, notes increased avocado