No matter the players on the field, guacamole remains the MVP of game day snacks with a reported 54 million avocados consumed on Super Bowl Sunday.
As the Big Game approaches, suppliers and retailers work to ensure avocados are in plentiful supply for the event. Suppliers like Avocados from Mexico and Yo Quiero, alongside retailers like Harps Food Store, ensure avocados and guacamole are on hand and ready for game day gatherings.
Super Bowl drives sales
The Super Bowl is the main event for avocado and guacamole sales, says Tara Murray, vice president of marketing for Fresh Innovations, the supplier for Yo Quiero Brands.
“More guacamole is consumed during the Super Bowl than any other occasion throughout the year," she said. "Because of this, and with consumers understanding the nutritional benefits of avocados, consumption during non-Super Bowl times continues to rise as well. And for Yo Quiero, we see a huge sales increase the week prior to Super Bowl as consumers are getting ready to celebrate the Big Game."
This year, sour cream dips have been added to Yo Quiero's Dip Destination, Murray said.
"Our lineup of dips include guacamole, salsa, queso, bean dips, elote and now smokehouse onion and creamy jalapeño dips,” she said.
Stephanie Bazan, senior vice president of commercial strategy and execution for Avocados From Mexico, says the marketing organization is responsible for approximately 95% of avocado sales in the U.S. during the weeks leading up to the Big Game.
"It's the largest occasion for avocado and guacamole consumption, with retailers experiencing an average 15% lift the week of the event compared to the prior week," she said. "About 250 million pounds of avocados are consumed during the four weeks leading up to game day in February.
“We also know our displays work hard to remind shoppers to add avocados to their baskets," Bazan added. "According to a recent study, when more avocados are merchandised on the produce floor in branded Avocados From Mexico displays, there's an average of a 25% increase in unit sales."
Retailers report an increased demand as well.
“It's a great time of year for avocado sales. I think the demand goes up in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl — along with all of the playoff games and get-togethers to watch them," said Mike Roberts, vice president of produce operations for Harps Food Stores Inc. "As an industry, we have contributed to this with bigger displays and ad promotions with help from organizations like Avocados From Mexico. Consumers respond because avocados are affordable, healthy and taste great. From the best I can calculate, we sell 8% to 10% of our avocado sales in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl.”
Consumer trends
Super Bowl Sunday drives unique avocado consumption trends, with suppliers and retailers adapting for evolving consumer preferences.
With the popularity of avocados, consumers are getting creative with how they use avocados, Murray says.
“Not only are consumers creating guacamole dishes with pineapple, mangoes and other delicious fruits, they are using avocados to top their sliders, pop [them] in their air fryers and even make a healthy avocado chocolate mousse," she said. "Avocados have endless possibilities, and consumers are enticed by their health benefits and work to incorporate them into their daily meals in a multitude of ways."
Murray says one consumer trend Yo Quiero has embraced is grab-and-go sizes for snacking.
"Yo Quiero is launching a line of 4-ounce grab-and-go items that include guacamole, salsa, bean dips and our new sour cream dips," she said. "They are perfect to have during Super Bowl season because they allow partygoers the opportunity to pick their own snacking adventure."
Guacamole is a staple for Big Game spreads, says Bazan, adding that internet searches for “guacamole recipes” peak during February every year, and the term “guacamole” is searched over 130,000 times.
“Because there is a demand for guacamole for the Big Game, we see that many of our retail accounts go all out and create guacamole destinations," she said. "It becomes a whole event for produce and/or the store, whereby other complementary items are leveraged such as tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, limes and even chips. Retailers know they can capitalize on baskets for the Big Game by offering one-stop destinations and easy solutions for the shopper."
“Traditionally, I think guacamole is still No. 1, but there are trendy new uses such as incorporating avocados into Super Bowl sliders, burgers or tacos, avocado fries or substituting avocados for cream in dips or dressings," Roberts said. "There's even the hosting of DIY guacamole bars at Super Bowl parties, where guests can mix their preferred guacamole ingredients. There are so many great uses for avocados.”
Consumer education
Empowering shoppers with ripening tips, recipes and pairing ideas helps suppliers and retailers maximize avocado sales.
“During the lead up to the Super Bowl, we highly promote the convenience of our products and easy recipes that make game day easy and fun," said Jay Alley, co-owner and vice president of sales for Yo Quiero Brands. "We use our social media channels to chat with our consumers about specific recipes and game day ideas to keep them out of the kitchen and in on the party. Our ‘homegating' theme focuses on ways consumers can use our dips to enhance their party and keep them from spending hours in the kitchen slicing and dicing. The Yo Quiero Dip Destination provides all the dips for any party, especially the big game."
Bazan says that 75% of consumers participate in Big Game festivities and that over 60% of them are making purchases within two days of the event, with many purchases happening on game day.
"Knowing that shoppers are shopping for guacamole for their viewing parties and hosting events so close in proximity to the event, it is important that retailers have a good availability of ripe avocados leading up to game day," Bazan said. "Offering bag avocados makes it very convenient for shoppers who need to bring fresh avocados to an event to make guacamole, as it requires multiples to make a good bowl of guac. Creating a one-stop guacamole destination in-store is the best way to encourage purchases and to drive basket ring."
“We generally have recipes for our customers both in-store and on-line to help them with ways to prepare avocados and how to select the perfect avocado," Roberts said. "We also use Apeel-treated avocados to have more perfectly ripe avocados on display so our consumers can pick up their avocados the day of or a couple of days before the big Game and have a perfectly ripe piece of fruit to prepare the day of the Super Bowl.”
Retail strategies for Super Bowl sales
Innovative merchandising, cross-promotions and strategic partnerships all aid retailers in capitalizing on the increased avocado demand during the Super Bowl season.
“Since consumers are looking for avocados and guacamole during Super Bowl season, we promote our Yo Quiero products on social media as well as retail media networks,” Alley said.
“We focus on recipes and the convenience of our products and how they allow consumers to spend more time watching the Big Game, [rather than] prepping for it," he continued. "We also provide our retail partners with amazing trade programs that allow them to line-price our products, which helps promote our salsas, quesos, bean dips and brand-new sour cream dips. Yo Quiero's Dip Destination is a one-stop shop for retailers and consumers to get their top-quality dips."
Alley says retail partners, “do an amazing job" celebrating the Super Bowl with themed events in stores.
"They take the opportunity to cross-merchandise and create displays of game day essentials like dips, chips, beverages, [barbecue] items and even paper goods," he said. "Retailers have seen that when they create a football destination in-store, it drives excitement and sales.”
To capitalize on the increased demand for avocados during the Super Bowl, Bazan says Avocados From Mexico is teaming up with legendary NFL tight end, broadcaster and four-time Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski to help shoppers get ready for their Big Game parties.
“As part of our national shopper marketing campaign, in-store displays will feature Gronkowski getting ready for game day with his favorite ‘Gronkamole' recipe featuring buffalo sauce," Bazan said. "Life-sized standees, branded packaging and promotional displays with the guac-loving Buffalo, N.Y., native will show consumers that no matter their guac style, it's 'Always a Good Bowl' with Gronk."
At Harps Food Stores, Roberts says it's important to promote all sizes and packaging sizes of avocados to give consumers a variety of choices.
“Offering a 70ct along with a 32ct and an 84ct bagged option along with guacamole mix, pre-made guacamole from Yo Quiero and not forgetting the staple items that go with avocados — like roma tomatoes, white onions and cilantro — really lifts the whole department.”
Roberts notes the importance of collaborations with suppliers on themed marketing efforts.
“Using your supplier to help you get the most out of your avocado sales is crucial," he said. "We rely on our supplier, Westfalia; our marketing experts from Avocados From Mexico; and our food waste experts at Apeel to help us have a great Super Bowl avocado promotion and give our consumers the best fruit at the best price we can. It's a team effort, and we win every year with these partners.”
