Avocados have become a big part of celebrations which take place early in the year. Although the Superbowl is obviously an event which begs for dip made from avocados, Cinco de Mayo trumps that in terms of product consumed. To kick off the spring to early fall season, the California Avocado Commission (CAC) is celebrating Cinco de Mayo with several promotions.
The volume of avocados California growers will produce is estimated at 400 million pounds, and Cinco de Mayo takes a giant bite out of that volume. Estimates put the figure of avocados consumed during the May celebration at 81 million pounds. It's this level of consumption, notes Jan DeLyser, vice president of marketing for CAC, that spurred the Commission's marketing efforts.
“California avocado season is ramping up, and we expect there to be a good supply of California avocados with outstanding quality in support of the Cinco de Mayo demand,” she says.
Promotions include having celebrity chefs as spokespeople for CAC's Cinco de Mayo marketing efforts. Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger have been on Bravo's Top Chef Masters, and they star on Food Network's Too Hot Tamales. They will participate in media interviews and be featured in broadcast news release to encourage avocado consumption for Cinco de Mayo.
CAC will also focus on promotions that extend beyond the May holiday.
“Mother's Day comes right on the heels of Cinco de Mayo,” says DeLyser, “so we're also encouraging retailers to merchandise both ripe and breaking avocados to capitalize on demand for multiple occasions.”