Judging from numbers from Nielsen Co. LLC, consumers in the western part of the U.S. are particularly fond of California avocados.
According to a Nielsen survey of consumers in the West who purchased avocados from April to early September 2018, California avocados had the highest favorability rating — 94% — compared to avocados from other origins.
And 2017 data from IRI/Freshlook found that sales per store of conventional avocados are higher when and where California avocados are widely available, the Irvine-based California Avocado Commission reported.
An analysis showed that conventional avocado sales per store in California when California avocados were available are significantly higher than those from outside of California, the commission said.
During California avocado season in 2017, the latest full year for which data was available, units per store outside of California were 8,484 compared to 17,362 in California.
During the same period, dollars per store were $11,125 compared to $24,208 in California.
Those figures indicate that when California avocados are available in the market, dollar sales per store are significantly higher than when they are not, the commission said.
Data from the previous four years showed similar ratios.
Data also showed that:
- Avocados rank No. 6 in dollars among all conventional fresh fruit categories;
- Retail sales surpassed $2.2 billion in 2017; and
- For some retailers in the West, avocados rank No. 1 or No. 2.
In 2017, 63% of retail stores carried organic avocados, up 19 points compared to 2013, and sales topped $115 million.
