In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, Avocados From Peru and Grocery Outlet marked the start of the 2025 Peruvian avocado season with the first-ever Guac Off Challenge at SeaWorld San Diego.
The event, which celebrated the early arrival of Peruvian avocados to the U.S. market, was co-located with Southern California Latino music festival Viva la Música and the So-Cal Taco Festival.
“The Guac Off Challenge was held at SeaWorld in San Diego for the first time in the venue’s 60-year history, and it was very well attended,” said Xavier Equihua, president and CEO of Avocados From Peru. “Held in conjunction with Viva la Música and the So-Cal Taco Festival, the event was also an important way to highlight avocados as part of the cultural celebration that is the Cinco de Mayo holiday.”
The Guac Off featured three amateur chefs competing for the Silver Avocado Trophy, selected from hundreds of entries submitted by avocado fans across Southern California, Equihua said. The final cook-off was judged by a panel that included “Good Morning San Diego” host Paul Rudy, KUSI-TV meteorologist Mark Mathis, Grocery Outlet operator Ruben Aguilar and Equihua.
The winner of the 2025 Guac Off was San Diego local Briana Morales, who took home the trophy with a standout recipe featuring fresh Peruvian avocados. Festivalgoers also participated in tastings, contests and culinary demonstrations that celebrated the flavor, versatility and health benefits of hass avocados from Peru.
“Launching our season during Viva la Música, one of the most vibrant cultural festivals in Southern California, allows us to connect with consumers in a truly meaningful way,” Equihua said. “This Guac Off is a perfect example of our unique approach — combining traditional retail with digital media and live experiences to make Peruvian avocados part of the cultural conversation.”
Grocery Outlet co-sponsored the campaign with both in-store promotions and digital amplification to extend the reach of the Cinco de Mayo celebration.
“Cinco de Mayo is a key cultural moment for our customers, and this event gave us the opportunity to celebrate in-store and on-site alongside Avocados From Peru,” Grocery Outlet’s Wendi Rothchild said in a news release. “It’s exciting to partner on campaigns that not only engage our shoppers but also spotlight quality, seasonal products like Peruvian avocados.”
Equihua says the Guac Off is part of Avocados From Peru’s broader seasonal strategy, which blends traditional and new media, digital content, experiential marketing and a wide range of retail promotions to deliver high-impact, turnkey campaigns for retail and foodservice partners.
Avocados From Peru says it plans to continue the momentum throughout the Peruvian avocado season through a combination of “classic tactics” and a number of social media contests.
“The social media contests we held last year were hugely successful,” said Equihua, adding that supermarket-specific social media campaigns around avocados are relatively unique.
Avocados From Peru says it will time some of its social media contests to align with National Avocado Day, Sept. 16, 2025. Another campaign is planned with the San Diego Food Bank, during which Avocados From Peru says it will donate a container filled with 100,000 avocados.
“We’re the only ones that do these types of donations, which are especially important now given the challenging times faced by food banks,” Equihua said.
