Despite different consumer purchase patterns, suppliers expect strong Cinco de Mayo demand
Avocados and mangoes are a couple of the top produce items for Cinco de Mayo, and suppliers expect demand to be strong despite different consumer patterns than previous years.
“With the vaccine being readily available and people learning how to get together responsibly, we feel that people will be ready to gather for Cinco de Mayo. It’s a fun holiday full of great food and family, and we believe that consumers are ready for a little fun both at retail and foodservice.”
Kevin Leap, senior avocado category manager for Eden Prairie, Minn.-based Robinson Fresh, shared a similar sentiment.
“Thinking back to 2020 Cinco de Mayo, it was a time during the pandemic when we saw less activity at the restaurant level, and people were enjoying food at home,” Leap said. “It was also a time when consumers were purchasing long-shelf-life produce such as potatoes, onions, etc. Fast-forward to this year, and more restaurants are opening back up, there is much stronger consumer trust in fresh food in the grocery store, and we believe consumers are looking for something to celebrate.
Related: Cinco de Mayo, other spring holidays, lift hass avocado sales
“In looking at another recent holiday centered around food, we saw good sales for the Big Game; even if people did gather in very small gatherings, they still seemed to have a desire to celebrate with food,” Leap said.
“With those celebrations, they consumed many of the same foods they traditionally have enjoyed. Based on this, we are anticipating that consumers will still enjoy these tropical items for Cinco de Mayo and other upcoming summer events.”
Denise Junqueiro, senior director of marketing and communications for Oxnard, Calif.-based Mission Produce, also noted that sales around Cinco de Mayo last year were strong even though many people were not gathering to the extent they did in previous years.
Related: Mission Produce enters the mango category
“Nearly 15% of U.S. households purchased avocados that week, higher than in 2019 at 14%, according to Numerator. Although it’s difficult to predict sales due to the ever-evolving pandemic, past holidays have shown to result in more, smaller celebrations, for which people will still be buying avocados.”
Jan DeLyser, vice president of marketing for the Irvine-based California Avocado Commission, also said demand is expected to be high around the holiday.
“Fourth of July was the strongest sales spike, followed by Memorial Day, then Cinco de Mayo and Labor Day. The forecast for California avocado shipments in 2021 follow a similar pattern to 2020, with spikes for the key late spring and summer shopping events, including Cinco de Mayo.”
Stephanie Bazan, vice president of trade and market development for Irving, Texas-based Avocados From Mexico, concurred.
“Though Americans may not have celebrated Cinco de Mayo in 2020 at restaurants, over 53 million pounds of avocados were imported into the U.S. in the week before the holiday,” Bazan said. “Since large gatherings couldn’t happen during COVID-19, we shifted our planned Cinco to a focus on making guacamole at home. The #HomemadeCinco (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn) digital campaign encouraged shoppers to dip into Cinco with homemade guacamole.
“It was our most successful digital Cinco de Mayo program ever, with our digital and social activations dominating the day across all channels,” Bazan said. “This year we expect demand to be strong in the three weeks leading up to Cinco.”
Joe Nava, vice president of sales and business development for Murrieta, Calif.-based West Pak Avocado, also reported that Cinco de Mayo was still an occasion for increased buying.
“Unlike the usual gatherings that traditionally happen for Cinco de Mayo, last year we found that smaller, family-only get-togethers were the trend, but much more of them,” Nava said.
“Everybody found a way to celebrate at home, even if it was just immediate family. With precautions still in place, we anticipate the trend continuing this year, with some gatherings starting to increase in size.”
Related: 2021 California avocado crop will be smaller but within average range
Ron Araiza, vice president of the foods division of Santa Paula, Calif.-based Calavo Growers, said the company expects to sell more guacamole this year.
“This convenience can be more important than ever for consumers who are coping with more responsibilities and less time during the pandemic, yet still want to celebrate the holiday,” Araiza said.
Mango sales also fared well around the holiday in 2020 despite the pandemic.
“Sales around Cinco in 2020 were huge,” said Luis Cintron, vice president of procurement for Doral, Fla.-based J&C Tropicals. “I would expect similar demand as people are still home.”
Kirk Marquardt, vice president of avocado sales for Coral Gables, Fla.-based Del Monte Fresh Produce, said the holiday in 2020 was a bit lackluster given the start of the pandemic but that expectations are high for this year.
“Big Game events created a demand for avocado that set records for overall volume shipped from the Michoacán area in over 10 years,” Marquardt said. “I believe Cinco de Mayo 2021 will mirror recent Big Game events and will be a huge volume success for the commodity.”
Several grower-shippers noted that health value of mangoes has been a key driver of the demand.
“People want access to food that is wholesome and tastes great,” said Chris Ciruli, chief operating officer of Rio Rico, Ariz.-based Ciruli Bros. “Mangoes are a great item because they provide options for people who are spending more time preparing meals at home, plus they are available year-round. We expect those numbers to climb in 2021 as demand for fresh mangoes continues to increase.”
Alex Arcos, chief marketing executive for Nogales, Ariz.-based Palenque Foods, also noted the growing interest in mangoes and in items with high nutritional value.
“We believe that due to the pandemic, consumers want to purchase nutritious, natural and healthier products more than ever,” Arcos said.
Related: Mangoes to have a strong spring season
“Expectations for this year is that consumption will follow its natural demand curve as it has done in past years. We expect the demand to increase right after the second week of March and reach its peak in the summer months of May, June and July.”
Michael Warren, president of Pompano Beach, Fla.-based Central American Produce, also noted the health value of mangoes as a driver of demand.
“The first (wave of the) pandemic hit pretty hard for about one month, which coincided with the Cinco de Mayo timing,” Warren said.
“Then after the initial shock, as people began to look for healthy foods, mango became very popular. The consumer identified with the high vitamin C content and a good supply of vitamins A and B6, folate and copper. There are 20 different vitamins and minerals — we are talking super fruit here!”
