With US sales and household penetration up last year, the outlook is bright for 2025, says Mission Produce
Mission Produce has released its latest issue of AvoIntel, setting out five key trends to follow in the US avocado and mango categories in 2025.
“Avocados and mangoes are charging into 2025 with strong momentum,” the company said. “From record dollar sales to increasingly household penetration and shifting shopper behaviours, these categories are full of opportunity.”
According to data from Circana, total US avocado sales reached US$3.5bn in 2024, an incremental increase of US$546mn, while mango sales totalled US$455mn, an incremental increase of US$26mn.
The figures show that US household penetration of avocados hit the highest rate since Covid, with 70 per cent purchasing the fruit, a 1.1 per cent increase on 2023. “That said, significant opportunity still exists to build demand for avocados in under-indexed regions of the US, like the Midwest and South,” Mission said.
Mangoes, meanwhile, are now purchased by 36 per cent of US households. However, nearly half of those households only purchased them once, suggesting there is plenty of scope to target new consumers to the category and encourage repeat purchases.
Another key trend highlighted by Mission is that consumers are increasingly looking for value packs. In 2024, club and mass stores captured 17 per cent of avocado spend and 18 per cent of mango spend.
“As consumers continue to keep an eye on price, value packs are an affordable way to keep healthy, nutrient-dense items like avocados and mangoes in the basket,” Mission noted, adding that bags are another great way for traditional grocers to capture heavy avocado and mango consumers.
AvoIntel also predicts that the healthy eating trend will translate into more avocado and mango sales in 2025. Last year, total produce sales grew 3.8 per cent in volume, a significant jump compared to recent years.
Mission noted that leaning into health messaging and promotions can be an effective tactic to keep healthy fruits like avocados and mangoes top of mind for meal planning.
Finally, the company predicts that Gen Z will be a key driver of avocado growth going forward. Nearly half of Gen Z households are purchasing avocados, and heavy Gen Zers in particular are already a valuable segment to the category. As this cohort grows, they are estimated to be worth US$260mn more in annual avocado sales.]
“With opportunities to drive household penetration, encourage repeat purchases and capitalise on key sales periods like the Big Game in February, avocados and mangoes are primed for success in 2025. Let’s keep the momentum going!,” Mission concluded.
