With Mexican and more Mediterranean food styles becoming more popular, ingredients like avocados have followed suit. From Chile to Spain, Peru and South Africa, a continued supply of the fruit makes its way into the UK and this year the takings are up.
Seasonal figures
Sales are up by 2.2 per cent in value in UK retailers to £47.2 million, according to Kantar Worldpanel, which is positive news for an exotic product, but the volume figure is more disappointing. For the 52 weeks ending 18 March 2012, 12.9m kgs of avocados were sold in the UK retailers, which was a 2.5 per cent decline year on year. On the plus side, there are also strong volumes sold on wholesale markets and therefore into foodservice and other retail markets throughout the UK.
Avocados were infamous on the restaurant scene in the 1970s, but just lately further Mediterranean and South American - particularly Mexican - influences have been evident, with chefs such as Thomasina Miers, who heads up the Chilean Hass avocado campaign, leading the way with her chain of Mexican-influence restaurants, Wahaca. Avocado-based prepared dips and products are also now firmly on the shelves, as are cook-by-numbers meal solutions including tacos and the like.
The first South African avocados are now arriving on UK shores, with the season due to peak in June and July. The 2012 South African export crop estimate stands at 12 million 4kg cartons (48,000 tonnes), of which 45 per cent will be greenskin and 55 per cent Hass. This is significantly up on the 2011 export crop, which came to 6.7m cartons as a result of severe widespread hail in late 2010.
First shipments from Peru are due in May, however larger volumes aren’t expected until June.
“Europe remains an important market for Peru, hence we will be investing $1m in promotional activities in Germany, France and the UK,” says Arturo Medina Castro, general manager of ProHass. “There have been no quality issues.”
The Peruvian avocado industry expects to export 2,407 containers to Europe and approximately 21,120 kilos in total worldwide. The 2011 crops saw a production of 69,300t, of which 5,238 went to the UK.
Chilean Hass avocados, grown in orchards stretching from La Serena, 500km north of Santiago, to Peumo, started coming over in November and are nearing the end of the harvest.
“At this side we are finishing the season; we’ll export avocados for a few extra weeks,” says Adolfo Ochagavía, president of the Chilean Hass Avocado Association (CHAA). “Finally the total shipments to the UK were 4,651t and the total exports to the world will be around 115,000t.”
The Avocado manifesto
In South Africa, the Summer Avocados campaign is issuing a rallying cry to the retail industry this summer, with the launch of the trade’s first-ever “Avocado Manifesto”.
Subtitled “Give UK Consumers What They Want and Sell More Avocados”, the Avocado Manifesto will be released to the entire UK avocado trade this summer, from importers and pre-packers to category buyers and even store managers.
The manifesto’s stirring content will aim to drum up support for the category and ultimately, sell greater volumes of fruit by ensuring that avocados are handled and merchandised correctly before they get into the hands of consumers.
The idea was borne out of a comprehensive set of consumer research conducted during last summer’s South African avocado season.
The research focused on delivering practical recommendations that could have a positive effect on avocado consumption, starting from the premise that per capita consumption levels among existing avocado users were relatively low in the UK, especially when compared to similar markets around Europe.
“The Avocado Manifesto is not about preaching - it’s about taking practical steps to improve performance in avocados,” says Rob Metcalfe, managing director of Richmond Towers Communications, which runs the campaign. “We want to challenge some of the common perceptions the trade has about consumer attitudes towards avocados, and ensure that as an industry we are pulling together to tackle some of these barriers to market growth. Our aim is to really ensure we put avocados firmly back on the retail map.”
Over in Peru, ProHass will be running promotional campaigns in the UK, France and Germany.
“We will be promoting Peru as the first choice of high-quality avocados during the European summer,” says Medina Castro.
“The campaign will target consumer and trade audiences and highlight the benefits of Hass.
“We are working with importers and retailers to develop bespoke promotional packages for selected retail chains - with the dual objective of highlighting the advantages of sourcing avocados from Peru and driving sales at the point of sale,” he adds.
“With a low annual retail penetration for avocados (just 25 per cent in the UK), this is a category with huge potential for growth.” -
No comments yet