Squeezing the Most Out of Avocados

The avocado craze has hit New York hard. A few years ago nobody had heard of avocado toast, and now the cafe down the street from my apartment serves five different types with your choice of sprouts, edamame, hot sauce, etc. You can’t walk into a Brooklyn grocery store without seeing several millennials crowding around the avocado display, carefully squeezing each piece of produce in search of that perfectly ripe avocado.

It doesn’t look like the avocado obsession is going anywhere; avocado year-over-year sales grew by double digits between 2012 and 2015. A 2015 study by the Hass Avocado Board determined close to 59 percent of all avocado consumers could be classified as “heavy/super” avocado users, meaning they purchase at least 120 avocados per year. This group makes up 91 percent of all avocado sales.

The study also found "heavy/super" avocado users tend to fall into some of the following categories: young; married/partnered; of a higher household income bracket; of a larger household size with children; better educated and employed full-time; of Hispanic origin.

With heavier avocado consumption also comes higher expectations. The Hass Avocado Board study found quality and ripeness were both strong drivers in a consumer’s decision to purchase an avocado. This doesn’t surprise me; I have found myself frustrated in the produce section of the grocery store on more than one occasion because all of the avocados were overripe or too underripe to lend themselves to that night’s guacamole. I’ve noticed a lot of grocery stores in my area have been making a point to have avocados of varying ripeness on hand. Avocado consumers are very particular and having options — either to purchase a soft avocado that’s ready to use that night or a harder one that can sit on the counter for a few days — could ensure all customers who enter the store in search of avocados make a purchase.