As the Big Game approaches, produce experts at Meijer say avocados are the leading MVP candidate on grocery lists this year. The retailer reports that large avocados trended in December with a surprising sale surge doubling in 2021, and continue to be a top trend in the early months of this year with customers adding more than 1 million avocados per week to shopping carts across the Midwest.
While a surge is common for watching parties, with an estimated 48,000 metric tons of guacamole consumed annually on game day, according to FreshPlaza.com, confusion over how to open them or tell when they're ripe continue for many consumers.
Seeing an opportunity to innovate, the retailer's produce team recently took their avocado game to the next level. "When a customer buys avocados, they want to enjoy them within a few days, so our team is excited that our new approach is beginning to make a difference," said Kris Pedres, produce buyer for Meijer, in a statement. "We wanted to remove the guesswork and frustration and make sure any customer choosing an avocado can always find one consistent in quality, size, and taste.”
It was Pedres' idea that sparked his team to work with avocado suppliers to establish a pilot program that perfects the ripening process.
The retailer designed large ripening rooms at its distribution center in Lansing, Michigan, where it can regulate conditions so every avocado ripens consistently. That means each avocado delivered to Meijer stores at the earliest stage of ripeness has a better chance of reaching customers' kitchens just as they're ready for consumption.
Meijer’s quality control team members monitor progress in the controlled environments from the time the avocados arrive at the distribution center to the time they're loaded onto Meijer fleet trucks for delivery to stores participating in the pilot. Currently, they can manage the streamlined process for as many as 500,000 unripe avocados.
The other issue the new pilot program addresses is the size of the avocado and how it correlates to serving sizes for customers who are counting calories or making guacamole for a crowd. While other retailers typically carry smaller sizes or a random selection, Meijer offers two consistent options—small avocados that average 5- to 6-ounces for single servings, often useful for smoothie recipes, and large 10- to 11-ounce avocados that are a perfect for a big bowl of guacamole.
"In the spirit of continuing to offer solutions for our customers' everyday needs, we believe this pilot program is a first step in making avocados a healthy option for anyone who walks into one of our stores,” said Ron Lovelace, director of produce for Meijer, in a statement.
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