AFP celebrates National Avocado Day with guac challenges, donations

Avocados from Peru held two recent events in San Diego and Chicago that raised awareness of avocados while also benefiting the less fortunate. The events featured guacamole challenges and were in celebration of National Avocado Day.

According to Xavier Equihua, president and CEO of the Peruvian Avocado Commission, these events were a continuation of a tradition started in 2017 by AFP of providing healthy avocados for similar challenges in many of the top U.S. cities.

In the first activation, AFP teamed with the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank and grocery distributor Grocery Outlet Bargain Market for the second annual Guac-Off Challenge, a friendly competition established in 2023 that celebrates Avocados from Peru and its donations to the San Diego Food Bank while also raising awareness of the food bank’s mission.

This year’s Guac-Off Challenge, held July 31 on National Avocado Day, featured seven teams from local radio and TV stations, including Magic 92.5, 91X, Z90, 100.7 Big FM, FOX 5 San Diego, and KUSI, who competed at the food bank’s Miramar warehouse. Each team prepared their best guacamole for a chance to win the Silver Avocado trophy. Kacey McKinnon and Brandon Stone of KUSI were announced as the 2024 Guac-Off Challenge Champions.

To support this event, Avocados from Peru provided a generous donation of 100,000 avocados, which were delivered by Grocery Outlet in a custom wrapped semi-truck featuring the logos of the Three Amigos: Grocery Outlet, Avocados from Peru and San Diego Food Bank.

"Avocados from Peru is proud to contribute 100,000 avocados to the San Diego Food Bank's efforts to address food insecurity in San Diego County and provide nutritious food like our avocados to local families," said  Equihua. “And it was especially gratifying to have the ‘Three Amigos’ join together to donate the largest-ever number of avocados to food banks.”

For the San Diego Food Bank, which acts as San Diego County’s regional food safety-net and serves 400,000 people on average each month, the donation was a welcome windfall.
 
“The San Diego Food Bank is grateful to Avocados from Peru for their continued support,” said Casey Castillo, CEO of the San Diego Food Bank. “Their generous donation of avocados will significantly boost our efforts to continuously provide the nutrient-rich fresh produce helping the families we serve fill nutritional gaps they may be experiencing.”

WGN-TV Avocados From Peru Spotlight Chicago Interview (8.7.24) from Nick Scafiezzo on Vimeo.

The avocados will be distributed through the Food Bank’s direct food distributions and as well as its network of more than 500 nonprofit partners countywide.

In the second activation, AFP teamed with Chicago Fire Football Club and Mariano’s to host the first Guacamole Challenge, which was held at the Greater Chicago Food Depository and pitted five teams of Chicago Fire first team players and local media members against each other to make the tastiest, most unique guacamole.

As part of the Guacamole Challenge, AFP donated 100,000 avocados to the GCFD to support local food banks and shelters.

“We are especially pleased to work with such esteemed partners like Mariano’s and the Chicago Fire FC for this one-of-a-kind promotion,” said Equihua. “Not only was it a fun and exciting event, it was perfectly in line with our mission to ‘Fight Hunger with Nutrition’.”

Emerging as winners of the Aug. 7 competition were Chicago Fire defender Justin Reynolds and Fox 32 Good Day Chicago co-anchor Natalie Bomke, who bested four other pairs that included Fire Goalkeeper Chris Brady and WGN Morning News “Around Town” Reporter Ana Belaval; Defender Chase Gasper and 94.7 WLS-AM Radio Host Cara Carriveau; Defender Jonathan Dean and On Tap Sports Soccer Reporter Joe Chatz; and Midfielder Fabian Herbers with award-winning media personality Candace Jordan.

As a larger part of the program, designed to include fans of all three participating partners, the #AvoFire Ultimate Soccer Sweepstakes was launched and is currently under way, inviting consumers with the chance to win an array of prizes such as Chicago Fire VIP experiences, a Mariano’s shopping spree, and the highlight of the sweepstakes — the AVO Fire Co-branded 2024 Tesla Model Y, wrapped in Fire-themed decals featuring the logos of Avocados from Peru, Mariano’s and the Chicago Fire.

Fans can enter the #AvoFire Ultimate Soccer Sweepstakes by registering at chicagofirefc.com/avocados or at their local Mariano’s market via a QR code that will appear on the AVO Fire co-branded vehicle as it moves throughout Chicago. The code is also available on the Chicago Fire, Mariano’s and Avocados from Peru Instagram channels.
 
The #AvoFire Ultimate Soccer Sweepstakes will run until Sept. 16, which marks National Guacamole Day. Three semifinalists will be chosen at random with the winner of the #AvoFire Ultimate Soccer Sweepstakes being determined by halftime competition during the club’s match against Toronto FC on Sept. 28.

Top photo: At the July 31 Guac-Off Challenge in San Diego were Casey Castillo of Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, Kacey McKinnon and Brandon Stone of KUSI, Ross Fredericksen of Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Xavier Equihua of the Peruvian Avocado Commission, and Suleika and Ruben Aguilar of Grocery Outlet in Point Loma, CA.