With a projected volume of 375 million pounds, making it the largest crop estimate since 2020, the 2025 California avocado crop is ripe with promotional opportunities.“The new ads emphasize the ‘California difference’ with a focus on points of differentiation -- locally grown, ethically sourced and sustainably farmed -- and include calls-to-action for consumers to take advantage of the special season when California avocados are available,” Splane said.
CAC’s consumer advertising campaign is set to launch in early April and will continue through the peak availability period, wrapping up in early September. The Commission will be coordinating customized promotions with retail and foodservice partners to support the larger crop.
With the increased volume, California avocados will undoubtedly be marketed in a wider geographic area, but CAC will continue to prioritize marketing activities in its core west coast markets, according to the CAC executive. “However, with the larger California avocado harvest this season, the commission is expanding its marketing program to include customers in additional markets who value the California avocado difference,” he said. “This expansion includes additional advertising and customized marketing support programs for both retail and foodservice partners.”
Splane noted that CAC’s retail programs aim to support its partners through coordinating in-store promotions, providing point-of-sale materials and signage, and conducting digital marketing campaigns to help maximize sales and consumer engagement in their stores. For its foodservice promotion partners, the commission is developing customized programs to encourage menu integration of California avocados.
CAC has observed the growing popularity of specific varieties such as the Lamb Hass and GEM and can support variety-specific promotions with key retail partners, though Splane said the main focus is to promote California avocados as a category, emphasizing their premium quality and other top attributes.
To reach its target audiences and effectively convey those messages, the commission will utilize a mix of media channels, including digital and streaming TV.
The California avocado season got underway a bit earlier this year as some growers began size picking in January and February to support key retail partners that were eager to meet their customers’ requests for locally grown California avocados. “This flexibility is due to the fact that different California avocado growing regions begin and end their harvesting based on the maturity of their fruit and market conditions,” Splane said. “With this earlier availability, regional customers will have the opportunity to start carrying fruit in the early season and still continue through summer.”
He reported that the larger 2025 crop is the result of several factors that bode well for the future. “Investment by California avocado growers who have increased planting of new trees and improved the average per acre yield, along with beneficial weather conditions, have been key contributing factors in the robust crop size,” Splane said.
