During the just-concluded 2013-14 season, the total volume of Mexican avocados in the U.S. market was 1.13 billion pounds — a little higher than originally estimated — and represented 65.5 percent of the aggregate avocado volume in the United Sates during that period, according to a written statement provided to The Produce News by Alvaro Luque, president of Avocados from Mexico Inc. That volume represents just over one-third of Mexico’s total avocado production, which is also consumed domestically and exported to other countries such as Japan and Canada.

Avocados from Mexico is a subsidiary of the Mexican Hass Avocado Importers Association and a joint venture between MHAIA and the Avocado Producers and Exporting Packers Association of Mexico.

The highest export month for Mexican avocados to the U.S. market during the past year was January 2014, “associated with the Super Bowl and guacamole consumption,” according to the statement. The lowest months were the summer months of July and August.

For the 2014 season, Avocados from Mexico projects a 15 percent increase in exports to the United States, or a total of about 1.3 billion pounds.

Currently being shipped was the new Flora Loca crop, a lighter bloom preceding the main crop. The Flora Loca this year is “normal in terms of volume and maturity,” according to the statement. “We have good levels of oil content, thanks to the control levels of dry matter as part of the Avocado Export Program to the U.S.”

The Aventajada and Normal crops, which follow the Loca, are expected to be “on time with good volume and with perfect quality fruit,” according to the statement.

This year, three municipalities in Mexico’s avocado growing region have received U.S. Department of Agriculture approval to export to the United States.

“Avocados From Mexico doesn’t project it’s volume or plans depending on other regions’ crops,” said Luque in the statement. “We completely respect all other avocado origins and applaud their effort of helping this category grow, but as a market leader with almost 70 percent market share, our focus is on expanding the market and competing with other categories and uses outside of the avocado industry, that’s where the real growth can come from.”

Mexico’s growers “are focused on the quality and taste of the fruit,” he said. “The current U.S. market can now sustain over 40 million pounds of avocados per week. No other country of origin can supply over a billion pounds annually to keep up with the consumption growth,” Luque continued. “Our key is to maintain the quality that the consumers have come to expect from Avocados from Mexico and make everyone aware of the benefits of a consistent and strong year-round leader.”

Avocados from Mexico Inc. was launched in July 2013 and “invested in a new communication campaign including the launch of our new brand character,” according to the statement. “This campaign was developed to reinforce our key messages of having a product that is ‘Always Fresh, Always Delicious and Always in Season.’ Media ran in three key phases tied up to big sport events and supported by national promotional programs.”

The organization ran “a bold promotional program with national partnerships with other top brands like Dos Equis, Ro-Tel, Cholula, Mission Foods and Clamato. We ended our year with our first Hispanic-focused promotion around soccer using Mexican soccer legends in our communication and store events,” the statement said.

“One of the most successful consumer programs has been our investment in digital,” the statement continued. “We’ve been working this past year setting the bases of our new platforms, and we’ve been investing time and resources to test and implement new technologies in digital media that will make our platforms,” including social media, “grow exponentially.”

For 2014-15, Avocados from Mexico “is launching a bold and assertive marketing plan,” the statement said. “The plan will be focused on a dual objective: Reinforce our leading brand’s value proposition in the mind of consumers and maintain a healthy, steady growth for the whole avocado category” in the United States.

The core focus of the plan is “to influence avocado consumers to eat more avocados more frequently. We are concentrating our efforts in increasing penetration and frequency with the avocado medium consumers and in building more avocado baskets with the heavy consumer.”

To accomplish this goal, the plan is divided into six strategic planks: brand building, category growth, Hispanic evolution, consumer engagement, trade excellence and foodservice expansion.

The brand campaign will run from Oct. 2014 to May 2015 and “will have a completely new strategic messaging based on deep consumer research that will reflect the authentic heritage of our brand,” the statement said. That campaign will involve national broadcast and cable TV, print, digital banners and social media, giving more than 1.6 billion impressions, up more than 50 percent from the 2013-14 campaign.

To help maintain and accelerate the growth of the avocado category in the United States, “we believe we need to concentrate our efforts in two key areas: consumer avocado education and product versatility in core users,” the statement continued.

Avocados from Mexico regards Hispanic consumers as “a key player in our category volume” and is therefore launching a many-faceted “Nueva Latina” program, the statement said. “The Hispanic consumer is becoming more acculturated,” according to the statement. “This Nueva Latina represents the biggest opportunity among the Hispanic consumer base, as we need to assure she continues to infuse avocados in the cuisine and pass that tradition along to her family.”