One trend contributing to the explosive growth of the avocado category can be summed up this way: Holy guacamole, it’s not just for Mexican food anymore. That, coupled with the positive message consumers have taken to heart about the health benefits of avocado consumption, is music to the ears of Fresherized Foods.

The company is headquartered in Fort Worth, TX, and markets its diverse and flavorful “Wholly Guacamole,” “Wholly Salsa” and “Wholly Queso” branded line to retail and foodservice customers. The line was created six years ago.

Fresherized Foods offers a variety of guacamole, salsa and queso with its ‘Wholly’ branded line of products. (Photo courtesy of Fresherized Foods)“This year we surprised our competitors,” Vice President of Marketing Tracey Altman said Jan. 30. The company has been the recipient of a number of awards since the “Wholly” line was introduced. Recently, Good Housekeeping conducted a guacamole taste test. “We won Best Guacamole Classic and Best Guacamole Spicy,” Ms. Altman said. “We’re really excited we won that.”

Fresherized Foods’ broad demographic of consumers is between the ages of 25 and 45 years old, she said. “Our main target is 35- to 45-year-olds,” she said. “Both have different eating profiles. But both are important.”

According to Ms. Altman, guacamole has become an increasingly versatile dip. “Guacamole is really a hit with consumers. For us, it’s exciting because of how they’re using it,” she said. Boundaries beyond Mexican cuisine have been pushed, and consumers are making chicken salad with guacamole and replacing mayonnaise, which has a high fat content, with the lower-fat and healthier guacamole option.

“They’re also using it as a condiment on sandwiches,” Ms. Altman added.

Jay Alley, vice president of retail sales, said the value-added package portions are sized to enable customers to use the product without waste. “There is a consistency in the product,” he said.

Fresherized Foods targets a variety of consumers, from those who have historically made their guacamole to those who have always made dip purchases. The common thread for these consumers is the discovery that the Wholly line combines homemade quality and taste with convenience.

Growth in the category is akin to a runaway train. Ms. Altman credited the foodservice industry with helping to build the avocado’s positive reputation. “The industry has done a really good job getting the word out,” she stated. “For such a small category, it’s surprising how much it’s grown.”

The company recently added guacamole to its line of snack packs. “We’re really in people’s faces this year,” she said of snack pack promotions. Fresherized Foods is also running a “redo your fridge” campaign in conjunction with its retail partners. Consumers will have a chance to win gift cards through the campaign.

This summer, Fresherized Foods will add four new flavors to its “Wholly” line.