“For growers, that represents a significant opportunity to build another source of demand alongside export markets, and support continued investment in orchards, packhouses and the wider supply chain,” he said.
New Zealand is self-sufficient in fresh avocados and does not import them, meaning additional domestic demand directly supports locally grown fruit.
Siebert said growing the domestic market was important as the industry prepared for increased production.
“Domestic consumption provides an important market for growers, and the scale of the opportunity becomes more significant as production increases.
“The challenge for the industry is not simply producing more fruit, but continuing to build demand so that additional volume can be absorbed by both domestic and export markets.”
Changing eating habits
The new National Guacamole Day Study of more than 1000 New Zealand adults suggests changing eating habits could help drive that growth.
Lunch is now a more common avocado occasion than breakfast, at 23% compared with 18%, while almost a quarter (24%) of consumers eat avocado across several different meals or occasions.
Toast remains the country’s most common avocado pairing, used by 68% of avocado consumers, followed by salad at 48%, eggs at 42%, Mexican food at 31% and sushi at 25%.
Siebert said broadening the range of meals in which avocado was used could help increase consumption without relying on a single food trend.
“Avocado has traditionally been strongly associated with breakfast, brunch and toast, but consumers are increasingly using it across a much wider range of meals,” he said.
“The opportunity is to make avocado a more regular part of what people prepare at home rather than something associated with one particular meal or recipe.”
The research also found social media and New Zealand’s growing cultural diversity are exposing consumers to new ways of using avocado.
Consumers are incorporating Indian, Middle Eastern and Pacific flavours alongside Asian-style condiments, pickled vegetables and other ingredients not traditionally associated with avocado or guacamole.
NZ Avocado chief executive Brad Siebert says lifting Kiwi avocado consumption could add more than $30 million a year to the domestic market. Photo / New Zealand Avocado
The study also identified a shift towards preparing avocado toast at home rather than buying it from cafes.
Among respondents who eat avocado toast, 61% mostly make it at home, and just 5% mostly buy it from cafes, while 27% say they buy cafe avocado toast less often than a year ago.
Siebert said the findings suggested consumers remained interested in avocado despite becoming more selective about discretionary spending.
“People haven’t necessarily stopped eating avocado toast,” he said.
“What appears to have changed is where they are eating it, with the majority now preparing it themselves at home.
“That is positive for growers because avocado remains part of consumers’ diets even when spending patterns change.”
The research was commissioned ahead of National Guacamole Day on September 16, which NZ Avocado is using to encourage consumers to experiment with locally grown fruit and increase the number of occasions on which they eat it.
Almost half (45%) regularly prepare guacamole using their own recipe, while 37% adapt recipes according to ingredients already at home.
Siebert said the longer-term opportunity was to make avocados a more regular part of the New Zealand diet.
“We don’t need to reach Mexican consumption levels for that to make a material difference,” he said.
“Even gradually moving closer to Australia would represent meaningful additional demand for New Zealand-grown avocados and provide another avenue for growth for growers.”