Taking the Uncertainty Out of Avocados

Did you know an avocado won't ripen on the tree? It can hang on the branch for months after it's mature, but it only starts to soften once it's picked.

That can have both positives and negatives. On one hand, because mature fruit can wait on the tree, growers don't have to harvest all fruit at once. They can pick a little at a time across the year, which is one reason why avocados can show up on menus all year long.

But it also means harvesting becomes a decision for farmers. When prices are low, they may leave them waiting on the tree, tightening supply and pushing prices up. And once those avocados are picked, ripening begins immediately. That's why a case of avocados can be rock hard one week and past its peak the next.

Customers today love avocados and will pay for them. But the supply chain that gets them onto the plate is long, concentrated, and sensitive to everything from weather to bloom cycles to border inspections to politics. It helps to understand how avocado seasonality works and where you have control when it comes to access and price.

Avocados are worth it

Avocados appeared on 64% of U.S. restaurant menus last year, with fast-casual concepts showing particularly strong growth.¹

And the median price of a dish with avocado is $14.98 compared to only $13.00 for a comparable dish without it.¹ That premium has held even as overall menu prices have climbed.¹

In other words, avocados are a menu staple with a healthy impact on an operator's bottom line. But that's also why price swings are so frustrating: when costs spike, those margins you count on shrink.

Avocados are always in season for customers

For any operator, menu consistency is also key. Customers want their favorite ingredients and dishes all year round.

Luckily, in one place, Hass avocado trees are harvested nearly every week of the year. Mexico supplies roughly 83% of the avocados the U.S. imports.² And about three-quarters of Mexico's crop comes from a single place: the state of Michoacán.³

Michoacán's orchards sit on volcanic soil across a wide span of mountain elevations, and that range of altitudes gives the region four overlapping bloom seasons rather than one.³ It's an ideal place to grow avocados.

That's why so many of the avocados on our plates today come from that specific stretch of mountains in central Mexico.

Why prices and quality swing so much

While avocados are harvested nearly year-round in Mexico, there are swings. Mexican shipments typically dip from spring to late summer, which is when prices will often rise ahead of the big fall harvest.⁴

Quality can change with the season, too. The summer harvest, which growers call the “loca” or “crazy” season, is the one buyers often watch closely, because heat, drought, and pest pressures can leave fruit with lower oil content, a drier texture, and a less rich flavor.

On top of that, there are inspection programs to deal with, storms and fluctuating weather events, and ever-changing policies and regulations. All of these impact wholesale prices.

How to protect your margins

While you as an operator can't control many of these things, you have more control over how they impact your margins than you may think.

First, consider how you're using avocados across the menu. Is the avocado a centerpiece, sliced on top of a salad or a burger? Or is it an ingredient in a sauce, spread, smoothie, or guacamole, where flavor and color matter more than the slice itself?

Many operators today reserve the fresh fruit for dishes where it's front and center and rely on frozen pulp, dices, or guacamole everywhere else. Some also blend fresh and frozen in the same guacamole or sauce to soften the cost swings without giving up fresh entirely.

The right product for the right application

Frozen Hass avocado products are made from fruit picked at peak maturity and frozen soon after so they hold their oil content, color, and flavor. And they come in formats that meet your specific menu applications:

• Pulp for house-made guacamole, sauces, dressings, and smoothies

• Guacamole, ready to serve, for tacos, bowls, burgers, and dips

• Dices for salads, bowls, toppings, and sandwiches

• Halves for plated presentations and breakfast items

Building a winning avocado program

Simplot's Harvest Fresh® avocado products are made from 100% Mexican Hass avocados grown and processed in Michoacán. Because oil content is what guests notice most, Simplot avoids buying fruit during the summer “loca” season and makes its frozen products only from high-oil fruit harvested in the other three seasons. You can see the full range of frozen and chilled options on Simplot's foodservice avocado products page.

Like any agricultural product, avocados may be subject to the whims of nature and the pressures of everything from policy to pricing. But your menu doesn't have to be. Finding the right product for your menu protects margins while giving guests the ingredients they love.

¹ Foodservice Quarterly Insights Report, Hass Avocado Board and Datassential, May 2026 ² Fresh avocado import volume by source country, USDA Economic Research Service, 2025 data ³ Avocado Annual: Mexico, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, March 2026 ⁴ Current situation of the fresh avocado market in the US, ProducePay, May 2025