New campaign to promote European avocados and mangoes

Spanish avocado and mango association Intertropic is ready to roll out a major new marketing campaign that will encourage consumers to buy more European avocados and mangoes.

With three-quarters of its €9mn budget provided by the EU, the promotion begins in Spain and will extend to France, Italy, and the UK.

And although consumption of both fruits is already growing, where they come from is not always at the front of a consumer’s mind.

In delivering the message ‘European Avocados and Mangoes: Fruits with Heart’, one of the campaign’s aims is to champion their European production.

“We want consumers to know that European avocados and mangoes exist, with more positive attributes compared to those produced elsewhere, and that they can easily identify them,” says José Linares, president of Intertropic. “The campaign aims to provide useful information, highlight our production model, and reinforce a choice based on proximity, traceability, and trust.”

Points of difference

Spain is Europe’s leading producer of both avocados and mangoes, and is also a market where both categories have seen significant growth in recent years.

With a market penetration rate above 80 per cent and annual per-capita consumption around 2kg, the country’s total consumption of avocados was 95,253 tonnes in 2024, when sales reached an estimated €443.8mn – almost double what they were five years earlier, according to MAPA.

Similarly, mangoes have also seen strong growth, reaching €121mn in 2024, with household penetration of about 50 per cent.

However, as Linares explains, there is a suspicion that country of origin is being overlooked in the rush to consumer more of each fruit.

“Familiarity means that avocados and mangoes are consumed more as a routine, without consumers always associating that purchase with an informed decision about the origin, seasonality, or the unique characteristics of the ‘local’ product,” he says.

As a result, Intertropic suggests, consumers are unaware of certain advantages associated with European production.

With avocados, it points to the absence of numerous pesticides that are permitted in other parts of the world.

And for mangoes, it argues European product has a more advanced stage of ripeness and, therefore, a “fuller flavour”, compared with those shipped over long distances while still green.

Show of strength

Antonio Carpintero, CEO of Intertropic, says the project will grow the market further by accentuating everything that’s good about European-grown avocados and mangoes.

“Consumption growth in Europe is spectacular, and Spain plays a key role as the main source within the EU,” he comments. “Now the challenge is for that growth to translate into greater recognition of the value of origin.

“The campaign focuses on what is crucial for a fresh product: its own sales window, proximity, and the ability to reach the shelf in optimal condition, at its peak ripeness.”

The campaign is expected to achieve more than 380mn impressions and will use several different channels to get its message across, including television, digital, cinema, and social media, as well as public relations, content featuring opinion leaders and influencers, events, and in-store promotions.