Some consumers have had a soft spot for avocados during the pandemic

Cinco de Mayo is one of the biggest days of the year for avocado sales in the U.S. Trade groups predict Americans will buy 60 million to 70 million pounds this week. Sales of avocados have run especially strong during the pandemic.

Avocados used to be a rare purchase for Katie O’Shea in Chicago, reserved for the occasional party guacamole bowl. But, since she’s been working from home, she’s been buying and using them “either on chili or on tacos — or, the millennial stereotype, on toast.”

But it’s not just millennials who drove a 7% increase in demand for avocados last year, said Xavier Equihua with the World Avocado Organization. Americans have been cooking at home more and looking for small luxuries.

“I call the avocado the sexiest product in a supermarket,” Equihua said.

Prices were pretty stable through the pandemic after spiking in 2019. Though Ryan Hurley in Cleveland, Ohio, found one pitfall as his shopping habits changed: “We started getting all of our groceries by curbside, and the avocados we got were like kind of consistently disappointing.”

But with consumers spending more time in grocery stores and restaurants, consumption of avocados is expected to continue to increase.