Superbowl, thermometer of avocado consumption

The Super Bowl, the largest sporting event in the United States, once again confirms an economic reality that Mexico has maintained for decades: the Mexican avocado has no substitute in the global market and its weight in the country’s agri-food balance is already structural.

Between 2015 and 2025, Mexico consolidated what sector specialists describe as absolute dominance of the “green gold”, by remaining the main producer and exporter of avocado worldwide, with 28.5 percent of global production, more than triple that of its immediate competitor, Colombia, and a leadership that has not been interrupted since 1961.

This productive leadership is directly reflected in the economic value of the crop. Mexican avocado exports went from 1.2 billion dollars in 2015, according to data from the Bank of Mexico, to a record projection of 4 billion dollars in 2025, according to the Agricultural Market Consulting Group (GCMA), which implies a growth of 233 percent.

These figures place the fruit as the country’s third agricultural export product, only below beer and tequila. In these years, the avocado stopped being a niche crop to become a pillar of Mexican agriculture and one of the main sources of foreign exchange for the primary sector.

EU, key market

The growth of the Mexican avocado sector cannot be explained without the US market. According to data from the Ministry of Economy, currently, more than 80 percent of Mexican exports of the fruit are destined for the United States, a country that depends on Mexico to cover 88 percent of its total purchases.

This commercial relationship is not temporary. According to the infographic prepared by the GCMA, Mexico is the only country capable of guaranteeing supply 365 days a year thanks to its altitudinal diversity, favorable climatic conditions and a staggered harvest scheme that allows maintaining continuous supply, even in seasons of high demand.

For Super Bowl 59, held in 2025, Mexico sent around 110 thousand tons of avocado, equivalent to 250 million pieces, which generated an economic impact of 317 million dollars in a period of just 30 days.

For this year, estimates from the Association of Avocado Producers and Packers Exporters of Mexico (Apeam) indicate that around 127 thousand tons of avocado will be imported in the 30 days prior to the sporting clash.

In The Day It has been documented that the rise of “green gold” is accompanied by serious problems, such as: extortion by organized crime, job insecurity that has led workers to consume hard drugs and environmental pressures such as deforestation, intensive use of water and the installation of illegal orchards, particularly in Michoacán.

Although there is still no exact figure, the National Alliance of Small Merchants has indicated that the avocado chain faces extortions that reduce between 3 and 5 percent of its value.

Master the Hass variety

According to the GCMA document, one of the factors that explains Mexico’s dominant position is the phytosanitary infrastructure that has been developed in the country, where there are more than 90 packaging plants certified by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which allows permanent access to the US market and reduces the risks of interruptions in trade.

Added to this, he says, is the dominance of the Hass variety, the most in demand internationally.

10 years after having begun its accelerated expansion, the avocado not only represents millionaire income, but also a strategic position for Mexico in international agri-food trade. With 4 billion dollars generated in 2025, the fruit has established itself as one of the main drivers of the Mexican countryside and as a key element in the commercial relationship with the United States.