As avocados continue to take Europe by storm, The World Avocado Organization (WAO) has created a campaign to celebrate its consumer brand “Avocado – The Fruit of Life”.
In collaboration with the Amsterdam-based specialty restaurant, The Avocado Show, WAO has designated this month as “Avocado Month” to mark the off-the-charts popularity of the nutrient-dense fruit.
Throughout November a range of avocado-inspired activities and events are taking place, including the first-ever Amsterdam avocado tram (#AvoTram), followed by the opening of the world’s first avocado shop located in De Pijp.
WAO will be giving away a free download of the first-ever 145-page digital avocado cookbook, “The Wonderful World of Cooking with Avocados” to people in the Netherlands, according to WAO CEO Xavier Equihua who wants to inspire people “with delicious and nutritious avocado recipes.”
Europe follows the US as the second largest market for avocados and the Netherlands is the gateway to the Continent, hence why it has been chosen as the location to launch “Avocado Month”.
The WAO projects that avocado consumption in Europe will surpass 500 million kilos in 2018. Over the last decade the healthy and versatile fruit has become a staple of Dutch cuisine and avocado consumption in the EU is expected to continue to grow at a robust 20 percent per year.
“It’s amazing to see how the avocado has become an intrinsic part of Dutch cuisine. As an example of such it gave the world its first avocado restaurant, The Avocado Show, which we are proud to partner with at celebrating Avocado month,” said Equihua.
“I expect the increasing trend of avocado sales in the Netherlands to continue its upward course in the years ahead.”
The World’s First Avocado Shop
This unique concept store called ‘The Backstage’ is the first shop in which the avocado plays a leading role in all products sold to the public. Visitors can buy a range of avocado-themed merchandise, from clothing to cookbooks, as well as fresh avocados.
It is also currently working on the development of a cosmetics line based on the fruit. The shop’s founders are also the owners of The Avocado Show.
Julien Zaal, co-founder of The Backstage and The Avocado Show, said: “After opening our restaurant we saw that the avocado’s popularity just kept growing. People have become more aware of what they eat in recent years and we are happy that the avocado is becoming an important staple in their diet.
“Like us, so many Dutch people have an enormous love for the avocado. That’s fantastic to see.”
