Overview
About the event
Originating in south-central Mexico, avocados have been around for thousands of years, but likely were not cultivated until around 500 BC. Even then, the first mention of this fruit in the English language wasn�??t until 1696.
By 1871, the avocado had been introduced to the United States, where they grew particularly well in California. But it took some time �?? more than 100 years �?? for them to come into popularity in the US. This was probably because the fruit seemed exotic and most people really didn�??t know what to do with it or how to get their families to agree to eating it.
The avocado industry had taken a big hit after the 1980s �??low-fat diet�?� trend in the US, so in the 1990s, the industry worked hard to educate and do some creative marketing for the American population. The idea was to associate the avocado with Latin dishes which brought the fruit more attention, and the idea worked.
Once considered to be a strangely colored, weirdly shaped, bumpy fruit that people didn�??t know how to cut, the avocado was presented in a new way and normalized. Sales increased, crop values spiked and the California avocado industry grew by leaps and bounds.
National Avocado Day is celebrated on the last day of July, at the peak of the avocado season in California. But, luckily, avocados can usually be found in supermarkets all year round for people who want to eat them in all of the seasons.
National Avocado Day was founded in 2017 and has been observed annually and gaining in popularity ever since.
