CAC Showcases Culinary Benefits of California Avocados to Business and Industry Foodservice Management Companies

To position California avocados to be the most-valued avocados among targeted foodservice audiences through value-added educational support, the California Avocado Commission hosted training and flavor-building sessions with two multi-billion-dollar global foodservice management companies — ARAMARK’s LifeWorks and Compass Group — that provide foodservice support at business and industry locations. During each of the sessions, the Commission provided hands-on training for the companies’ culinary teams who produce freshly made, on-site meals for their customers. The sessions focused on how to optimize the yield of California avocados while providing creative trend-forward California avocado dishes for their clients.

ARAMARK’s LifeWorks division, which brings the highest quality ingredients and on-trend dishes to their customers, reached out to CAC to gain a better understanding on how to handle fresh California avocados and inspire their culinary team at one of Capital One’s corporate offices with innovative menu ideas to bring to their client. To build awareness and loyalty, and to encourage purchases of California avocados in season, the Commission hosted an educational session at ARAMARK Lifework’s Capital One Plano, Texas campus which offers breakfast, lunch and mid-day snacks for about 5,900 employees. The CAC team showcased the life of a California avocado from field to foodservice while Chef Jason Hernandez demonstrated how the fat in avocados complements and balances a variety of spices and sauces.

The CAC team also met with members of the Compass Group — which runs the foodservice program at Amazon Music and the Amazon Studios Culver City, California campus with approximately 2,700 employees per day and offers catering service to on-set production casts and workers. The Compass Group was specifically interested in new menu ideas and ways to engage more with their customer base. First, the Commission hosted a flavor building exercise for the culinary team at the Culver City campus and then conducted a Compass @Amazon cooking demonstration for Amazon employees. The demonstration targeted young, affluent professionals who enjoy food but do not always have time to prepare a meal at home. This consumer-facing activation was effective at building awareness and interest for California avocados among a targeted audience of 23- and 24-year-old consumers and taught them about the California avocado season and the proper technique in selecting avocados based on ripeness levels.