Nearing the end of one of our biggest seasons to date, we can reflect on a season that was both challenging and exciting at the same time.
Global demand for our avocados continues to break records and social media posts demonstrate the demand for avocados' versatility, health benefits and amazing taste.
This season we saw the rise in popularity of avocado in roses, desserts and smashed avocado on toasted kumara slices.
Across the internet, and social media, it has been fantastic to see the many innovative ways that consumers love to consume avocados, and photograph their experience.
To celebrate the creativity we see every day, we asked popular cafes from all over NZ to send us their avocado dishes for a chance to be crowned New Zealand's Best Avocado Café 2017.
We have put it to our 22,000 Facebook followers to vote on who's dish looks the tastiest and most 'avocado-ful'. We also asked followers to send us pictures of their favourite avocado dish from their favourite café. We have had more than 20 entries, making it a tough decision.
So far we have had a fantastic response to this exciting competition, with more than 5000 clicks on the amazing dishes submitted by cafes and over 1600 votes less than a week into the competition.
This is just one example of how we are changing the way we look at our promotions, public relations and media strategy.
Recent results suggested we reached as many Facebook, Instagram and Twitter targets in a month as our print campaign the year before reached in a whole season.
It's been great attracting Anna Farquharson, our new Market Manager, who is helping us build capability in this new field.
Both for the New Zealand and export markets we are moving towards a more defined digital strategy, with local language websites and agencies supporting us through social media in Asian markets, to gauge the consumers we do interact with.
We need to now work out how to ensure two-way engagement - it's not just about us developing new recipes or giving away a tray of avocados. It's about getting the consumers talking back to us.
The café competition enables us to create new connections with valuable customers - cafés who recognise the value of avocado dishes on their menus, cafes keen to innovate with their own recipes and cafes keen to be part of our avocado online community.
Readers may like to check out these Bay cafes who entered the competition - Mount Social Club, Tay Street Beach Café (Mount Maunganui), Henry & Ted (Papamoa), Wild One Wholefood's Eatery (Mount Maunganui) and Elizabeth Café & Larder (Tauranga).
- Cast your vote on Facebook now - www.facebook.com/nzavocado. The winning cafe will be announced tomorrow, February 3.