Promote Garlic for Taste and Convenience

International and ethnic cuisine popularity boosts demand for garlic.

With its complex taste and easy availability, garlic continues its starring role as an essential ingredient.
Garlic’s contribution can be spicy and pungent, savory and sweet, bold or subtle. Regardless, as an affordable flavor enhancer, garlic cannot be beat.

“Year after year, we traditionally see our sales expand at a natural growth rate of 3% to 5%, and we expect that trend to continue between 2025–2026,” reports Ken Christopher, executive vice president, Christopher Ranch, Gilroy, CA, which provides U.S.-grown garlic across the country.

MARKET DRIVERS

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The popularity of varied meal preparations, triggered by growing awareness of international and ethnic cuisines, continues to boost the demand for garlic flavoring.

“Garlic consumption continues to grow as home cooks continue to experiment with different cuisines, and regional flavors,” explains Mike Smith, senior vice president of sales and marketing, Spice World Inc., Orlando, FL. “Consumers love garlic, not only its flavor and versatility, but also for the affordability and the health benefits of garlic.”

Consumers love garlic, not only its flavor and versatility, but also for the affordability and the health benefits of garlic.

— Mike Smith, Spice World, Inc., Orlando, FL

Consumers who follow TV and food recipes also drive sales, says Bruce Klein, director of marketing, Maurice A. Auerbach Inc., Secaucus, NJ. “There is no substitute for garlic.”

Consumers are using garlic for both its flavor and health benefits, and demand shows no sign of slowing. “I have been in the garlic industry for 34 years in 2025, and I continue to see the demand for garlic grow,” says Jim Provost, co-owner, I Love Produce LLC, West Grove, PA. “But perhaps not at the pace in the 1990s when the growth of garlic was double digits.”

Culturally, he believes garlic is a “hip food with Gen Z and Millennials.”

VARIOUS TYPES SPUR DEMAND

While overseas 70 years ago, Spice World’s founder experienced garlic’s flavor, and began sharing it. Today, Spice World offers fresh, elephant, and purple garlic, plus both conventional and organic in peeled, minced, roasted, chopped, squeezable, and in olive oil garlic assortments.

Smith says Spice World has experienced steady growth in all of its forms of garlic. “Many generations of consumers desire convenience when selecting produce products. When preparing meals at home, easy is the key factor consumers seek.”

Customers of Maurice A. Auerbach have an array of choices, from various sizes of bags, bulk, netted sleeves, peeled, elephant, to woven decorative braids. Klein notes convenience products, such as chopped packaged garlic, “are becoming even more popular as consumers feel more comfortable with garlic.”

At Christopher Ranch, fresh garlic packed in sleeves is their biggest seller to retailers across the country. “In offering a sleeved/branded item, consumers are able to instantly identify country of origin, and retailers are best able to scan for their produce sales,” Christopher notes.

The interesting thing about garlic is its cross-generational appeal, ranging from Generation Alpha all the way through the Greatest Generation.

— Ken Christopher, Christopher Ranch, Gilroy, CA

At Melissa’s World Variety Produce, Mount Vernon, CA, various sizes of minced, roasted, peeled and chopped products, and the jumbo, elephant and colossal specimens are offered. “Value-added minced and peeled are the category drivers,” says Robert Schueller, director of public relations. “These jarred garlics are shelf stable.”

Melissa’s also offers mild-flavored Spring Garlic seasonally. Plus, Schueller says black garlic is a specialty. “Its unique complex flavor and aroma has a rich, tangy, molasses-like flavor, a perfect mix of sweetness and melt-in-your-mouth texture, and is surprisingly rich.”

ORGANIC GROWTH

Organic produce has seen steady growth over the last five years, and Smith at Spice World expects that trend to continue. “Much like conventional garlic, organic garlic offers great flavor and is reasonably priced for consumers choosing organic offerings.”

Schueller agrees there has been recent growth in organics. “Both the conventional and organic refrigerated peel garlics continue to grow. The flavor is more pronounced.”

PRODUCTION AND IMPORTS

California accounts for the majority of U.S. garlic production. The April 15, 2025, USDA Economic Research Service Vegetables and Pulses Yearbook reports 2023 garlic production at 402 million pounds, and imports of 357 million pounds. Trade flow will likely be shaped by factors such as tariff adjustments, cold chain development and private label growth.

“While controversial, it is important to note that tariffs on foreign produce, like garlic, have a major impact on the domestic garlic industry,” says Christopher. “As tariffs increase on foreign goods, we see a corresponding increase in demand for our American-grown garlic from both retails and restaurants.”

Christopher Ranch’s California heirloom garlic is grown within a 100-mile radius of Gilroy, CA, the garlic capital of the world. Christopher says they ship their heirloom garlic across all 50 states, as well as Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Mexico.

PROMOTE USAGE

Many retailers bolster garlic sales with in-store signage and demonstrations, coupled with social media activities.

“Most retailers do a great job of making products available and attractive to consumers,” says Smith. “In the summer, we often see retailers pair our garlic with onions, tomatoes and fresh herbs as a suggested salsa display.”

Klein says cross-merchandising can be accomplished by placing the garlic items next to complementary foods, such as pasta and sauces. “Garlic is so versatile, it can pretty much be used all over the store. Cross-merchandising is an important part of sales, and there are lots of choices in the produce department. Also, we support stores, which can be on a daily basis, to help their efforts.”

Appearance plays a role. “The better the appearance, the better the sales,” Klein adds. “Be sure the products are nice and clean — no skins on the bulk garlic, for instance.”

Christopher says Christopher Ranch has found that when retailers cross-merchandise garlic with items like tomatoes and avocados, you can amplify sales for all three, while offering consumers optimal convenience for blending flavors.

“We’ve found this approach to be most effective around Super Bowl, Cinco de Mayo and Fourth of July, when these items can be blended to make the perfect salsa and guacamole.”

I Love Produce’s Provost agrees. “Red tomatoes and white garlic always look great together and complement each other in Mexican and Italian cuisines. People love garlic memes, and social media is a great way to promote garlic.”

Merchandising is a critical part of making Spice World garlic products available to consumers. “Our in-store merchandising carries our messages of flavor, freshness and convenience exactly where consumers are looking for information as they shop,” says Smith.

HANDLING GARLIC

For merchandising, fresh garlic prefers an ambient temperature. Peeled garlic needs a cold temperature, 36 degrees F, or colder. “Displaying in other refrigerated sections in the store, such as mushrooms, fresh-cut vegetables or dressings works well,” adds Provost.

Christopher advises storing fresh garlic in a cool, dry environment. “Often, garlic lovers may make an accidental mistake and store it in their refrigerator, which can lead to rapid sprouting, or in their freezer, where ice crystals can form. Left in the proper dry environment, fresh garlic can last up to eight weeks.”

RETAILERS’ SALES TECHNIQUES

William Reinoso, produce manager of the Market Basket store in Somerville, MA, says the store sells lots of garlic. “The largest sellers are the whole cloves in the produce section.”

Peeled garlic is in the refrigerated aisle. Cinco de Mayo is the busiest holiday, he says, and adds, “Our customers know how to use garlic in lots of ways. At that time, we display garlic with avocados, onions, jalapeño peppers and plump tomatoes.”

Market Basket, Tewksbury, MA, has 95 stores in New England.

While the Food City store in Radford, VA, near Roanoke, enjoys the company’s Food Club minced and chopped garlic items, assistant store manager Marcus Goins reports that bulk whole cloves are the most popular.

Also, he notes, “holidays, including Thanksgiving and Christmas, bring higher sales.”

To boost frequent sales, Goins says they cross-merchandise by placing garlic baskets beside steaks in the meat department, “and bottled garlic along with French or Italian bread so customers can make their own homemade garlic bread.”

Supermarket chain Food City, owned by K-VA-T Food Stores, Abingdon, VA, owns over 150 stores in the Southeast.