Super Bowl: A Supermarket Retailer’s Dream

Five ways to score more produce sales for the Big Game.

By the time Super Bowl LIX kicks off at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, LA, Feb. 9, 2025, customers of Robért Fresh Markets and Lakeview Grocery will have already stocked up on game-day ingredients and likely made a few last-minute trips, too.

“Here in New Orleans, the Super Bowl is another reason to have a party or get together,” says Terry Esteve, produce and floral director for the six-store chain based in New Orleans. “It traditionally means increased sales on baking potatoes for the steak grillers, limes for the drinks, and then all the accompaniments for the guacamole and pico makers.”

Esteve says if the weather is right, crawfish boils will start around the Super Bowl, which brings extra sales on potatoes, lemons, onions and garlic. “And if it’s too cold, which in New Orleans it could go either way in February, folks will cook gumbo, so onions, peppers, and fresh pre-cut seasoning mixes show increased movement.”

By the numbers, the Super Bowl is a supermarket retailer’s dream. Eighty-two percent of consumers surveyed by Chicago, IL-headquartered data company Numerator during the last week of January 2024, planned to watch the game at their home or someone else’s home; only 4% planned to go to a bar or restaurant to watch.

As for food, three-fourths (75%) of Super Bowl watchers planned to buy chips, followed by dips, salsa, and guacamole (67%), pizza (47%), chicken wings (42%), and nachos (22%). Yet, according to 84.51°, a retail data science, insights, and media company and a subsidiary of The Kroger Co., over one-third (37%) of shoppers planned to serve fruits and vegetables on game day.

“In general, football has a major influence on produce sales, especially during the college and NFL playoff season, including the Super Bowl.”
— John Shuman, Shuman Farms, Cobbtown, GA

“In general, football has a major influence on produce sales, especially during the college and NFL playoff season, including the Super Bowl,” says John Shuman, president and chief executive officer of Shuman Farms, in Cobbtown, GA.

Shuman says today’s shoppers, especially Millennials and Gen Z, want fresh, healthier options that complement their active lifestyles, and fresh produce like sweet onions offer a way to add flavor and nutrition to classic game-day snacks.

1. FEATURE AVOCADOS

Mexico, the primary supplier of avocados to the U.S. in early February, shipped 137,500 tons of this fruit to its northern neighbor for the 2024 Super Bowl. Supplies and shipments are expected to be just as robust for 2025. Avocados from Mexico (AFM), the nonprofit promotional organization for Mexican avocados based in Irving, TX, is ready with a two-fold game plan.

“Our fall football promotion started in October and runs through Jan. 6, and it targets college football and the playoffs. We have a great presence in-store with themed bagged fruit, of which bags drive the category by 23%, and shippers, and have sponsorships in key networks tied to college football,” says Stephanie Bazan, AFM’s senior vice president of commercial strategy and execution.

The AFM’s Big Game promotion for 2025 partners with retired celebrity NFL player Ron Gronkowski to feature his Buffalo blue cheese-flavored “Gronkamole” recipe on retail bins, packaging and in promotions.

“Unit sales of avocados increase by 25% when avocados are merchandised with AFM’s themed display shippers on the floor versus generic free-standing displays,” says Bazan.

There is often a small supply of early-season fruit from California, even though the state’s avocado season runs from spring through summer.

“Avocado shoppers tell us that they are looking for displays that are a mix of ripe avocados that can be used that day, along with avocados that are less ripe and can be used later in the week for those who are planning their game-day snacks,” says Terry Splane, vice president of marketing for the Irvine, CA-based California Avocado Commission.

“Purchases can vary from bagged avocados that allow hosts to easily buy a higher quantity of the fruit, to large and extra-large avocados for those that want to hand pick their fruit, to small avocados for those hosting intimate game-day gatherings.”

Esteve sets Robert Markets and Lakeview Grocery apart from its retail competitors in the New Orleans market by carrying only a large, 40- to 48-count avocado. “We don’t play the giveaway game with smaller fruit,” he says.

2. PUSH ALL FRUITS & VEGGIES

Avocados are far from the only stars ripe for promotion in the produce department for the Super Bowl.
Standard produce preferences for the Big Game are salsa (tomato, tomatillos, onions, garlic, peppers, as well as fruit salsas with mango, papaya and pineapple), guacamole fixings (avocado, chili peppers), salad ingredients (fruits, greens and baby potatoes), and fruit and vegetable platters.

Charcuterie boards are one of the biggest trends that impact produce. For example, Pinkglow pineapple has become a favorite for fruit platters and charcuterie.

“Tasmanian cherries, Red Caribbean papaya, and Green and Red Muscato grapes are good choices, too,” says Robert Schueller, director of public relations for Melissa’s/World Variety Produce, in Vernon, CA. “The Cajun theme will be popular since the game is in NOLA, but food choices and regional preferences depend also on who the final two teams are.”

Fruits like limes and lemons are beverage musts for the Super Bowl, says Zak Laffite, president of Wonderful Citrus, in Delano, CA. “With no pesky seeds or prep work needed, our seedless lemons can be easily integrated into dishes and drinks to add color and flavor.”

Similarly, many consumers look for unique culinary ingredients to add a bright garnish to cocktails and mocktails, adds Jennifer Hirano, vice president of marketing for POM Wonderful, in Los Angeles, CA. “The California fresh pomegranate season for whole fruit and arils runs through February.”

On the veggie front, celery has become synonymous with wings and dips during football season.

“Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest food consumption day in the U.S. — behind only Thanksgiving, and this holds true for celery as well,” says Nichole Towell, senior director of marketing and innovation for Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Oviedo, FL.

“The NFL playoffs and Super Bowl have provided a 70% lift in volume for all celery in the U.S. compared to nonholiday periods. We offer pre-cut, pre-washed, ready-to-eat celery sticks in various sizes to make preparing food for the Big Game easy.”

In addition to baby carrots and chippers, Bolthouse Fresh Foods, in Bakersfield, CA, offers its Party Sticks, french fry-size fresh-cut carrots that work well as a snack or dipping.

Consumers are moving beyond traditional veggie platters to creative options like mini pepper nachos, cucumber bites and tomato-based appetizers, according to Randi Church, marketing manager for Windset Farms, headquartered in Delta, British Columbia.

“This makes snackable produce a top choice for Super Bowl celebrations,” says Church.

Lettuce boats and romaine hearts are ideal for finger foods, says Nicole Minnich-Zapata, marketing director for Misionero, in Gonzales, CA. “With the Big Game in New Orleans, Cajun-inspired dishes might lean toward wraps or lettuce boats filled with spicy fillings, potentially incorporating greens as a fresh, cooling contrast. Our Garden Life-brand Washed and Trimmed lineup, including items like Romaine, Green Leaf, Lettuce Boats, and Deli Leaf, fits well with game day dishes due to their convenience and freshness.”

3. GO NUTS

Football fans look for crunchy, salty items to munch on, often to complement game day beverages, says Stephanie Blackwell, founder and chief executive officer of Aurora Products, in Orange, CT. “We offer special ‘football’ containers that hold spicy pub mixes for tailgate parties.”

According to Joseph Setton, executive vice president of Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, in Terra Bella, CA, this season’s Super Bowl snack is Pistachio Pub Mix. “This elevated version of the classic bar snack features Buffalo Wing Pistachio Kernels, crunchy ranch corn nuts, savory sesame chips, and hickory almonds, and available in 5-, 11-, or a 20-ounce resealable bag. Also, our new Tajin Seasoned Pistachio Kernels feature the classic chili lime seasoning with our family’s California-grown pistachios. These pair perfectly with any beverage, and the bold flavor satisfies those big game cravings.”

Watching sports like football is a key usage occasion for in-shell pistachios, according to Diana Salsa, vice president of marketing for Wonderful Pistachios, in Lost Hills, CA. “We have a variety of flavors to choose from, including the best-selling Roasted & Salted, and Seasoned Salt, No Salt, and Sweet Chili.”

Hampton Farms’ Salted In-Shell Peanuts are traditionally the most popular for the Super Bowl because of their universal flavor, says Mikayla Pittman, brand manager of the Raleigh, NC, based company.

“New Orleans is our top market for our in-shell flavor Cajun Hot Nuts. This product will be on display in grocery stores throughout the area,” Pittman adds.

4. SCORE ADDED SALES WITH TIE-INS

The best-selling Concord Food products for Super Bowl are the Brockton, MA-headquartered company’s Fresh Success Guacamole Mixes and party dips, says Samantha McCaul, senior marketing manager. “I’m expecting to see a lot of traditional New Orleans dishes on game-day menus this year, and guacamole goes well with many of these, like po’boys, fried catfish, andouille sausage, and blackened shrimp or chicken tacos.”

Litehouse-brand Homestyle Ranch and Chunky Blue Cheese dressings make perfect teammates for buffalo wings, says Kate Nees, senior brand manager for the Sandpoint, ID, company. “February temperatures vary throughout the country, often influencing the types of food people eat for the Big Game. Due to colder weather in the Midwest, Northeast, and Northwest regions, people might opt for lighter soups and chili, leading to more Litehouse herbs and spices sales.”

5. MAKE IT EASY MERCHANDISING & PROMOTION

New Seasons Market, a 21-store chain headquartered in Portland, OR, goes all out on avocado displays for the Super Bowl, encouraging shoppers to imagine the endless possibilities of incorporating avocados into their game-day spreads, says Chris Harris, category director of produce and floral.

“We pre-ripen avocados so that our store displays will always have ripe fruit available for our customers, and we promote our house-made guacamole,” says Harris. “We also team up with our New Seasons Market Partner Brand team for tortilla chips, creating the ultimate guacamole experience. Plus, our vegetable displays help shoppers snag their dip-friendly veggies, like carrots and, my personal favorite, sweet peppers.”

Cross-merchandising is a winning strategy, too.

“All stores have refrigerated cases or ice bins where we’ll merchandise the guac, pico, and fresh lime juice. Then, we’ll drop case stacks of lemons, limes, Roma tomatoes, and bushel baskets of white onions and avocados. We’ll typically have a contest for the best-merchandised department where they can win a pizza lunch for the team, so they usually go all out and have a little fun with it,” says Robért Fresh Market and Lakeview Grocery’s Esteve.

In past Super Bowl seasons, adds Shuman of Shuman Produce, “we’ve seen excellent displays that pair our sweet onions with football-themed recipe cards and highlight game day snacking and entertaining, making it simple for shoppers to pick up everything they need for a recipe in one spot.”

Retailers can tap into Super Bowl promotions offered by produce companies. Two notable examples this year come from Duda Farm Fresh Foods and Litehouse.

“This will be the ninth year we’ll employ our annual ‘Dip-It-2-Win-It’ campaign, highlighting snacking during the Big Game. This is our largest sweepstakes of the year, and with each one, we feel we can reach consumers with football-themed recipes, prizes, and content that resonates during this time,” says Duda’s Towell.

To connect ranch dressing and football, Litehouse has launched its “Take it to the House” promotion, says Nees. “Designed for football fans and ranch lovers, we’re dropping a treat in our Instagram stories for the first 1,000 followers paying attention on game day.”