Why 'Bachelor' Host and Game Analyst Jesse Palmer Likes to Grocery Shop

Latest Avocados from Mexico partner talks with Progressive Grocer about guac and discovering interesting new stores

10/12/2023

A new tailgate-themed promotion from Avocados from Mexico is hitting the retail produce section.

Jesse Palmer is on lot of screens this month as host of “The Golden Bachelor” on ABC, and his face will be showing up in grocery stores soon. He is featured in a new Avocados from Mexico marketing blitz that kicks off this month and runs through the Big Game in early winter.

The tailgate-themed campaign includes point-of-sale materials and packaging spotlighting Palmer, along with a new consumer contest. As in past years, guacamole is at the center of the campaign as a perennially popular dip for gridiron get-togethers.

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In a recent interview with Progressive Grocer, Palmer said that he prefers his guac on the spicy side, with “the more jalapenos the better.” The Canadian native and former football player, who competed in college and in the National Football League for the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers, balances his gigs on “The Bachelor” and “The Golden Bachelor” with a football analyst role at ESPN. “I appreciate a good tailgate simply because I don’t oftentimes get a lot of chances to actually enjoy the game with friends and loved ones, so I do partake and that's why guac to me is the No. 1 for the big game and why it has to be right,” he said.

While shoppers can spot Palmer’s visage at on POS materials, some can find him in the actual store, too. “I’m a toucher and a feeler with produce and I think that plays a massive part in that (buying avocados). Not to say that you shouldn’t trust online retailers of produce but I prefer to go into the store and look and take my time,” Palmer told PG. As for personal preference, he’ll look more a firm avocado, while his wife, Emily, prefers a riper version.

He’s also keen on finding interesting new food retailers when he’s on the road for work. “Shooting the show and traveling the world, oftentimes walking around the cities we are shooting in, I will stumble on these amazing markets,” he said. “It’s a really great education and also kind of an under-the-radar thing I always look forward to.”

As for the "Bachelor" franchise, Palmer agreed that a hometown date at a grocery store or in a kitchen with avocados would be a good compatibility test. “You learn about someone by how they guac,” he said with a laugh.

Based in Irving, Texas, Avocados from Mexico is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Mexican Hass Avocado Importers Association (MHAIA). Under agreements, MHAIA and the Association of Avocado Exporting Producers & Packers of Mexico (APEAM) have combined resources to fund and manage Avocados from Mexico.