Ecovado is an alternative to avocado that employs design thinking to help consumers reduce the amount of avocado they eat by introducing them to unfamiliar, yet more diverse, ingredient combinations. It was designed by identifying the chemical elements of avocados and the functionality of each molecule to try to find equivalents from more local and low-impact sources that do not rely on threatened crops. By formulating the recipe from local ingredients, the flavour varies across production locations. Therefore, this first recipe that uses widely produced British ingredients will taste different than an Ecovado created in another country.

The avocado has become a modern-day cultural icon synonymous with hipster cafes and trendy Instagram posts. However, avocado production is energy-intensive and resource-intensive: each avocado requires 320 litres of water to grow and harvest internationally; avocados are one of the most unsustainable crops to export because of their delicate, easy to bruise nature; and the plantation-style monoculture farms required to meet the global demand for avocados are driving the deforestation of some of the most diverse landscapes in the world.

Human ingenuity has made it possible to create all kinds of fakes and simulations that are so convincing that they are hard to distinguish from what they imitate. Ecovado is an imitation that tries to improve upon reality, not merely reproduce it. And, hopefully, it will fool even the most sensitive of hipster tastebuds.