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Tommy Atkins
PHOTO COURTESY OF NATIONAL MANGO BOARD
CONDITIONS RIPE FOR SALES
More broadly, conditions in the U.S. market for both organic and conventional Mexican mangos have been stronger than last year despite greater supplies, according to Nissa Pierson, who heads up the organic program for Mexican grower-exporter Crespo. Many growers are reporting a year-on-year volume rise of around 15 percent.
“So far it’s been really great on the organics side,” Pierson tells FreshFruitPortal. com. “We’ve really been neck-and-neck with demand, with a lot of di erent moments where demand has pushed past supply a little
bit. In years past, especially at this time of year, mangos have become very voluminous and prices get really low. e conventional market has also been higher, and demand has been stronger this year, which has helped keep organic prices and demand more stable.”
As well as the planting trend toward early- season production, Pierson explains that over the years, many growers have moved over to the Tommy Atkins variety because of its bene- ts both for growers and consumers.
“Tommy Atkins tend to survive hot-water baths that resist disease better than some of the others, and they travel better. ... So,
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I think that as consumers learn more about each variety, they’re starting to appreciate the nuances of each and, for the most part, are just enjoying mangos.”
On another front, the sales evolution of the fruit is tied with everything else on the product side from Mexico, says Grocery Outlet’s Bell. “I think, initially, there’s a lot of concern in terms of how safe the product is to consume. But Americans have become accus- tomed to eating fruits and vegetables from Mexico and are a lot more knowledgeable now, thanks to the Internet and knowing the quantity of product that comes from Mexico versus years ago, when they didn’t know.”
en there’s the sni test, he continues. “You can walk up to a mango display and smell the quality. A mango’s a very fragrant fruit and sells itself. I think things like Avocados from Mexico have helped bridged that gap, too, just by association.”
HEALTHY PROMOTIONS PAY OFF
e health bene ts of Mexican mangos, of course, are another high priority among consumers, says Bell, who notes they’re high in Vitamin C and ber. However, he doesn’t believe they’re highly touted by a number of retailers, which can translate into a missed opportunity. “When you talk about antioxi- dants on avocados, you see the sales on it jump dramatically. I think there’s a lot of market research they could do and gure out ways to really hype how good that piece of fruit is for people. ... Avocados from Mexico has done a great job getting that information out on avocados.”
Adds Cesar Garcia, sales director at New Mundoexport Fruits, Inc., in Hidalgo, TX: “We have to focus on education for new consumers because, in my opinion, American people are willing to try mangos.”
Angela Serna, communications manager for the National Mango Board, says one of