Page 58 - February2019

the board’s primary missions is consumer education about mangos. “We have a direct- to-consumer program that includes heavy public relations outreach. We also do a lot of paid-ampli cation campaigns as well as work on our SEO strategies, so mango education has a surround sound on all digital platforms. Of course, social media plays a huge role in mango education and serves as a steady drum beat on continuous mango education.”
OTHER EXPORT REGIONS FILL GAP
Although Bell says there’s aren’t many new varieties on the horizon, “some growing regions are continuing to move and get better at exporting quality fruit. Peru, Chile, Mexico, and Costa Rica are getting into the mango business signi cantly and making it a
year-round fruit, much like avocados. I think it’s more like the growing regions coming online and exploring a quality piece of fruit.”
Palmers are the most recent variety that are being commercially grown and being marketed from a few of the exporting coun-
tries currently. Cohen of Vision Import points out, “we know there are some experimental groves to see if the production would be viable in their respective territory. So, we will have to wait and see what the next variety will be to complement the existing o erings.” pb
58 / FEBRUARY 2019 / PRODUCE BUSINESS