Opinion: What’s up with mangoes from Down Under?
By Frieda’s Specialty Produce CEO Karen Caplan
Why is there sudden U.S. interest in mangoes from Australia? If you’ve tasted one, then you understand why. And America’s continuing love affair for all things Australian also helps!
While the U.S. mango market is highly competitive, Aussie mangos have seen success thanks to their premium quality, fragrant and sweet flavor, silky smooth texture, and beautiful skin color.
After many years of work, Australian growers and exporters were finally able to ship mangos into the U.S. with USDA-APHIS irradiation protocols in January 2015. With only a few U.S. importers of Australian mangoes, the demand is high.
Now preparing to ship the third U.S. season in January 2017, the Australian mango growers are excited to offer more volume and additional varieties.
Kensington Pride, R2E2, and Calypso are the three most popular varieties coming out of Australia right now. Frieda’s is very excited to bring to the U.S., in good volume, the Kensington Pride and R2E2 varieties starting in January.
With their sweeter, juicier, and large flesh-to-seed ratio, U.S. shoppers seem willing to pay premium price for amazing tasting and high color fruit. Many retailers will offer them as an additional mango variety for high-end stores.
American retailers may not be used to handling Australian mangoes, which are picked at a higher maturity level. That’s why they are air-shipped and must be handled a bit differently.
The savvy Australian Mango Industry Association (AMIA) offers a detailed ripening manual to take out the guesswork for U.S. wholesalers and retailers. That’s a very smart move.
It’s going to be interesting to see which mangoes will eventually win the hearts—and wallets—of American shoppers.
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