Ataulfo
Organic consumption continues to grow at a record pace and is trending continued growth. Mexican producers are planting and converting more and more orchards to organic. This is mainly because of the growing global consumer appetite for organics, but also because organic production in Mexican communities makes it possible to protect the health and safety of their employees, the community, the environment, etc. The two most common mango varieties are the Tommy Atkins and the Ataulfo , which are the two most relevant in terms of production volumes and sales. There are also other varieties, depending on the region, such as the Keitt and Kent, which mark the end of the season for each region. Sinaloa, for example, grows every variety, including the Tommy Atkins and Ataulfo, the Keitt, Kent, Haden, Thai, Manila, Green and Baby.
The growing market demand for organics allows for plenty of room for both organic and conventional. The demand for organic mangoes continues to grow rapidly every year. “The orchards come on as weather and heath allow, making it impossible to organize -advanced- specific date predictions by varietal. Thus for the US market, we have tried, from a marketing point of view, to move away from specific dated varietal promotions to a more versatile approach of promoting round mangoes and yellow mangoes. We sell the mangoes as they come form the orchards”, says Nissa Pierson of Crespo Organic Mangoes. “For the most part mango customers tend to look for a round or yellow mangoes. Organic customers, more than conventional customers, appreciate the nuances and specifics of each varietal, so we do incorporate a lot of education and promotions by varietal, but those marketing and sales efforts tend to be shorter in time frame and less predictable by date, but are equally important”, she explains.
There is no rival in the US
Mexico is the largest and most important exporter to the US market during the summer season, with little to no competition. Dominican mangoes have a much smaller program, with a much shorter window. It’s space in the marketplace is more like a specialty niche item and is especially predominant on the East Coast. Likewise there is little pressure from the Australian or Indian mangoes, especially in the organic sector, as their crops are required to have irradiation treatment before entering into the US and cannot be certified organic. As a result, Mexico is the main exporter of mangoes for the US.
"Mango Mania"Crespo Organic, Summer Mango Mania #MuchosMangoes is a campaign to promote mangoes, timed precisely during the collision point between peak production times of Nayarit and Sinaloa regions. The promotional period is used to excite, entice and educate consumers with not just the product, but also the ways in which consumers can eat and use the fruit. Even though mangoes are the most consumed fruit in the world, the US is still slightly behind in this regard, because they do not know quite how to handle the fruit overall; selection, storage, cutting and eating. In the framework of Summer Mango Mania, the organizers promote seminars about mangoes for buyers and cooking classes for consumers, and they also teach and encourage distribution chains to showcase the fruit through demos and tasting, including how to
cut the fruit. (#ChooseYourCut)
They expect to sell a significant amount of mangoes this season as well as working strategically with distribution and wholesale chains to improve product education and excitement; with more demos and tastings, cooking classes and seminars as well as an increased digital footprint.
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