As a sign the Mexico mango season is gaining volume, the Crespo Group celebrated the opening of the Empaque Don Jorge pack-house for the 2018 season. Located in Rosario, Sinaloa, Empaque Don Jorge passed the USDA audits for their hot water tanks last week. The first box of mangoes was then packed that same day.
"After the USDA inspected the seven hot water tanks on Wednesday and Thursday, Empaque Don Jorge opened for the season a month earlier than last year," said Nissa Pierson of Crespo Organic. "Crespo Organic is the only organic brand we pack at Empaque Don Jorge. We have a dedicated line specifically set aside for our organic mango program."
"Empaque Don Jorge is a 10-12 hour drive from the border which makes it a convenient option in addition to the more southerly pack-houses that already opened earlier in the season," Pierson said. "We bring in organic mangoes from many of the regions. Nayarit is about to come on, followed by Sinaloa in June."
Importance for the community
Being one of the largest mango pack-houses in Mexico, Empaque Don Jorge is a vital part of the local community. Many of the workers live in nearby Rosario, giving the pack-house a close knit atmosphere. Pierson noted that not only is the pack-house helping the local community, but a lot of young people are now getting involved too.
"Ninety percent of the labor force comes from Rosario and surrounding areas," she said. "On my last visit, I noticed that a lot of young people were working there now and this created a wonderful atmosphere. Some of the families have been working at the pack-house for four to five generations. And the fact that the pack-house opened early this season means that there is more work opportunities for the local community."
El Grupo Crespo has been around since the 1960s and the links with the community run deep. The company said they are committed to trading in a way that benefits the community the pack-house calls home. "We take great pride in educating the industry and consumers on who we are," Pierson noted. "Because we deal directly with our customers with a direct trade program, a significant portion of revenue generated by Empaque Don Jorge is reinvested back into the pack-house itself, the program's overall infrastructure, and also the local area. For example, a few years ago, not only were we were able to completely update all of our packing, sorting and washing machines, but the equipment also offers our workers a healthier work environment."
Outlook for the season
As more of the regions begin production, a lot of fruit is expected to pass through Empaque Don Jorge. However, with demand the way it is, growers are saying that currently, supplies are stretched until those extra regions begin.
"So far, we have seen a lot of fruit for the start of the season," Pierson observed. "As we transition from south to north, there will be bumps in supply occasionally, mainly for size-specific demands, and with current trending demand, supplies appear to be rather finite until more volume comes by the middle of May."
"Quality is expected to be good and sizing should be a little bigger than last year," she added. "There was a decent amount of water this season and we expect ample fruit in the full spectrum of sizing, with a good deal of larger sizing available. Tommys should remain strong and Ataulfos will still be in good supply until the end of August."
According to Crespo, the organic Ataulfo market has been growing strongly, and the company expects demand will pick up for the other organic mango varieties as they increase in volume with Sinaloa's start, and just in time for the summer promotions. "We've seen even more growth in the organic mango category than we had anticipated," Pierson shared. "The demand has been excellent and continues to be very strong. At the onset of June, our summer promotion - Mango Mania - will kick off involving a lot of social media outreach as well as a general abundance of mangoes."
For more information:
Nissa Pierson
Crespo Organic
Tel: +1 (347) 306-3286