What would grocery stores in the U.S. be without mangos? What colors would adorn the beautiful menus in restaurant locations across the nation? With their beautiful golden flesh and skin tones that vary from greens to red to golds and pink, mangos bring color and flavor to the lives of U.S. consumers. For this reason and more, the National Mango Board (NMB) is taking a moment to pay tribute one of the world’s most beloved fruit: Mango. And what would a tribute to this beautiful fruit be without paying homage to where it all started for the U.S.: South Florida.
It has been more than 200 years since mangos arrived in South Florida, with the remarkable efforts of personalities such as David Fairchild, who was the first to successfully introduce the grafted Indian mango variety— Mulgoba. The Mulgoba tree is how this story begins. Born in Coconut Grove, FL in Mrs. Florence Haden’s (sound familiar?) backyard, this Mulgoba variety joined the Caribbean native Turpentine mango, to create a new variety that was named “Haden.” With its shades of red, yellow and green, excellent flavor, and golden flesh, the Haden mango quickly became a local favorite and is who we thank for establishing the mango industry in Florida, and ultimately the continental U.S. From the Haden mango seeds, came the “Kent” variety, the red blushed “Keitt,” and the firm and fleshy “Tommy Atkins.” The NMB says that the Haden tree is the "Tree of Life" that helped propagate this fruit to U.S. consumers.
“It is amazing to trace back the origin and birth of the U.S. mango industry to our neighbors in South Florida,” stated Valda Coryat, Director of Marketing at the NMB. “We are so inspired by the passion and love Florida natives and families have towards their mangos. Their varieties are a part of their history. For generations they’ve cared for their own trees in their backyards and fields. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to celebrate with them and experience Florida’s mango culture!”
All month long, the NMB will celebrate and thank our South Florida friends for sharing this magnificent fruit and making it as popular as it is now across grocery stores, restaurants, and households nationwide. You can join in the fun with the NMB this summer, celebrating South Florida and mangos at these following events:
Mango and Tropical Fruit Festival at Fairchild
July 14-15, 2018
Coral Gables, FL
Chef’s Mango Brunch (invitation only)
July 22, 2018
Homestead, FL
South Beach Mango Festival
August 5, 2018
Miami Beach, FL
For more information:
Angela Serna
National Mango Board
Tel: +1 (407) 629-7318 ext. 113