"Luca Garletti: "Peruvian mangoes by air, is a way to guarantee quality"

In response to the article published by FreshPlaza, titled: Peru:"It's illogical to ship mangoes by air rather than by sea", Luca Garletti of the Italian company McGarlet, specialising in exotic fruits, is keen to point out: "Shipping the products by air is perfectly understandable for those who want to work with a high-quality product, which is popular and appreciated by the market. Instead of a 20-25 day journey by sea, in fact, the mango shipped by air arrives at its destination in just 48 hours, allowing you to send to consumers a fruit which is pretty much just picked from the tree."

A couple of weeks ago, the company McGarlet began the season of the Peruvian mango and will receive a total of 15 air-shipment by March 2014: "Overall, we move 12,000 parcels of mango using this mode of transportation, while other 100,000 packages will be imported by sea. The price to the final consumer for the goods arriving by air is 6-7 € / kg, which drops to 2 to 2.50 € / kg for mangos shipped by sea."

Luca Garletti points out: "However, I would like to remind that Peru has always used air transportation, given its adverse geographical location, and specifically for the trade of mango. The real problem lies rather in the ability or inability to handle large volumes of production, especially this year, and the resulting logistical organization. Moreover, I can assure that we’re not using illegal substances to ripen the fruit, as stated by Belfrut SAC."

Although the Italian market represents less than 10% in the international trade of mangoes, it accounts for 30% of the mangoes sales of the company McGarlet: "In Italy, the consumer who is mature and aware and has spending power, would definitely opt for goods shipped by air, even if that means more expensive fruit. This demanding segment of consumers appears to be expanding. Additional channels, however, choose the mango arriving by ship."

McGarlet markets the Kent variety of mangoes. Garletti points out that “The benefit of the Kent variety is the absence of fibre, which makes it more pleasant to eat. Though it presents a less intense colour than the variety Tommy (the one prevailing in the Italian market), when we propose the Kent variety as an alternative, the result is as always greater customer loyalty."

After a few years of medium-low production, the 2013 season of the Peruvian mango will provide abundant volumes and excellent quality of the fruit: "It’s a shame that the market is still that slow. We will see how things develop from now to Christmas," said Luca Garletti.

For more information:
Mc Garlet
Via Nicola Calipari 12
Albano S. Alessandro (BG)
Tel. +39 035 4521314
Fax +39 035 582363
Email: mcgarlet@mcgarlet.it
Web: www.mcgarlet.it