This past weekend, London Fruit exhibited at PMA Fresh Summit for the 6th time. The booth was part of Texas Town, consisting of a group of Texas exhibitors. The company had several fruit items on display including avocados, mangos and limes. “However, most attendees were drawn to the booth because of the jackfruit,” says Mario Cardenas, who heads up the Sales Department at London Fruit in Pharr, TX.
The London Fruit team at Fresh Summit. From left to right: Michael Stewart, Jorge Hernandez, Cindy Swanberg Schwing and Mario Cardenas.
Jackfruit is intriguing
“Jackfruit is an attractor because it is so new and different,” Jerry Garcia (pictured right) said, VP of London Fruit. “It is just an intriguing piece of fruit that makes people curious.” Consumers want to know what it is, what is tastes like and how to cut it. “It’s hard to explain in one or two words what it tastes like, but there is consensus that the taste of this exotic fruit variety is a combination of seven different flavors: pineapple, mango, peach, banana, orange, kiwifruit and cantaloupe.” Some consumers add that it has a gum taste, either bubblegum or Juicy Fruit gum. “Altogether, it is a piece of fruit with a unique taste and distinct – rubbery – texture.” Vegetarians and vegans who follow a plant-based diet are very interested in jackfruit for its meat-substituting characteristics.
Jackfruit can be eaten plain, but it’s also popular to add Tajín seasoning to it. “Promoting jackfruit with Tajín is working well for us as it provides promotional opportunities.”
Photo credit: Freshtography. Jackfruit and pods.
Lot of interest
“Right now, jackfruit is so popular that we can’t keep it in the house,” shared Garcia. Often, it is sold before it even enters London Fruit’s warehouse. There is a lot of interest from wholesalers as well as retailers, who in turn sell the product to the consumer in different formats. Wholesalers sell it as a whole piece of fruit by the pound while retailers most commonly sell it whole by the pound or pre-cut on a tray. Consumers who are hesitant to buy a large piece of fruit may be interested in learning that pre-cut jackfruit can be stored in the freezer. It will maintain its integrity and texture and allow the consumer to enjoy it over an extended period of time.
London Fruit’s jackfruit is sourced from Mexico. Although it is pretty much available year-round, supplies from October through December depend on the circumstances during the growing season. From January until September, supplies are guaranteed to be plentiful.
Ripe jackfruit on tree.
For more information:
Mario Cardenas
Sales Manager
London Fruit
Tel: 956-781-7799
mario@londonfruit.com
www.londonfruit.com