The mango supplies in the US are currently coming from Mexico, the season having started in January and running through September. Gary Clevenger of Freska Produce explains: “The season starts in southern Mexico and ends in Northern Mexico. It started right on time this year, and the volumes are coming out of the central region of Mexico right now.”
Good weather and quality
The season so far has been going well, says Clevenger. “The weather has been cooperating with growing mangos this year, and we’ve had very good quality on the fruit with no real issues.” The mango production is spread out throughout Mexico, which helps keep the supplies and quality steady. “The nice thing about Mexican mangos is that issues in one region never affect all regions. You may have a weather event in one area, but rarely does it affect all the regions,” Clevenger explains.
Freska is currently working with Tommy Atkins, Kent, and Ataulfo varieties, and they have been seeing good demand. “The market has been very good, with strong demand and pricing falling between the $5-$7 range,” Clevenger says. Even with the pandemic, Freska has been seeing normal movement on the mangoes. “There have been a few volume fluctuations due to extra precautions and social distancing in the packing houses, but for the most part things have been normal.”
The mango sector fortunately hasn’t experienced too many effects from the temporary shutting down of foodservice. “The foodservice business is a growing category for the mangos, but it didn’t affect us as much as some other products in the industry,” Clevenger says.
Growth expected for the mango sector
While the general demand has been strong, the organic demand has seen tremendous growth over the years, Clevenger shares. “We have seen sales almost doubling year over year,” he says, adding: “We also continue to see processed as a growing category for the mangos, and overall the entire mango category has been growing. We expect it to grow even more in the coming years and for mangos really become mainstream in the produce aisle. Mangos are a growing commodity here in the US with the per capita consumptions growing year over year.”
“As of recent some of the volumes coming out of Mexico have been a bit off, but we expect things to get back to normal here very soon, and we’re expecting to have normal volumes for summer promotions,” Clevenger concludes.
For more information:
Gary Clevenger
Freska Produce
Tel: +1 (805) 650-1040
Email: gary@freskaproduce.com
www.freskaproduce.com