The mango market is currently developing positively, according to Manfred van der Vlag of Sweet Fruits' Dutch sales office in Emmen. "Supply has been arriving inconsistently due to weather conditions, congestion, and strikes. This has been the case for weeks, and these delays quickly lead to market shortages."
Sweet Fruits focuses on the year-round supply of the Palmer variety from Brazil. "In previous years, the supply at the start of the season could sometimes be disappointing, but that is not the case this year. There are excellent volumes available," says Manfred. Complementing the year-round supply of the Palmer variety, the Dutch importer also receives Keitt mangoes from June and Kent mangoes from mid-October. "We love all varieties, but the Palmer is our flagship, and we receive it year-round," he adds.
Manfred also notes that the Palmer variety has made a comeback on European shelves. "Last year, due to El Niño, there were almost no high-quality Kent mangoes available from Peru. As a result, several European retailers decided to reintroduce the Palmer variety, and that has paid off. In Germany, in particular, there has been a revival. However, in a country like France, Palmer is still undervalued. Currently, mango prices are at a reasonable level—not exceptionally high, but certainly not bad either. The supply of Peruvian Kent mangoes will start to decline in the coming weeks, while the Palmer supply will remain stable," Manfred expects. "Moreover, we see a clear improvement in quality compared to last year, thanks to optimized production and post-harvest processes. This, in turn, translates into greater customer satisfaction, as they want a stable and reliable product."
Sweet Fruits' Dutch sales office stopped offering West African mangoes years ago. "That is a market that requires specialization and comes with significant risks due to the advances that need to be paid. We already have sufficient volumes of high-quality mangoes available from Brazil during that period, so for us, there is no added value in dealing with another mango variety. Instead, we prefer to focus on our own product."
From Sweet Fruits' headquarters in Brazil, Manfred highlights the notable increase in exports to Asian countries. "In 2022, we had no presence in Asia at all. In 2023, we made some progress, and last year, our Brazilian colleagues managed to account for 60% of national exports to countries such as Japan, South Korea, and China—amounting to around 3,000 pallets of air-freighted mangoes. Here in the Netherlands, we see it as an exciting challenge to achieve similar success with tree-ripened Palmer mangoes."
For more information:
Manfred van der Vlag
Sweet Fruits
Westerstraat 154
7811 MV Emmen
Tel: +31 (0)591 745111
[email protected]
