Tango Fruit has been recognized with the "2026 Flavor of the Year" Award in Spain and Portugal, the most prestigious seal in the food industry in both countries. It is the only award in which products are evaluated objectively by end consumers, and it has been proven over time that featuring this annual label significantly increases the brand's sales.
Up to 80 regular consumers within this category participated in blind tastings conducted at an authorized, specialized laboratory. These tastings awarded Tango Fruit mandarins the highest overall satisfaction score, recognizing their exceptional quality across four established parameters: texture (consistency), appearance, aroma, and, notably, flavor.
Global Quality will present the award to Eurosemillas—the operator of Tango Fruit—and other winning food brands at a gala event. In Spain, the event will take place on Wednesday, January 21, at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. In Portugal, the ceremony is set for February 5 at Mercado da Ribeira in Lisbon.
© EUROSEMILLAS, S.A.Tango Fruit in a large supermarket in Portugal.
Products are evaluated by consumers who score quality criteria from 0 to 10, not voted on. They are evaluated by a sample of regular consumers (people who consume the product at least once every two weeks) with representative profiles in gender, age, and professional status. Tests were conducted in sensory analysis labs compliant with ISO 8589, with individual booths and separate sample prep areas. Only products scoring 6 or above (out of 10) could be nominated for "Flavor of the Year,' with the highest score winning.
The Tango Fruit mandarin not only achieved the highest scores across all evaluated parameters, appearance, texture, smell, flavor, and overall satisfaction, but also performed best in purchase intention in both competitions. In Spain, up to 89% of participants indicated they would "probably" or "for sure' buy these mandarins, while in Portugal, 80% expressed similar willingness. The Spanish brand, which has experienced double-digit growth across all EU and South African markets in recent years, had a favorable starting point. It was already one of the six citrus brands (oranges and mandarins) that participants recognized and recalled before the blind tasting, according to data from the Spanish award report.
© EUROSEMILLAS, S.A.Tango Fruit in a Spanish supermarket.
In both Portugal and Spain, this was the first time that Eurosemillas submitted its candidacy for this prestigious competition. The Spanish company, which owns the rights to Tang Gold—also known as Tango—and is the sole protected variety offered by Tango Fruit, is now taking over the lead in the mandarin category from the well-established traditional Torres brand (now part of the Iberian Premium Fruits group). Torres received this recognition for the past three consecutive years (2023 to 2025) for both mandarins and oranges.
Ana Cano, CEO of Eurosemillas, believes this award could serve as "the ultimate boost for Tango, recognizing both the variety and the Tango Fruit brand itself. It highlights the objective quality of our mandarin, which we are confident will better support the interests of citrus growers who have trusted and worked with us." Ongoing data from monitoring previous award-winning foods confirms that this seal reinforces the product's flavor and quality attributes, enhances the brand image, increases recognition and consumer trust, encourages consumers to try and purchase it, and provides a competitive edge.
For more information:
Eurosemillas
https://www.eurosemillas.com/es/
