AU: Unusually tasty mangos mangoes from Pine Creek

When one thinks of where high-quality mangos come from, one doesn't often think of fields that were once mined for precious metals. But in Australia, they've been growing some of the highest-quality mangos on soil where there was once a thriving mining operation.

Silver Coin Mining & Prospecting was formed in 1982 by Tom and Regina Harbrow in Australia's Northern Territory. It was a small family mining operation working tin, silver, lead and gold well into the early 1990's. When mining operations were finished, the Harbrows decided to turn to farming.“Initially,” says Tom Harbrow, “1,600 trees were planted, and in 1995 the packing house was built.”They then watched their project thrive into a successful growing operation now known as the Pine Creek Mango Plantation. From the humble beginnings of a single packing house, they've added much new machinery which helps them turn out some of the most sought-after mangos in Australia.

“We decided to become a boutique grower for high quality mangos when we saw mangos from Pine Creek sell for $100 a box in Sydney in 1981,” says Harbrow.He credits the unusual location and climate as important factors in churning out such good fruit. The elevation and acidic content of the soil, along with a host of other things, are also cited as reasons for the quality output.“Through blind taste tests and visual assessments, the produce has been cited for its high quality,” says Harbrow. “This has been attributed to the soil acidity, elevation, micro-climate, and the spacing and orientation of rows to take advantage of cool prevailing winds that promote flowering.”

Though the region never looked like the best location to grow mangos, the Harbrows believe their decision to persevere has ultimately paid off with some of the best early fruit in Australia.“We witnessed plantations in the area that were under-capitalized that grew haphazardly and were inefficient,” says Harbrow, “but we decided to grow here, despite accountants' advice, and that decision has now been vindicated.”

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