Ciruli Bros. touts its Champagne mangoes for March promotion

Ciruli Bros. LLC says March is a great month for the retail promotion of its Champagne mangoes.

Chris Ciruli, chief operating officer of the Rio Rico, Ariz.-based company, said there is expected to be limited round mango production available, which will allow a transition to Champagne mangoes (ataulfo variety) from the start of March through Cinco de Mayo.

“We expect consistent volume and consistent pricing for promotions during this period,” he said.

“We have confidence in supplies for Champagne mangoes during the months to come,” Ciruli added. “We do not anticipate an opportunity to promote round varieties until the end of April or May. There are too many inconsistencies in supply forecasts and sizing to truly understand the state of the crop.”

The 2024 mango season is slated to be a near carbon copy of 2023, he said.

“The early bloom sets have more fruit than last year,” he said. “This is because there was more rain during the fall months, which contributed to an abundance of crop from Chiapas and Michoacán [in Mexico].”

While it is too early to tell what the production will be in the northern states, Ciruli said the marketer anticipates that with good weather in Michoacán, the company can exceed its 2023 volume of Mexican mangoes.

“It is worth noting that the middle states which are in transition between June through August have ample bloom which has yet to set, therefore making volume projections difficult at this time," he said.

Options

Ciruli Bros. offers its customers different packaging options for mangoes, all of which are designed with the consumer in mind, Ciruli said.

The options include small display-ready boxes, clamshells and a traditional 4-kilogram (around 8.8 pounds) box. All yellow mangoes are sold in Ciruli Bros.’ Champagne mango label, and the rounds are marketed in the Super Mango, Mr. Mango, and Señor Mango brands.

“Our marketing efforts with retail partners are based on driving volume with promotions that start early and often,” Ciruli said. “We encourage larger displays for improved visibility and traffic, and fruit that is a deep, bright yellow, mature and extremely sweet. This is important for the consumer. We want people to have a great experience eating our mangoes and encourage repeat buys more often.”

Eating quality is expected to be exceptional in March, he said. Ciruli Bros. is encouraging its retail partners to cut and sample the Champagne mangoes for customers to try.

Growth

The mango business continues to grow, Ciruli said.

“We have continued to hit double-digit growth in volume, year after year, with our Champagne mango program,” he said. “Our round program has also grown.”

Ciruli said that retail chains that have learned how to sell Champagne mangoes continue to see growth.

“We enjoy helping them plan for more,” he said. “There are still a number of retailers who mainly carry round mangoes, however, and that is the growth opportunity we see.”

With different mango varieties available at different times of the year, he said Ciruli Bros. looks forward to working with retailers to help them grow mango category sales.