How Mission Produce builds its Mexican mango business
The upcoming 2024 Mexican mango season is poised to be a record season as more retailers understand that mangoes can be positioned all summer long, says Tim Beerup, mango consultant for Mission Produce, Oxnard, Calif.
“Moving mangoes into the mainstream with stone fruit not only builds upon the mango momentum, but also takes advantage of peak Mexican mango volume,” Beerup said.
Mission Produce continues to expand its mango business, he said.
“Our global sourcing network was built to deliver a reliable, year-round supply of high-quality mangoes with dependability our customers can trust,” Beerup said. “With our diversified sourcing strategy, coupled with our nationwide distribution network of state-of-the-art ripening facilities, we have the unmatched ability to follow the seasons around the globe to keep our mango supply strong, and delight your customers with an unrivaled mango eating experience.”
Beerup said the company’s grower network in Mexico is built based upon Mission’s 40 years of commitment to supply relationships with Mexican growers.
“Mission’s Mexican mango sourcing network is focused on bringing more value to the mango supply chain by providing unmatched sourcing capabilities, coupled with on-the-ground field representation, for both the round (kent, keitt, tommy atkins, haden) and the ataulfo (honey) varieties," he said. "Mission is committed to continual development of our Mexican sourcing network and to providing our customers with top quality mangoes throughout the Mexican season.”
Transitions
As Mission transitions in March from its vertically integrated mango operations in Peru, the marketer is poised to leverage the customer relationships solidified during the Peru season, Beerup said.
“Being able to reliably supply our customers during an undersupplied Peruvian mango season highlights Missions sourcing reliability,” he said. “Our global sourcing power positions Mission to continue to shape our vision for long-term mango growth and to expand our Mexican mango presence at the retail and foodservice levels this season.”
Beerup believes mangoes are no longer considered an exotic item and are now viewed as a highly profitable, velocity commodity that has tremendous growth potential.
“Understanding and utilizing the synergies between avocados and mangoes while leveraging the years of experience and infrastructure Mission has built, positions us to be the leader in the mango category,” he said. “I believe that our growth trajectory opportunity for mangoes mirrors what I see as the consumers ever-growing appetite for mangoes. Mission, as is the case with avocados, intends through global leadership, technology and innovation to lead the mango category to the next level and beyond.”
Outlook
The past several months demonstrated the resilience of the mango industry, Beerup said.
Weather-related mango supply shortages, which in the past may have gone unnoticed by the industry even five short years ago, had a substantial impact within the retail community, he said.
“Retailers have come to expect and rely upon mangoes as a growth driver in their produce offering,” he said. “Mangoes are no longer an afterthought. The upcoming 2024 Mexican mango season looks to be poised to be a record season as more retailers understand that mangoes can be positioned all summer long.”
Beerup said moving mangoes into the mainstream with stone fruit not only builds upon the mango momentum, but also takes advantage of peak Mexican mango volume opportunities from May to early September, he said.
“Retailers and food service operators alike, looking to capitalize on mangoes growth and margin potential, can take advantage of a great opportunity to promote mangoes with confidence this summer,” Beerup said.
