Mango movement from Mexico got off to a strong start in January and February, and importers were hopeful that a heat wave that kicked off in March would let up in time to keep that forward momentum flowing into the late spring and summer.
“The mango market from Mexico continues to rise in volume,” says Chris Ciruli, partner at Ciruli Bros. LLC, Rio Rico, Ariz. “We are running ahead of last year by over a million cases already,” he said March 19.
The round mango deal is coming on faster than the yellow deal, which he says is “an oddity for this time of year.”
April 11-18 should be the peak of the southern Mexico deal out of Oaxaca, Chiapas and Michoacan, mostly on yellow mangoes, but some round varieties will start pushing as well, he says.
“There will be plenty of fruit coming in during the month of April to make it a very active mango month,” Ciruli says.
More than 92% of the mangoes sold in the U.S. during the spring and summer come from Mexico, according to the Orlando, Fla.-based National Mango Board.
Volume in 2025 was 465,394,368 mangoes, a 14.7% increase over 2024. Per capita consumption was 3.8 pounds.
Quality has been excellent to start the season, especially out of Oaxaca, says Sebastian Sanchez Jr., director of sales and procurement for Santis Produce LLC, Pharr, Texas.
“We are seeing beautiful blush on tommy atkins mangoes, which customers respond very well to at retail,” he says. “We are seeing a higher percentage of larger fruit this year out of Oaxaca.”
Tommy atkins, kent and keitt are the industry’s most reliable and promotable mangoes, he adds.
Overall mango volume out of Michoacan is projected to be lower this year, says Wade Shiba, a managing partner at GM Produce Sales LLC, Hidalgo, Texas.
“Red mangoes are just barely starting out of that area and are expected to go until mid-May,” he said in late March. “Oaxaca is also projected to go until mid-May with their red mango production.”
The newer areas of Nayarit and Jalisco will have a later-than-normal start for both red and yellow mangoes, and a gap in production could occur in the latter part of May, he says.
Fuel costs have been driving up costs for everyone, Shiba adds.
“We are seeing huge increases in freight rates this year due to lack of truck drivers and astronomical fuel costs,” he says. “That adds a significant amount to the cost of the mangoes.”
Mango movers are pleased with the relatively long gap this year between the two spring mango holidays — Easter and Cinco de Mayo — Ciruli says.
“It’s hard to separate the two promotions when they are close together,” he says.
“It gives us a long time to get ready for Cinco de Mayo, which is much more advantageous.”
There was some concern that record high temperatures in March could interfere with floration on the mango trees and impact volume later in the season.
“[Hot weather] doesn’t have an immediate effect, but it has a lingering effect several months from now,” he says. “The mango industry is looking into how are we going to come out in the months of May and June.”
It’s hard to tell whether warm weather will just delay the mango crops or if the crops won’t be as abundant as the season progresses, he says.
There is a positive effect of having the warm weather.
“Heat produces really, really good, sweet fruit, so when you have temperatures like this, you’re going to have some great eating-quality fruit on the shelf for consumers,” Ciruli says. “That is a fantastic byproduct of us being so warm this time of year.”
In general, higher temperatures, especially warmer nights, can accelerate the ripening process and tighten the fruit shelf-life window, Sanchez says.
“At this point [in late March], we still feel confident in the crop and the overall production,” he says.
Santis Produce continues to strengthen its vertically integrated mango program across Oaxaca, Michoacan and Sinaloa, allowing the company to build reliable, long-term programs with its retail partners, Sanchez says.
“We’ve also been refining our private label packaging with a focus on clean, retail-ready presentations that support strong shelf appeal and consistent movement,” he says.
The company has added a dehydrated mango line, offering a “value-added, healthy snack option that complements the fresh category and helps extend mango consumption beyond the produce department,” he says.
GM Produce Sales has launched a 100% tree-ripened program for haden mangoes, says JoJo Shiba, West Coast director. It kicked off in the mango industry within the past year or two, she says.
“This year it has really taken off,” Shiba says. “The result is a much better-tasting mango, because the longer you leave it on the tree, the sweeter the mango gets.”
GM Produce Sales offers the tree-ripened fruit in 9-pound crates with about 12 or 22 mangoes per crate.
