RCF, which works under the umbrella El Grupo Crespo, has been active in the mango market for years, starting with the sale of conventional mangoes around the border. Around 4 years ago, the company started to marketing their organic mangoes to other US importers and this year decided to bypass middlemen all together, by giving direct access to organic customers.
According to Nissa Pierson from Crespo Organic, "There has been a big push for marketing this year in the hopes that, as the market changes, they will start using more education. Extra education and resources can only benefit the Mexican produce industry and further its success in the US market."
Summer Mango Mania
Marketing campaign, Summer Mango Mania #MuchosMangoes, is planned to start during peak season on social media along with being present in the retail stores so the customers can experience the mangoes first hand. Nissa said that it is difficult to predict when that will be exactly this year, saying that it had been a very peculiar season so far. The season has been delayed and the recent storms which hit while the orchards were still in bloom has made it difficult to say how many blossoms would actually turn into mangoes. As a result, yield predictions have been difficult, but they are still expecting this season to be a good one, with the peak season in Sinaloa to hit around June.
The Mexican organic season starts as early as February for mangoes out of Oaxaca, and runs all the way through the middle to end of August for mangoes being grown in Los Mochis.
Tommy Atkins and Ataulfo are the two main varieties that the company offers, but they also supply pther well known varieties such as Haden, Kents and Keitts. Crespo will also offer specialty mangoes such as thai mangoes, green mangoes and baby mangoes out of Rosario and Sinaloa during Summer Mango Mania.
#Choose your cut
#ChooseYourCut is an education tool, with video series as well as print, to educate on the various ways to cut mangoes, describing each cut and how each stage of ripeness has a specific cut.
"There are five different ways to cut a mango and which cut you use actually depends on the ripeness of the mango. The hedgehog method that everyone like to use doesn't actually work on a ripe mango. We want to teach people all of the options, but especially for kids, there is a cut called the mango hack where you actually use a glass to peel the mango which is a safe and easy to prepare the fruit for snacking." said Nissa.
One of the specialty items being offered during peak season, baby mangoes, will be promoted as a great snack option for children. The smaller sized mangoes come in a two pound net bag and will be promoted as a 'grab and go' snack.
#KidCutMangoes is the campaign teaching the best ways for kids to cut mangoes. Chef Svea Herrstar will be the KICK (Kids in the Crespo Kitchen) chef for the kids series. Svea is 9 years old, from Missouri, and will be doing all her original recipes and teaching kids how to consume, cut and cook with mangoes. She will also introduce Crespo's Summer Mango Mania kids social media contest "Summer Mango Paletas”, a popsicle contest for kids, to be announced on May 15th.
Grower to consumer
"I am really excited about the shift to our grower to consumer program. I have been working towards that goal for a long time, so for me, it has been really rewarding because it really allows for flexibility and control for the retailers to buy direct. This means better pricing, better options and better quality because there is more control of warehouses and fields."
"Another one of the main components of the brand marketing is our Hecho in Mexico symbol. We want to celebrate and remind people that this product comes from Mexico and the Mexican people. We really want to educate consumers about the realities of the supply chain, something that rarely happens withing our industry, especially for products with Mexican origins!" said Nissa.
"I feel like this is the beginning of something really great, especially for organic mangoes which still tends to be a niche item. In the last four years, one of my main goals was to get all of the details perfected from the Mexican side. The right counts in the right regions, timing, varieties, palletization issues, a lot of packers and packhouses don't understand the nuances of the market. I have a boots on the ground style and am bilingual, so I am able to go to the source and explain why things need to be done in a certain way. I feel like I have had a translator role for Crespo, translating this 'crazy' American market so that the Mexican side can understand it and make money. A lot of the money is in the details."
