Ciruli relies on mango quality program as differentiator

The Champagne mango has long been Ciruli Brothers’ exclusive brand for premium Ataulfo variety mangos.

“What sets us apart is our quality program, which includes control points throughout the supply chain, allowing for consistent flavor and a better eating experience for consumers,” said Chris Ciruli, chief operations officer for the family owned company.

In recent years, the Nogales, AZ-based distributor has also increased its footprint with regard to the other varieties, which are commonly referred to as round mangos. The company has grown its marketing of red and green varieties, including Kent, Keitt, Haden and Tommy Atkins. “These are sold in the Mr. Mango, Super Mango and Señor Mango brand names,” he said. “We are actively selling these round mango varieties concurrently with our yellow Champagne program.”

Like for many crops this year, the 2023 season started slow because of colder-than-usual winter weather, but volume did pick up in March and April. “We are currently peaking in volume and expect to make a big push with parallel production across the states of Chiapas, Michoacan and Nayarit,” Ciruli said.

In fact, he noted that the company expects heavy volume of Champagnes and Kents from May through July, with Champagnes peaking between May 15 and June 15, and Kents peaking between June 19 and July 17. “Due to light rains in early May, we are also expecting to see an improvement in sizing with Champagnes peaking in the 16 to 18 count range, and Kents peaking in 9 counts,” Ciruli added.

It has long been reported that mangos sales are particularly impacted by retail advertising. “Promotions play a big role in merchandising and movement. Retailers are more likely to allocate bigger space in more prominent areas to mangos while they are promoting,” Ciruli said. “Mangos move better when they are in higher traffic locations at attractive pricing.”

He added that there are multiple ways to showcase mangos during promotions. “Mangos can be sold in bulk, usually at a per each price,” said the longtime mango specialist. “Ciruli Brothers also encourages promotions in multiples, including case-level promotions and alternate value packs like clamshells. Another way to garner sales is to offer different mango varieties at the same time, with ripe and ready to eat fruit.”

The company is helping to facilitate promotions this year in a new way. “This year, we made a big marketing push with a new landing page for our Champagne buyers which highlights suggested temperature ranges for better mango handling,” Ciruli said. “It also helps connect buyers with our team so they can access the various marketing tools we offer.”

The effort is helping stimulate sales. “We have seen increasing demand for mangos from all customer segments, with particular growth from retail and emerging outlets such as online grocers and ship-to-home meal kit companies in recent years,” he said.

The company offers a variety of resources to retailers including several point-of-sale signage pieces, mango display blueprints, display bin wraps, recipes and bright packaging that includes consumer-friendly tips.

“Many of our team members come from a retail background, and we have developed best practices for fruit handling and display creation,” Ciruli added. “Our resources are available to our customers at www.ChampagneMango.com.”

Ciruli remains bullish on future prospects in the United States for mangos.

“Since 2005, mango per capita consumption has climbed 93 percent from 1.88 pounds to 3.63 pounds, according to the National Mango Board,” he reported. “Mangos continue to be the most widely consumed fruit in the world and as more U.S. consumers become acquainted with great quality mangos, we believe there is still plenty of opportunity to grow consumption.”