Mexican mango season kicks off for Freska Produce

Freska Produce International LLC, a leading marketer of mangos and avocados, has certified and begun to harvest and pack mangos in Chiapas and Oaxaca, Mexico.

The first variety that will be harvested is Ataulfo (Honey) mangos. The company said this year’s crop looks to be very nice and has plentiful mangos currently available.

Chiapas looks to start out with larger Ataulfos while Oaxaca will have more medium to smaller fruit. In about two to three weeks Freska will begin harvesting red mango Tommy Akins variety.

With the opening of Mexican mango season, Freska will supply customers with both organic and conventional mangos through September of this year.

The company is focused on quality, food safety and fair trade mangos. Last year, Freska returned close to $700,000 to growers and packers in Mexico through the fair trade program.

Mexico is a major player in the mango market, last year it produced 65 million pounds of mangos for the U.S. market, an increase of 12 percent over the previous year. Varieties produced are Tommy Atkins, Kents, Keitts, Hadens and Ataulfos.

“We will increase our volume 30 percent over last year with a combination of a brand-new pack house coming in line first part of February along with added production from new groves coming into production,” said Jesus (Chuy) Loza of Freska. “Freska will offer special packs along with the standard four-kilo mango box, clamshell, bags and a five-down configuration (22 pounds/10 kilograms).”