“Our family has been growing papayas in Colima, Mexico, for over 20 years,” Edgar Millan, general manager for Caraveo Papayas Inc., located on Randall Avenue in the Bronx, NY, told The Produce News. “We handle some other items, such as limes and mangos, but our primary focus is on the Maradol and the Tainung varieties of papaya.”

The company imports its products through McAllen, TX, and from there they are distributed primarily to the Northeastern United States, although a portion is shipped as far west as San Francisco and numerous areas in between.

“The Tainung and Maradol papayas present us with different markets,” Mr. Millan explained. “Asians prefer the Tainung, and they tend to want it greener. In fact, they often use them when they’re still green in their recipes.”

Matthew Millan, son of Edgar Millan, general manager for Caraveo Papayas, taking a nice bite of the company's papayas.“Latinos like their papayas larger and really ripe, and so they prefer the Maradol,” he continued. “We market to both of these groups.”

He noted that the demand has steadily increased over the past four to five years as consumers are becoming more educated about the great flavor and health benefits of papayas.

“Demand is also increasing because retailers are learning how to sell them,” said Mr. Millan. “Just a few years ago it was quite normal to see Maradol papayas that were still green on retail shelves. Consumers weren’t sure what to do with them. We decided to begin ripening them here in the United States, and to educate our customers on when to display them and how to handle them.”

Caraveo’s strategy was absolutely spot-on. People were attracted to the bright yellow-orange color, and when they got them home they were ready to cut open and eat just when the flavor was at its best. Mr. Millan said that the shelf life is a little shorter, but the appeal is so much greater that it more than compensates.

Today the company has a hard time keeping up with the demand.

Caraveo has four farms in Mexico. Mr. Millan said that this helps to reduce the risk of being totally wiped out if a storm or hurricane hits the area.

“We were hit really hard by a hurricane the first year we were producing papayas,” he said. “We learned quickly that it’s better to have several smaller farms rather one big one. Today we have about 120 hectares of papaya groves on four separate farms. They produce at different times, and this enables us to provide year-round supplies to our customers.”

The company’s customer profile is across the board, including retailers, bodegas, other wholesalers and foodservice operators.

Mr. Millan said that the papaya is quickly becoming as popular as the mango, adding that the family company believes that being the best takes hard work and the proper cultivation.

“Our produce is grown and harvested under the highest standards and our sanitation methods and rapid distribution has afforded us the reputation as one of the most trusted papaya distributors in the business,” he said. “Food safety is of the utmost importance to us as well. All of our produce is certified by Inocuidad Mexico and also by Primuslabs, whose food auditing methods are fully recognized and evaluated by the Global Food Safety Initiative.

“All of our fruit is washed and sanitized before packaging and transport,” he continued. “For our customers this means they get the highest quality produce available that is held to impeccable health and safety standards.”