Ciruli Bros.’s peak shipping for mangos coming in April
Ciruli Bros.’s peak shipping for mangos coming in April
RIO RICO, AZ — For Ciruli Bros. LLC the Mexican mango shipping peak will come in April, according to Chris Ciruli, chief operating officer of the Rio Rico-based firm.
On Feb. 16 Ciruli received its mango season’s first fruit through Texas.
The firm’s volume will reach a substantial level on March 16 and then hit a high volume plateau in April.
Chuck Ciruli III, chief executive officer of Ciruli Bros. LLC, with a box of Ataulfo mangos in the firm’s Nogales, AZ, warehouse. Despite miserable weather in the Northeast, Ciruli said, “It’s cold up there but people want spring. They’re putting fruit on the table.”
This season there will be “very promotable” volumes of Mexican mangos from late March all the way into August, he added. The volume will be larger than a year ago. “Last year was the first reduction in Mexican mango volume in 10 years of crossings,” he said.
Ciruli added that “prorating was not fun last year,” as his company had to limit volumes to customers. “This year, promoting will be a fun time to be in the mango business.”
The Produce News recently reported that Ciruli Bros. has focused in the last decade to establish the “Champagne” brand for its shippers’ Ataulfo mangos. Ciruli’s focus on marketing round mango varieties declined, but that tide will turn in 2015. Now Ciruli will be shipping more round mangoes — such as Haden and Kent — under the “Mr. Mango” and “Super Mango” labels.
The move is driven by retailer interest in offering more varieties than Champagne mangos on a single display.
