Last year, Freska Produce International LLC in Oxnard, CA, signed a two-year licensing agreement with the folks at Disney to use Disney characters on individual mangos and on some of its shipping cartons.

But, in fact, no fruit was shipped bearing the iconic images of Mickey and Minnie or Donald and Pluto.

“To be honest you have to jump through a lot of hoops to be able to use those characters and we weren’t quite ready last year,” said Gary Clevenger, managing member and co-founder of the mango-centric firm.

He said the food-safety and social responsibility audits took time, and it was time consuming to make sure all the participating packingsheds also complied with the very high standards set by both Disney and Freska.

Oxnard, CA-based Freska Produce International is in the second year of a licensing agreement that allows it to use Disney characters on mangos and shipping cartons.Clevenger said Freska has always adhered to very high standards in the social responsibility arena, but the much-publicized series of articles that ran in the Los Angeles Times last years heightened everyone’s awareness. “I’d say that article caused a little bit of a delay,” he told The Produce News in late February.

A series of Los Angeles Times articles questioned the working conditions in Mexico and dragged several large U.S. retailers through the mill as it examined where the responsibility lies as foreign manufacturers meet the low-cost desires of U.S. buying entities. The practices of some large U.S. retailers were called into question. Clevenger said this did cause reason for concern and resulted in a more time-consuming review of Freska’s compliance.

“We have always been socially responsible,” he said. “We care about the workers and that they are treated correctly. But this (the Los Angeles Times article) put the issue on everyone’s radar a bit more.”

Freska did successfully navigate the issues and it is poised to ship its first cartons and fruit with the Disney characters. Clevenger admits that it is somewhat of an experiment as the company is not certain as to what the results will be. He said other produce companies in other fresh commodities have been pleased and continue to extend their licensing agreements. While he did not disclose the dollar amount involved, he said the contract calls for the paying of royalties to Disney each month based on usage. “I’m not sure we will get a premium for the fruit but we hope it convinces a few retailers to look at us, and that it helps push some volume.”

The ultimate goal is to increase consumption and to help turn more Anglo youngsters into mango consumers. “Asian and Hispanic kids grew up with the fruit and are very familiar with it,” he said. But some Anglo kids aren’t used to eating mangos. Hopefully we can make some life-long consumers” by introducing them to mangos through the Disney connection.

He said it’s just one more way to introduce non-users to mangos. Clevenger added that educating U.S. consumers about one of the world’s most popular fruits has always been a goal of the industry through the National Mango Board. He noted that over the last few years, more and more smoothie shops are using mangos, which is another great way to introduce newcomers to the fruit’s sweet taste.

The Freska executive said the company will sponsor in-store promotions and display contests to urge retailers to promote the firm’s Disney-aligned product. Contest winners will receive prizes such as tickets to Disneyland. Consumers can get involved by downloading a Disney-theme mango cookbook from Freska’s website.