‘Baby Ataulfo’ holds an interesting role
‘Baby Ataulfo’ holds an interesting role
RIO RICO, AZ — “The ‘Baby Ataulfo’ is gaining momentum,” said Edgar Duarte, a partner in Higueral Produce Inc., located here.
It is a small Ataulfo mango that developed despite a lack of pollination, explained Chuck Ciruli III, the chief executive officer of neighboring Ciruli Bros. LLC.
Duarte said the Baby Ataulfo is basically a reject-grade fruit. But at the same time it is a novelty because of its small size, which is a couple of inches long. An important factor toward popularity is that the “baby” seed is between the size of a dime and a nickel. “You can just pop one in your mouth.” The production of this category varies from year to year. It can be as little as 2 or 3 percent of a crop or as much as 20 or 30 percent.
“Four or five years ago, we had big yields and sold them as a No. 2., but they were usually at a higher price,” Duarte said. The regular markets then were in the range of $6 to $10, while the Baby Ataulfos were bringing “$10, $12 or $15.”
Duarte said, “We pack them in a 10-pound box. There are about 100 per box but there is no special count for the size.”
Ciruli acknowledged the novelty of these No. 2 Ataulfos. But he emphasized that their presence is a sign that the Ataulfo mango trees didn’t properly pollinate, which isn’t a good thing.
Ciruli noted that if there was a large demand for the little fruit, there is the alternative of looking for a way to induce the fruit’s production by finding a way to avoid normal pollination.