Ciruli Bros. LLC continues to push the yellow-skinned Ataulfo variety mango that it markets under its proprietary “Champagne” moniker.

Chris Ciruli, chief operating officer at the Nogales, AZ-based company, said that the Champagne mango makes up the vast majority of sales for the longtime importer, though the firm does sell some red-skinned Kent variety mangos later in the season.

“Yellow mangos are growing at about a 10-15 percent clip per year,” said Mr. Ciruli. “And we expect to continue that growth this year.”

Demand for avocados continues to grow at a dramatic pace, and that increase in demand is not limited to the U.S. market. Mission Produce Inc. in Oxnard, CA, sees opportunities in export markets as well as domestically for California avocados and is working to capitalize on those opportunities.

“What we really see developing around the world is that the United States is not the only market for California Hass avocados, which is a good thing for growers” in California, said Ron Araiza, director of sales, in an interview with The Produce News Feb. 20.

Ciruli Bros. LLC in Nogales, AZ, is involved in marketing a number of vegetable commodities from Mexico throughout the fall and winter season. Come spring, the company continues with many of its vegetable items and also adds mangos to the mix. Mangos, and particularly the yellow Ataulfo variety which Ciruli Bros. markets under the brand name “Champagne Mango,” are a major focus for the firm.

Charlie Eagle, vice president of business development for Southern Specialties, headquartered in Pompano Beach, FL, told The Produce News that tropical fruits and vegetables have had strong growth in produce aisles and on foodservice menus for the past several years.

Tropical fruits and vegetables have been a growth phenomenon in produce aisles and on foodservice menus for the past several years. Eric R. Crawford, president of Fresh Results LLC, headquartered in Sunrise, FL, believes the trend will continue into the future.

There was a time not too far gone when fresh pineapple was a novelty in a grocery store. Consumers were not quite sure what to do with a product they were used to consuming from cans or atop a holiday ham. That has clearly changed. And now that shoppers are familiar with fresh pineapple, they need to be better educated about how to pick the best fruit, said Alan Dolezal, vice president of sales for Turbana Corp. of Coral Gables, FL, and its premium Fyffes Gold pineapple.