Lighter mango supplies from South America are creating strong demand in the US, according to Idaho Falls-based produce marketer Kingston Fresh. As he prepared to take delivery of its first new season arrivals of Peruvian mangoes next week, president Ken Nabal, said he expected volumes to be down by as much as 40 per cent, similar to the shortfall seen in Ecuador this season.
“In general mango supplies in the US are extremely light at the moment, and as a result, demand is very strong,” he said. “Although the volume is delayed, our customers get excited when the Peruvian Kent variety enters the market.”
Nabal added that the overall quality of the first arrivals is very high.
The company’s import division has been pursuing an aggressive growth strategy reflected in rising volumes from its Central and South American business operations.
“With this steady increase in imports into South Florida, it also means additional coldstorage opportunities for our distribution business, Kingston Cross Dock and Cold Storage (KCDS),” said CEO David Kingston. “We have been making significant capital improvements to the KCDS facility over the past several months and are excited for the business growth that lies ahead in 2015.”
