The ability to be able to offer high quality ripe and ready mangoes has galvanised the category.
In the past, unripe fruit and problems with internal quality led to consumers being turned off the fruit.
However, the introduction of exciting new technology has transformed the sector. “We can now guarantee the quality of all our mangoes,” says Tesco’s technical manager Harvey Sansome.
The key to this success has been the arrival of the SACMI F5 and its use of Near Infra-Red technology.
The equipment has revolutionised the mango industry since Wealmoor became the first UK importer to install a machine at its premises two years ago.
The SACMI F5 was introduced to target more precise maturities and reduce the incidence of internal disorders.
According to the machine’s manufacturers, the F5 system, using NIR technology, monitors pre-determined quality parameters, such as sugar content and ripeness, for each individual piece of fruit.
The equipment has made a huge difference. The complexities of the logistics chain and the need for tight wastage controls at the retail end have sometimes held back the objective of selling fully ripe fruit.
However, the accuracy of the non-invasive, non-destructive machinery to assess the internal characteristics of each fruit has moved mangoes onto another level.
“We said at the time that it would change the way things are done in the mango category,” says Avnish Malde, Wealmoor’s commercial director. “It has. Internal defects - such as stem end rot and jelly nose - were impossible to detect previously, but not now. The assurances of maturity and flavour have allowed us to understand the product in far more depth and in a more scientific way, and grow the category with all of our customers.”
A spokesman for SACMI said: “The greater level of control over the quality of fruit makes it easier to plan how it can be transported and distributed. It also means that producers can better evaluate the most suitable production methods to satisfy the requirements of individual markets. This gives the producer better control and the ability to optimise harvesting methods.”
Wealmoor signed a two-year exclusivity deal with SACMI for the machine, and recognises that its competitors are now in a position to follow their lead.
But the advantages it has picked up through being first are invaluable.
Malde says: “We can give more detailed information back to growers and on to our customers and this has had immediate benefits. We are now the largest handler of mangoes in Europe. As a result of the advances, the mango cake is now bigger for all of us. The introduction of this technology to our competitors is not a problem for us as we want the entire category to perform to its potential in the market.”
Tesco has certainly benefited from the introduction of the equipment, says Sansome.
“In the past, mangoes have been hard and not ripe and consumers were not aware of how to ripen them. All of this simply meant consumers weren’t coming back. We needed to guarantee the fruit was ripe and ready to eat,” he explains.
He says the SACMI F5 has allowed Tesco and its suppliers to do that: “The scanner shows up any imperfections and allows us to ensure our fruit quality. Customers are satisfied and we get a high repeat purchase.”
• As well as the advantages of using the machine, SACMI also provides a quality mark.
A company spokesman said: “The FQ trademark has been patented by SACMI to guarantee and certify the quality of fruit analysed with the F5 System. By following proper procedures - constantly checked by the SACMI laboratory - fruit producers are authorised to use this trademark.
“The FQ trademark thus informs the consumer that he is purchasing a product that meets his expectations in full. In this way SACMI offers a machine that is as useful to the producer as it is to the consumer.”
INDIA UPS ITS MANGO GAME
“There is a massive amount of knowledge in the Indian mango business,” says Avnish Malde, commercial manager with importers Wealmoor.
However, while he says a great deal of research and development is being done, the impact of the work is held back from its full potential because the Indian industry remains fragmented.
Despite this, there have been great strides forward for the sector, particularly when it comes to improvements in transport says Kaushal Khakhar, general manager with exporter Kay Bee Exports.
He says: “A revolutionary step in the post harvest management of fresh produce from Maharasta and Gujarat has taken place with the setting up of a centre for perishable cargo at Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport at Mumbai.”
The new facility is now one of the largest centres for perishable cargo, with a refrigerated area of around 30,000 square feet.
Khakhar says: “The centre can handle up to 100,000 tonnes of perishable cargo a year, and it is designed with the strategy of zero defects in the quality of produce coming through.” As well as airfreight, Kay Bee Exports is also working hard on transporting mangoes by sea, to improve on both price competitiveness and generate higher volumes of Indian fruit in international markets.
The main varieties coming out of India are Alphonso and Kesar, says Khakhar. The Alphonso variety is primarily grown in the Maharastra region, as is Kesar, which is also grown in the state of Gujarat.
FAIRTRADE GOES GREAT GUNS
Fairtrade produce as a concept is rapidly growing in popularity with consumers, and mangoes are no exception.
“From a standing start three years ago, we’re selling about a container load a week when the fruit is in season,” says Duncan White, director with Fairtrade supplier Agrofair.
This has been helped by the fact that year-round availability is now within grasping distance, and White estimates Agrofair currently has around 70 per cent of the year covered at the moment.
“We’re currently looking at other sources and hoping to have everything on stream by next year,” he says. At the moment, Fairtrade mangoes start from the back of December with Ecuadorian and Peruvian supplies. Burkina Faso in west Africa takes over in March until mid-May where Mexican supplies start to come in until August.
“We’ve got it about eight to nine months of the year now and supplies are largely continuous throughout that period,” says White.
The Co-operative Group was the first retailer to introduce the concept of Fairtrade mangoes to UK consumers, following on from its work on Fairtrade bananas.
The first fruit was sourced from the El Jardin en la Frontera association of farmers in El Oro, Ecuador, a remote region where unemployment was extremely high.
In 2002, the farmers were the first group in the world to receive a Fairtrade stamp for mangoes, which guaranteed them a minimum price for their fruit.
The recent gains in supply have paid off for the Fairtrade producers as more and more of the major retailers have now signed up to supply mangoes.
At the moment, Fairtrade fruit appears in Co-op stores, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Tesco. “Since we’ve extended the availability of the fruit we’ve seen a lot more interest from the supermarkets. And this has gone up significantly with Tesco coming onboard recently,” says White.
Agrofair is now hoping that as volumes increase further listings will be gained with other retailers.
Certainly, the existing retailers are keen to expand their Fairtrade offer. Colin Tunstall, category manager with the Co-operative Group, says: “We favour stocking Fairtrade mangoes, but at present, these are only available for nine months of the year. Within the next two years, we plan to stock Fairtrade mangoes all year round.”
Tesco too has had its Fairtrade plans disrupted by availability. Damien Sutherland, buying manager for exotics, says the retailer had recently relaunched its Fairtrade offer, following a break in supply.
“We brought it back in about half a month ago and it will now run until October. There’s huge potential for Fairtrade in fresh produce.”
Although he says the initial launch did not generate huge demand from consumers, having carried out promotions, sales have picked up and stayed strong.
Promotion plays an important part when it comes to Fairtrade mangoes, although there needs to be a balance to avoid eroding the price and thereby undermining the whole Fairtrade concept.
White says: “We’re promoting the fruit through pr activity and also working with the Fairtrade foundation to promote the concept. We’ve also done some point of sale work to make the mangoes more visible to consumers.”
Of course, the rising popularity of mangoes is also helping to carry the Fairtrade fruit with it. “As mangoes become more mainstream, then Fairtrade mangoes will grow with that and become more popular,” says White. “The Mango Association is doing excellent work to promote the fruit generically, and our offer sits well alongside that.”
The Fairtrade offer is also following consumer trends with the shift towards the smoother fleshed Kent and Keitt varieties, which the retailers are now starting to demand. However, Fairtrade producers are still offering the more traditional Tommy Atkins variety as well.
And as an added bonus, a proportion of the fruit coming into the UK is now also organic. White says: “We’re really pleased that our Ecuadorian source has now got organic production certification. We’ll now be able to offer organic Fairtrade mangoes from Ecuador for the first time from next year.”
He says the fact the fruit is organic simply adds value to the Fairtrade offer and gives consumer even more choice when it comes to mangoes. “We don’t necessarily have to market them as organic, but it’s a great way to add value.”
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