3 Minute Mango Expertise with Nissa
2025 Mango Season
Episode 1
Part of Under the Mango Tree: The Podcast
Fruit-forward organic food literacy—from orchard to table
3 Minute Mango Expertise is a series of in-depth 30-minute interviews with experts across the entire mango supply chain—farmers, importers, retailers, merchandisers, culinary pros, and even consumers—hosted by me, Nissa Pierson, as part of a larger project I am working on Under the Mango Tree: The Podcast, launching Summer 2026.
I started this basic series last year so I could add more informative fodder to the #MangoEd part of Crespo Organic’s Summer Mango Mania and out of my general desire to give our industry greater access to real information—not just about mangoes in general, but Mexican and organic mangoes in particular and maybe most importantly, how people eat and want to the food we grow.
Not only are mangoes one of the fastest-growing commodities in produce, but they’re one of the few items that truly excite produce shoppers. That’s why I coined the term #MangoJoy—because everywhere I saw mangoes, from orchard to table, they seemed to bring something incredibly joy filled and special a “je ne sais quoi” kind of magic.
I’ve been in produce almost 30 years, and I’ve never seen any item match the kind of sustainable electricity mangoes bring to every aspect of the chain—except maybe fresh herbs, which is and always will be my first passion. Though herbs still remain elusive to the average consumer (if you ask me, it’s because the industry hasn’t fully grasped the need to educate in the right way.)
Organic shoppers tend to be well traveled and generally more product educated and especially curious and engaged when it comes to understanding where their food comes from and how it’s grown. Research shows they’re often more motivated by health, environmental impact, and transparency—values that naturally lead them to ask questions and seek out more details. Rather than just buying organic, they actively explore farming practices, sourcing regions, certification standards, and nutritional content. And they are the ones driving flavor and variety.
They also tend to respond positively to things like in-store signage, demos, or QR-code content that offers deeper learning. This mindset makes them valuable contributors to broader produce industry education. When organic mango shoppers connect with growers through storytelling or tasting events, their enthusiasm helps amplify awareness—supporting sustainability, equity, and better food systems. They spend more per trip, engage with educational content, and help drive real momentum in the organic category and in the produce department in general. In this way, organic mangoes become more than a seasonal fruit—they become a tool for building food literacy and supply chain transparency and of course a potent sales driver.
I see this clearly demonstrated in the success we’ve built around Crespo’s Summer Mango Mania #MuchosMangoes promotion—especially the mango displays and price points we’ve managed to hold over the years. Many of these stores are small compared to the larger mass-market distributors that dominate the conventional world of mangoes, and yet their mango programs are often more robust for the peak summer months—bold, vibrant, front and center displays through grape season, peach season, melon season, and beyond. The results create trust and solid partnerships that repeat, through COVID, tariffs, wars and more.
Through my mango lens—which is pretty wide—I’ve worked in Peru organics in the beginning of my mango career, dabbled in Ecuadorian mangoes with a lot of hands-on grower relations (even lived there for a year), worked with Dominican mango growers, and consulted with European and Chinese markets importing Peruvian and Ecuadorian fruit. And of course, there’s my work with Crespo Organic—nearly ten years of spearheading the building of the brand, plus the years before that selling for brokers (pre-direct trade) who packed the Crespo family’s fruit under their own labels.
I carry all that alongside my parallel culinary career, which has always focused on the connection between farmer and eater. That’s helped me understand just how deeply people want to learn—not just about mangoes, but about anything they eat. With my mango work I have finally a very strong intersection of the two and with my personal blog, Under the Mango Tree, I’m always aiming to unravel the complexities between orchard and table so we can all have greater success in doing what we do—not just to sell more mangoes, but to build stronger, more sustainable supply chains. One where Mexican growers can prosper, and eaters can access flavorful, affordable organic food. Health on both sides—that’s the entire point of the Mango Wellness campaign.
With my 3 Minute Mango Expertise project, I just want to share a little more information, in the space and time I have, with the little bit of industry attention I can get while peak summer mango season captures a generous share of attention.
Each interview dives deep into a specific aspect of mangoes—from growing and harvesting to trade, merchandising, consumer desires and culinary use—connecting the dots between orchard and eater.
From these long-form interviews, I produce sharper 3-minute video segments for general industry and consumer #MangoEd for Crespo Organic’s Summer Mango Mania promotion. These bite-sized clips offer quick, accessible mango knowledge while championing mango literacy and spreading #MangoJoy. They’re made for the people who scan QR codes on bins, boxes, or packaging—and any mango lover hungry to learn more.
Whether you’re tuning in for a full deep dive or catching quick hits on your feed, this series exists to expand awareness of mangoes, their supply chains, and the people on opposite ends of the chain—through education, story, and flavor.
Episode 1 – Summer 2025
The Retail Round Table: Building Better Summer Mango Programs
In the first episode of the summer 2025 season, I’m offering up a casual, unscripted Zoom conversation with four of the organic industry’s top retail voices—who also happen to be longtime Crespo Organic partners. In this 30 minute convo we discuss the evolution of mango merchandising and what it really takes to move volume in today’s produce landscape.
We dig into the strategies behind successful summer mango programs: smart purchasing, front and center displays, scaling volume, and tailoring promotions to shopper needs while staying aligned with what’s coming from the orchards. From demos & tastings, specific price points and display bins to elasti-tags, posters, and recipe cards—these tools have all played a role in building shopper awareness and growing #MangoJoy over the years.
We also touch on handling practices and industry, staff and consumer education as specialty varietals like the Mango Queen Mallika, Nam Doc Mai and Kiew Savoy gain traction—because, as all experts agree, today’s mango shoppers are ready for and demanding more.
Featured Experts:
• Brian Dey – Retail & Merchandising Innovation Manager, Four Seasons Produce
• Ken Yoder – Tropical Fruit Buyer, Four Seasons Produce
• Jeff Fairchild – Produce Buyer, Organically Grown Company
• Mike Leveille – Fresh Food Category Manager, Common Market Co-op