Everything All At Once

Mexican Organic Mango Crop Report: Everything All at Once!

There’s a lot of change taking place right now in Mexican mango land, and this week’s CROP REPORT gives you all the facts from the ground—plus a roadmap to achieve the ultimate mango display. One that features everything.

This next week is what I call everything all at once—because for one week, we’ll have everything we offer. To me, that’s the ultimate expression of #MangoJoy and its totally rare!

You can build displays with Tommy, Kent, Keitt, Ataulfo, Mallika, Nam Doc Mai, and Kiew Savoy—kind of like what we had at the OPS show.

First, let’s get a quick refresher on where we are on the Mexican Mango MAP. This time of year—in organics and in general—we’re fully in the Sinaloa region, with most packing happening in both southern Sinaloa and the Los Mochis area.

Remember, Los Mochis is considered a somewhat separate region, even though it’s only about 200 miles north of the main southern Sinaloa growing regions of El Rosario and Esqcuinapa. It’s considered a USDA/APHIS-designated fruit fly-free zone, meaning no hot water treatments are required for exporting mangoes to the U.S.

Once a sugar-producing region, it’s seen a sharp rise in mango farming in recent years, with a few dedicated growers now part of our organic mango family (more on that in my blog post Robust Mochis Collaborations).

These fruit fly-free zones are officially monitored and certified free of pests, mainly the Mexican fruit fly (Anastrepha ludens), allowing exports without post-harvest quarantine treatments. Unlike most packhouses in Mexico—which must be enclosed and supervised by USDA—northern packhouses are  typically open-air and operate without hot water baths. This allows for greater volume and has driven more production investment in the area.

I’ll save my thoughts on hot water treatments, anthracnose, and late-season rains for another day—lessons learned on an organic mango project in the Dominican Republic with the USDA.

For now, let’s get to the juicy and joyous Crop Report. This time, I’ll break things down by variety—it’s the clearest way to share the most specific and relevant info. Keep in mind there was a lot of rain in southern Sinaloa which may or may not cause some quality problems, the verdict on that is not totally clear but most are saying it stopped raining just in time, with a caveat that the fruit is growing big fast with all that water.

 

Ataulfo
The good news is that the current Ataulfo fruit offering is mostly large 12/14 counts, with plenty of 16/18 count sizing available — checking off all the organic needs of our programs.

The bad news is the season is nearing its end, with next week likely being the final harvest. As usual, we expect to extend the season with limited offerings through the end of July.

We are currently harvesting from both the Mochis and southern Sinaloa regions, with most fruit coming from Mochis. Pricing is still Summer Mango Mania stable, so while you can expect competition and conventional prices to rise with supplies more limited, we remain steady — ending our robust organic Ataulfo program with excellent price points for consumers, as always.

Mallika, Nam Doc & Kiew Savoy
As I am always quick to point out, the Mango Queen Specialty Mango season is quick, and we have about another week left of very limited supplies. Nam Doc Mai mangoes are ending first, followed by the Mallika, which has just about one extra week. We will wind down this season at the end of next week.

Flavor has been incredible; I know those of you at the show got a taste and maybe even got to bring some home! Current harvests are coming from both southern Sinaloa (Mallika & Kiew Savoy) and Los Mochis, where the Nam Doc Mai mangoes are ravishingly beautiful due to the lack of hot water bath. This really helps these mangoes, since they are so sensitive to anything (including cold trucks!).

Tommy Atkins
Yes there are still plenty of people who love Tommy Atkins mangoes and lucky for them, we sill have them! I for one love a Tommy for mango pico de gallo! These are ending soon and being harvested from southern Sinaloa region. Quality has been exceptional.

Kent
Current supplies are from southern Sinaloa with Los Mochis getting ready to start as well,. Recent rains will grow these bigger which means lots of 6-7-8’s. Quality again has been exceptional and flavor, fantastic.

Keitt
Our southern Sinaloa Keitts are getting ready to start harvest next week, and if you’re infatuated with Keitts, let this serve as a reminder of just how diverse mango varieties can be (a message to all those commenting on the specialty mangoes that look a little different than what you may be used to).

The southern Sinaloa Keitt is what I typically consider the most beautiful mango of the season (I haven’t seen this season’s yet, keep in mind). These Keitts don’t fit the typical image. Instead of uniform green, they arrive with a mix of Easter egg pastels — yellow, pink, green, and orange blush — with darker speckles. Pretty pastel hues that look nothing like Keitts from other regions around the world.

They’re super unique, and I think they have a much more potent tropical mango taste because they’re grown closer to the tropics. You can read more about these beauties here —What the Blush?

By understanding the nuances of the mangoes — whether it’s varietals, regions, or seasonal changes — we can better appreciate the true quality in both taste and appearance. Sharing this knowledge helps everyone savor more flavor, and in this case, more #MangoJoy.