The Cut That Converts

Every year, as Summer Mango Mania (#MuchosMangoes) hits its final stride, our displays still flush with fruit  and peak #MangoJoy, I like to shine light on the ROI of the Crespo Organic Mango program—not just the Summer Mango Mania promotion itself, but the unique approach Crespo takes year after year that continues to maintain momentum in sales, enthusiasm, and education. Real, repeatable results. Real, sustainable growth. Real shopper enthusiasm for the brand, the commodity, and for organics.

What works in organic mangoes—and organics in general—isn’t guesswork. It’s clarity, consistency, and connection. It’s a direct-trade model that builds trust. Transparent supply chains that back up claims. Relentless, real-time education that meets shoppers where they are. And increasingly, it’s the power of face-to-face, in-store experiences. Among those, nothing delivers like our In-Store Mango Tasting & Cutting Demos. These aren’t feel-good marketing moments or basic sample handouts. They’re strategic. They drive trial, repeat sales, and lasting loyalty. They’re not just popular; they’re pivotal. They turn curiosity into confidence, and browsers into buyers. These demos are the spark behind shopper loyalty, bigger baskets, and real program growth. They’ve become one of the most effective tools we have. This year, it’s clear: the cut converts.

Our demo strategy is intentional, our execution surgical. We choose stores and wholesalers strategically—those who want the demos, obviously. Those building big promotions, launching new specialty mangoes, expanding displays, or carving out space for mango education because they know their shoppers want it. We look for stores with the room (even tiny room we can accommodate!)  and the will to execute, and those where trust already exists and where trust is birthing—stores and shoppers want more of what they see from the Crespo Organic brand. We do these demos all over the country, in stores of all sizes, and it’s not easy. Travel is costly, logistics are intense, and these demos require serious coordination and supplies. But we show up ourselves. It’s us, we are the mango experts. That’s not just a tagline—it’s the truth.

We have a set format. We teach the same things we push across all our marketing—not surface-level mango facts, but real mango literacy by real culinary experts (myself included). These demos are about more than handing out slices. We let shoppers taste varietal nuance and ripeness. We teach seasonality, how to choose, store, use, and cut mangoes. We demonstrate our five signature cutting methods (#ChooseYourCut). We even sample items not yet for sale, like our dried and specialty mangoes, because exploration matters- for the store staff and the shoppers.

We hand out recipes, #HechoEnMexico tattoos for kids, and field every kind of question. We talk about Mexican culture, organic agriculture, the mango packhouse—we share the full story. All of it happens right there, in the middle of fully merchandised Crespo Organic mango displays and bins packed with QR codes linking to videos and recipes. Everything is authentic. It’s built for real people—for seasoned mango lovers and newcomers alike. For shoppers who want joyful experiences and those who want food transparency for both nutritional and ethical reasons. These demos are one of the most exciting things happening in grocery stores today. And I mean that sincerely.

The impact of these demos doesn’t end when the table’s packed up——they create a ripple effect that lasts. The energy sticks. Produce staff talk about it, cashiers carry the enthusiasm, curious shoppers ask questions, buyers take notice, and even those watching it unfold in real time on social media show up and ask for more; the energy lives on well past the demo. The momentum doesn’t end with the demo—it echoes into future seasons. We’ve watched it build year after year. I feel great pride in what we have created together.

The Benefits of Mango Tastings & Cutting Demos

Direct Education = Confident Shoppers
Mangoes aren’t as intuitive as apples. Many shoppers don’t always know how to choose them, how to tell when they’re ripe, or what makes one variety different from another. In-person demos change that immediately. They offer hands-on guidance, one-on-one education, and personalized tips that help shoppers feel confident about mangoes—lasting into future purchases.

Tangible #MangoJoy Boosts Sales
We know what happens when people taste our mangoes: they smile, they light up, and they grab more. Sampling—especially with multiple varieties side by side—creates an emotional connection and often leads to full baskets. 1-2-3 even four mangoes more than normal. #Mangojoy is powerful, and these demos deliver it in real time, right in the produce aisle.

Mango Shoppers Spend More
According to Nielsen data, mango buyers are among the highest-value produce shoppers—spending up to 48% more per trip and purchasing a wider variety of fresh items. Organic shoppers especially view mangoes as a premium, health-forward choice. Our demos amplify this behavior, increasing basket size, frequency, and loyalty to organic produce, the store and the Crespo Organic brand.

Culinary & Commodity Education Builds Loyalty
We don’t just hand out samples—we teach real mango skills. Our in-store demos are grounded in culinary education and commodity literacy. Shoppers learn how to choose, store, and use mangoes properly. We demonstrate tools and techniques that can be recreated at home. We break down varietal differences, seasonality, and ripeness in real time. It’s not just kitchen advice—it’s supply chain insight, cultural storytelling, and direct-trade transparency. That kind of learning sticks. It transforms occasional buyers into committed ones and deepens the value of the mango category in the eyes of the shopper.

Storytelling Builds Brand Trust
These demos let us tell the Crespo story, directly. They’re a rare moment of brand-to-consumer exchange, where we share how the mangoes get from our orchards to their tables—and what direct trade really looks like. This is where we connect dots: varietals, growing regions, people behind the fruit. It’s where trust is built, not assumed or greenwashed.

Varietal Exploration Increases Curiosity
Most U.S. consumers have only tasted one or two mango varieties, usually without even knowing it. Our demos flip that. We offer tastings of 4–7 different varietals depending on timing. We include both fresh and dried styles, helping shoppers connect flavor to origin, season, and ripeness. Curiosity turns into discovery. Discovery turns into sales. When shoppers understand the diversity of mangoes—and taste the difference—they don’t just buy more, they buy more often, they try and they play. These demos don’t just sell fruit in the moment, they build long-term category growth.

Real-Time Feedback Shapes Strategy
We don’t just talk—we listen. Our team gathers insights during these interactions: how customers use mangoes, what questions they have, what confuses them. That information shapes our future education, our recipe development, and sometimes even our growing decisions. This is fieldwork and strategy all in one.

Targeted, Impactful, and Memorable
In a sea of passive marketing, in-store demos are one of the few proven ways to directly influence purchasing behavior. According to industry studies, shoppers are 11x more likely to buy a product after an in-store demo. Our mango tastings aren’t just engaging—they’re strategic. They stop shoppers mid-aisle. They hand them a real story, a vibrant taste, and a recipe they can duplicate. They offer something to talk about—and something to come back for. It’s an experience that sticks. And more often than not, it results in mangoes in the cart—sometimes just a few, sometimes an entire case.

Cross-Department Sales Increase
In-store demos don’t just boost mango movement—they lift adjacent categories. When shoppers learn how to use mangoes, they often pick up ingredients that complement them: herbs, greens, citrus, yogurt, cheeses, grains, proteins. Mangoes become the anchor for everything from fruit salads and dressings to sauces, salsas, smoothies, and desserts. Our demos spark meal ideas on the spot, which means rising rings across the store—not just in produce. Retailers feel it immediately.

Memory + Experience = Retention
Studies show that when people learn something while tasting or doing, they remember it up to 6x longer than through passive marketing. The combination of sensory input, movement, and human interaction builds real brand memory. This means shoppers not only remember how to cut a mango—they remember who taught them. That’s powerful brand equity.

The Metrics That Matter

Immediate Sales Lift

• Sales of demoed mangoes increase by up to 250% on activation day
• 35% of shoppers who sample mangoes buy them during the same trip
• 24% replace another item in their cart with the sampled mangoes
• Demo-day shoppers spend on average 48% more at checkout

Repeat Purchase & Long-Term Impact

• Demo samplers are 11% more likely to repurchase within 12 weeks.
• Established mango SKUs see a sustained 57% sales lift following demos
• New mango varieties experience a 107% increase in launch-week sales
• Shoppers who sample are 9x more likely to try other mango varieties that same day.

Brand Awareness & Loyalty

• 65% of shoppers say they tried mangoes because of the sampling
• 78% report the tasting influenced their purchase decision
• 89% are more likely to talk about the brand after a tasting
• Brand recall is 303% higher among demo participants vs non-participants

* Insights and data compiled through Crespo Organic’s tasting and cutting demo programs—conducted in partnership with leading retailers—alongside produce-specific research and consumer behavior metrics from organizations such as the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA), USDA Economic Research Service, Category Partners, NielsenIQ, IRI, and AgTools, as well as general industry sources including Firework, Fizz.co.uk, Demo Wizard, i2i Marketing, Progressive Grocer, and Samplrr.

Case Study #1: Upscale Regional Grocery Chain, East Coast
During one of our East Coast demos, a team from the retailer’s in-store fresh-cut division happened to catch us in action—slicing, teaching, and sampling mangoes. Intrigued, they came over to observe and ended up getting an impromptu hands-on tutorial on varietals, ripeness, and our full #ChooseYourCut methods. The woman in charge of their program told us they’d been outsourcing all of their fresh-cut mangoes—even though they handled all other fresh-cut items in-house—simply because no one really knew how to properly cut a mango. That changed in 20 minutes. With the tools and knowledge we shared, they realized they could start cutting mangoes in-store using fruit from their own display, keeping the set fresh and saving significantly on cost. One demo gave them the skills and confidence to transform their internal systems—and that’s ROI you can see.

Case Study #2: Mission-Driven Natural Grocer with Several Locations, East Coast
To prepare for one of our demos, this regional natural grocer pushed boundaries—setting up a mango display nearly four times larger than what the store typically featured and filling it with more varietals than they’d ever carried before, including several Mango Queen specialties. The results were immediate and measurable: record-breaking mango sales, increased curiosity, and high engagement with specialty mangoes. And the power carried through days later. A shopper from the wholesale side of the business told us that while buying mangoes—specifically Mallikas—from that store, the cashier lit up at checkout, talking about how good the demo was, how sweet the Mallika mangoes tasted, and even offering a bit of varietal knowledge unprompted. That’s what happens when we invest in these demos- we get a means to authentic staff education all across the store. The enthusiasm carries on long after the demo ends—and store teams become the strongest evangelists for years to come.

Case Study #3: Multi-Store Urban Neighborhood Market, Southern U.S.
Demos aren’t just for volume—they’re powerful tools for introducing new and specialty items. During one of our planned weekend demos, a few cases of specialty mangoes—originally meant for a chef friend in the city—ended up at one of the stores, shipped with the regular fruit. I was running the demo myself, and the store unknowingly merchandised the specialty varieties alongside the main display. Since they didn’t have the UPCs in the system yet, the fruit had to be pulled from the floor—but by then, shoppers were already hungry for them. So we sampled them anyway. What followed was a frenzy. The new mangoes, especially the Nam Doc Mai, created an immediate buzz. The store quickly reordered them for arrival the next day, and we used the demo to build even more anticipation—letting shoppers know they weren’t available yet, but would be soon. That small delay turned into a strategic marketing moment. People were excited—not just about the fruit, but about the experience of waiting for it. These neighborhood markets have high shopper frequency, so customers returned a day or two later and cleared out the entire new order. In the meantime ( and still today), they loaded up on Ataulfos and Kents, which we had on sale during the demo week. That’s the power of a live demo: education, surprise, demand, and return traffic—all activated from one perfect moment.

ROI & #MangoJoy

At the end of the day, this isn’t just about mangoes—it’s about how we show up. These demos are more than transactions; they’re activations of trust, taste, and education. Through our long-standing {direct-trade} retail partnerships and Crespo Organic’s Summer Mango Mania promotion, we’ve seen first-hand how investing in real-time consumer experience yields sustained results: 17–32% seasonal sales growth, dramatic increases in new varietal trial, and shopper loyalty that lasts well beyond summer. When we center transparency, connection, education and curiosity at the point of sale, we move more than fruit. We grow programs that build community—shoppers who come back, season after season, asking for Crespo Organic mangoes by name.