Teeter Tottering Onset Pricing

 

Disclaimer: This crop report, like many I write, is told through the lens of Crespo Organic Mangoes, where I’m intricately and joyously embedded.

Tis’ the mango season – though at retail it barely feels like it yet. That’s changing now.

Despite some early movement from southern Oaxaca, the organic mango pipeline from packhouse to retail is still relatively empty. The lag time is considerable, and stores are waiting eagerly. But I can report that relief is coming: the dates when the majority of Oaxaca packhouses open are now upon us, and growing volumes will begin to flow.

Empaque Don Jorge- Bola de Oro Opens Today!
Today marks the opening of Crespo Organic’s main Oaxaca packhouse, Bola de Oro. Over the next ten days most other Oaxaca packhouses will open, and shortly after, sometime around mid-February the Chiapas packhouse openings  are scheduled to begin.

Crespo Organic will start packing Tommy Atkins mangoes at Bola’s opening. Crespo customers can expect round mangoes to land at the McAllen and Nogales distribution hubs by mid-next week.

This is good news because demand on the organic side is turning out to be more powerful than ever. As the Tommy Atkins slowly build into any considerable volume, the Ataulfos will immediately perk up in supply, which fits right into the Atualfo-logical clock of the organic mango consumer, who waits anxiously for Mexico’s most popular mango to start up.

To quote produce floor staff I spoke with at a Bay Area retailer where I shop: “Everyone is asking for Ataulfos – it’s like clockwork. They know when the season usually starts and the start asking and for them, and then they ask for more of them. They really get excited for Mexican mango season, but they are crazy about the Ataulfos.”

If there’s any bad news, it’s wrapped in the pricing chaos that’s typical at season onset. For those of us on the organic side, we need to be aware of conventional market influence and price  volatility – both highs and lows. Prices spike at the beginning when only a few packhouses are open, then drop when more openings are announced and drop again as they get close. But the reality of fruit readiness will actually dictate the realities of fruit price at orchard level. It will take some time to pick and pack to understand more about the readiness, pace and volume output. The season is a long one, and volume doesn’t flow immediately at scale.

It’s a good time to think about Maxxing Mangoes instead of playing in that pool of price manipulation, especially as organic consumer demand continues to rise substantially. To pair the rise of considerable mango consumption with strong sales, delivering what  mango shoppers want is essential; organic fruit with consistency in supply, price, variety, and flavor. If your program happens to be more than just a box of fruit, it behooves you to be careful during this pricing chaos, and concentrate on the beginning stages of building the program for the long game. The pricing chaos will pass, as it does, as all things do.

Steady, clear pricing is better for all of us in the longer Mexican organic mango game, which lasts a substantial eight months compared to Ecuador and Peru’s three-to-four-month period. I have seen clear, fruitful results appear when early focus is placed on building displays, getting them filled, and keeping register prices stable on an item we all know sells well,  and will sell even better soon and that always seems to generate substantial shopper satisfaction (#MangoJoy)  for many months to come, which in turn produces reliable returns, and returning shoppers, shoppers who significantly more on produce compared to the average non mango shopper.

I think when it comes to good mango programs overall, Crespo Organic demonstrates how to position organic mangoes as a strategic driver of department performance—not just another box to check for shippers. The program addresses what’s actually happening in the market: organic consumers are on the rise, shoppers are actively seeking healthy and sustainable options, and retailers need suppliers who can deliver on that demand with verifiable sourcing. Crespo’s direct-trade system provides the traceability and consistency that turn organic mangoes from a seasonal obligation into a reliable revenue driver.

As prices teeter totter, the approach with Crespo’s direct trade partnerships stays slow and steady, focused on the bigger picture of clear, known sales. The brand’s value isn’t in chasing volatile pricing, or capitalizing on one size in greater demand – it’s in building relationships with wholesalers and retailers who understand that consistent supply, stable pricing, and quality organic fruit create programs that perform season after season. This is the ROI of the Crespo brand.

Current Crop Notes

It’s still far too early for detailed Crop Report assessments. But now that most packhouses are opening, each week as we pick and pack in more volume will bring clearer orchard intelligence.

Tommy Atkins: Sizing should be a wide array. All sizes are assumed to become abundant once we get past the onset, but it’s too early to report Tommy Atkins details outside of the fact that fruit looks to be in good shape—quality and size both strong.

Ataulfo: So far product has been exceptional in quality. Brix is showing better than expected, and we anticipate as we move into more fruit readiness and higher brix we’ll see continued improvement to that signature Ataulfo sugar-caramel sweetness (with a tinge of spice). Size-wise, fruit is running all sizes, but as a whole, the crop is predominately in the small/medium range so a lot more 16-20cnt, fruit is expected to grow bigger as time moves—and to remind some of the big fruit lovers, that means the trees are producing 12/14/16/18/20/22/24 count mangoes. (I’m working on something that will wow you and make you rethink small mangoes—stay tuned.)

As more mangoes move into the pipeline, we’ll have better information about how they’re working in the system—holding up in travel, ripening at retail, and performing in the homes of mango lovers. A reminder that the Weekly Condition Report starts March 1st, where we’ll offer insight from the perspective of retailers with mangoes actually on displays.

For those of you who follow the antics of the Crespo southern pack houses and the dogs that encircle the perimeter every season bringing joy to the crew, meet “Cleer”, she’s new this year and she loves Ataulfo mangoes. And I love her!