Mango Maxxing QR Codes

I’m working on a new piece about innovation—or lack thereof—in mango packaging, and during my research I was reminded of the innovation the Crespo Organic brand has made in the realm of QR codes. It seemed like the right moment to highlight that work in this week’s Maxxing Mangoes lesson, as I think many people who already work within the program and newcomers alike may not fully know the options and the results in terms of actual consumer scans.

Crespo Organic uses QR codes as an interconnected ecosystem—not just decoration on a box. The system keeps evolving, building on itself season after season, modernizing in real time to follow trends while staying faithful to the fundamentals of the brand’s signature #MangoEd. Each code is placed deliberately—on boxes (inside and out), bins, displays, signage, packaging, merchandising materials—connecting shoppers directly to the information they need exactly when they need it, while simultaneously illuminating the full story of how these mangoes move from Mexican orchards to American tables.

This is part of what Mango Maxxing means. Working the program, not just carrying it. The QR codes are one of many built-in tools that require no extra effort—they’re designed to cut through the rigidity of moving merchandising materials to the store floor. They give leverage and power to the farming efforts while delivering joy and learning to the shopper. They inspire and excite, making entire departments more engaging. Crespo embeds what retailers need into these simple codes so they can activate the full value of the mango program without lifting a finger. Even the codes themselves are designed with thoughtfulness—leading words, strategic graphics, clear direction that pulls people in.

 

With data collected in real time over the years—physically on retail floors during mango tastings and cutting demos, gathering intel and talking shop with mango lovers—Crespo learns what mango shoppers actually need because they are actively engage with them.

The scan data is high. People actually use them.

You’ll find Crespo QR codes on boxes telling the Crespo family’s growing story and the mango packing process (Our Process). On mango bins, shoppers are directed to videos like “Mango Blooms Wow” or “How to Pronounce Ataulfo.” On displays, codes point to mango anatomy education, cutting tutorials, specialty varietal profiles, and the Crespo Organic Kitchen recipe library.

Scan any Crespo QR code and shoppers land in the full Crespo Organic mango ecosystem: the Crespo family story and their commitment to sustainable Mexican agriculture, detailed looks at how mangoes move through Latin America’s largest hydrothermal packing house—Empaque Don Jorge, varietal education which has proven incredibly valuable for Mango Queen specialty mangoes like Mallika, Nam Doc Mai, and Kiew Savoy which shoppers knew nothing about several years back but most shopping the program today do.

The codes offer on-the-spot (or later at home) practical how-to content for choosing, storing, ripening, and cutting mangoes, mango anatomy, bloom cycles, pronunciation guides, nutrition facts, and original recipes from the Crespo Organic Kitchen like Mango Sticky Rice and Sinaloa Sauce.

The dried mango program also extends this education beyond the fresh season—single-ingredient dried mangoes that carry the Crespo story and #MangoJoy year-round.

The Crespo Organic QR code system isn’t promotional clutter. It’s instant #MangoEd that consumers engage with because it solves real problems at the moment they’re shopping. It answers the questions people have—”Which mango is this?” “How do I know when it’s ripe?” “How do I cut this?” “What can I make with it?”—without requiring a produce team member to be standing there. But the QR codes also educate floor staff themselves, who often tell us they learned something by scanning a code out of curiosity.

Utilizing the QR codes is Mango Maxxing in practice—real tools delivering real results. I’m proud of the work the team has done building this interconnected system for the brand.

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Check out all the ways  Crespo Organic uses QR Codes for maximum consumer #MangoJoy