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Big & sweet Keitts signal the end, our Mochis family makes it “easy” for us! Los Mochis Keitt mangoes, the late season final varietal of Mexico’s mango season is now officially in full swing, marking these next few weeks the bittersweet conclusion of our sweet, sweet mango season. There is no need to dwell on the end just yet, we still have ample time to enjoy the sweet offerings of this GIGANTIC mango and thanks to our potent partnership with Empaque Macapul & Empaque Don Juan, we’re able to navigate this final stretch with the same power and prowess that defines the Crespo Organic brand all season long. Mexico’s organic mango season typically finishes around the end of September, while the conventional sector (subject to weather conditions) can extend sometimes even into early October. As I often point out, organic and conventional mango details are often (and wrongly) lumped together under the broad “mango category” label, this simplification doesn’t hold true generally and as we approach the season’s “grand” finale we need to get specific when it comes to organic. This last region has been and still is ultra-complex for the organic sector maneuvering through the last week’s requires a lot of cooperation, communication and a “getting shit done” attitude as many of our customers/retailers have had during this regional period when they have to get the 6/7cnt SKUS approved and in the system in order to have the lengthiest season possible. On the organic side we all want to end on a sweet note, especially because there is no other (large scale) fruit (CA is small scale) directly following Mexico for organic (there is no Brazilian production into the USA) . Keitt varietals from Mochis consistently yield significantly larger fruit sizes than other varietals and regions. Simultaneously, the price…
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Blush filled end of season crop expectations for Sinaloa (Rosario & Mochis) This time of year is bitter-sweet for many of us immersed in the abundance of Mexican-produced mangoes. We find ourselves at the beginning of the end, as the Ataulfo mangoes have now finished, and the southern region’s Sinaloa Kents are being picked in their final batches. Throughout the last 7 months of the season, we have withstood the ups and downs, the ebbs and flows, as all six mango-producing regions delivered their best. If you’ve been part of the Crespo program, you’ve had the opportunity to experience and savor over 7 different varietals so far, including the new Crespo Organic Specialty Mangoes. It’s been quite a journey, and we all feel a bit weary and maybe even a little burnt out, which is understandable considering we’ve been on a wild, and ideally sweet, ride up until this point. And then, suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, enters everybody’s favorite mango – the Keitt mango – rejuvenating and exciting us all! The Keitt mango holds a special place, distinct from the other varietals produced in all regions, as it is predominantly grown in the Sinaloa region and signals the end of the long Mexican mango season.
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An Indian Varietal Grown In Mexico Thanks to Jorge Crespo (The Crespo Mango Man) and his passion for all things new, including new growing challenges, as well as his desire to expand the family’s expertise always being forward thinking (Jorge is much like his father Roberto Crespo Fitch), RCF Distributors has several new specialty varietals that are being introduced in seasons ahead. The Mallika mango is Jorge’s second specialty varietal, after the Keiw Savoy ( Thai Sweet Green Mango). The Mallika is a special mango that has caught the attention of mango loves with its sweeter, more nuanced tropical exotic flavor.
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Crespo mango expertise bridges transition into Summer Mango Mania I’ve been selling organic mangoes for a long time and, as so many of us forget, the greatest season-long program success happens when you nail the transitions. It’s the performance during the transition that dictates what stores have fruit and at what price. Just like in music, those connecting notes, the transitions is what leads you to the next phase of the whole. We take the transitions seriously, we get creative and we utilize the partnerships we forget with customers, making it work. Clear communication, more than anything is pivotal for any transitional success, in particular when there are volume supply or quality issues at play. The direct relationships to customers and the nimble work we do together, with the trust of the consumers who fuel our program, make the transitions easier to maneuver through so we can build and grow successful organic Mexican mango programs…. This is what we are known for. The Crespo’s fully and vertically integrated supply chain and direct-trade selling system is what makes them the mango experts. It’s because of that expertise we will not skip a beat in the final days of the great mango transition, which is when a regional production shift from southern Oaxaca & Chiapas to Northern Nayarit and Sinaloa happens.
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Will Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Nayarit line up for a smooth transition? The nature of transition is tricky. Shifting mango production from the southern Mexican regions to the northern ones is often unpredictable and complex. This year we move into with a great deal of positivity and yet a tinge of trepidation. I think the trepidation is more implanted into all of us because of the last several months or utter unpredictability that resulted in many challenges for the industry. Transitioning mango production from southern to northern regions in Mexico is often a tricky and complex process. As we embark on this year’s transition, we are filled with positivity, yet there is also a sense of trepidation. The challenges of the past few months have left their mark on the industry, and we all carry a certain level of uncertainty with us. Last year the transition was brutal, as I reported here- Under The Mango Tree. We managed but it wasn’t easy or pretty. This year we get a break.
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Boasting the most efficient and modern mango pack house around Disclaimer: This is a boastful and prideful post about a packing house that I truly believe in. I’m one of a few globally well-traveled industry folks with an extremely diverse make up of commodities, markets, cultures and systems. I have seen a lot of packing houses and “sheds” in my travels and none like this one. Boasting this facility and the Crespo family is the natural outcome of my true beliefs. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Empaque Don Jorge (El Original) located in the Crespo’s hometown of Rosario, Sinaloa is now open for the season. It opens, with immediate plans to expand capacity beyond its extraordinary current amplitude. 5 additional stainless steal hot water tanks, 2 additional packing lines and 1 additional washing line are just a few of the augmentations that will further expand Latin America’s largest hydrothermal mango packhouse’s prowess. It’s opening couldn’t be more needed as we move deeper into this wild and crazy Mexican mango season! Read my latest CROP REPORT for more crop and season expectations/details. For this post, I boast!!
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