UK importer Pacific Produce is shipping Ataulfo mangoes to the UK, for the first time Pacific Produce will do this via seafreight instead of the normal airfreight. Robert Cullum from the company said, "We are bringing Ataulfo Mango, normally an airfreight variety, by sea. This is a difficult process to manage but after several years of tests we are now more confident with the correct maturity at harvest to enable us to ripen in the UK," he explains.
The Ataulfo mango is a smaller super sweet / fragrant variety, hugely popular in Mexico and the USA, which has not really made its way to Europe in any volume due mainly to the prohibitive cost of airfreight.
Pacific Produce have now been able to overcome that problem, partly due to a faster shipping service and perfecting the harvest time of the fruit.
"The result is an extremely tasty mango with a reasonable price level which would normally only be available at very high air prices," explains Cullum. Compared to the airfreighted fruit this is nearly half the price.
Pacific Produce are half way through a 4 week season with sales concluding in the Christmas week. They will ship 1 container per week at this stage.
As for demand, Cullum said that this is a new product so they are not to sure but, he says from a personal point of view if you eat one of these it is easy to become addicted.
In addition to the Ataulfo, Pacific Produce have Tommy and Haden from Peru and are waiting for the Kent which will be late this year.
For more information:
Robert Cullum
Pacific Produce
+44 (0) 1865877801
+44 (0) 7554880327
Email: [email protected]
www.pacificproduce.co.uk