"Our season starts mid-September with an early Ataulfo variety, followed by the varieties Tommy Atkins, Kent and Keitt till the end of the year. Two years ago we started our air shipments to the European market. It was a challenge, but we are very happy with the results. The final consumers are mostly in France at the Rungis market, where our Mr. Sweet mangoes arrive with great eating quality and ready to eat”, starts Jacquie de Swett, president Blix S.A, a producer and exporter in Guayaguil, Ecuador. " We pride ourselves on preserving nature and being an ecologically friendly business.”
The St. Jude mango farm is locally owned and operated by Blix S.A. “We have several mango varieties to work with, which means 50% of our production is Tommy Atkins, 27% is Kent, 13% is Ataulfo-Honey and 10% is Keitt. For Tommy Atkins the most important export destination is the USA by sea freight. While for Kent most export is done by air to Europe. Other destinations are Canada, Mexico and Chile.”
“We exclusively export our mangoes under the Mr. Sweet brand name, controlling all aspects of growing, packaging, and shipping. In this way we are able to guarantee a consistent great product, that we are proud of to offer”, continues Jacquie. The current capacity of the farm St. Jude makes it possible to export half a million boxes a year. There are growth plans to increase production and export to a million boxes by the year 2020. Keeping in mind that the philosophy of the company "Quality over quantity".
International market situation
She explains that Ecuador is in the market with two great mango suppliers like Mexico and Peru, but there is a window and the eating quality of Ecuadorian mangoes make a difference. “For example, Ecuador supplies Ataulfos when Mexico can´t. In addition, Peru normally starts exporting at the end of November with a few containers. Indeed, when both Ecuador and Peru will send big volumes in December, it could lead to an oversupply. This is why I believe mango associations should work together with the producers, distributors and receivers in order to protect the market and avoid low prices.”
As Peru is sending less volume compared to last year, Jacquie expects a better market till the end of the Ecuadorian season. “Normally he market starts to decrease just before Thanksgiving as this is a long weekend in the USA. The week after Thanksgiving is always a slow week. We expect the market to improve in the coming weeks, as there is less Peruvian supply for now.”
National Mango Board
Jacquie is a board member of the National Mango Board in the USA, of which the mission and vision is to work hard to promote the consumption of the mango in the USA. “We feel there is a big potential for this fruit. There are many studies about nutrition, production and post-harvest research on our website which is important to share all over the world.”
For more information:
Jacquie de Swett
Blix S.A.
Ecuador
T: 593-999484087
E: aswett@mangoecuador.ec