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Marie Piccone - Manbulloo

"We see Rosa as one of the key varieties of Project Flavour because it is all about the eating experience"

An Australian mango producer growing production on its new variety range, with the aim of providing more enjoyable mango-eating experiences and flavors for consumers.

In 2022 Manbulloo added three varieties – Yes!, Now! and AhHa! - to its Project Flavour range. Harvesting of the Rosa variety has just wrapped up in the Northern Territory in mid-December.

Rosa is continuing to grow in volume and popularity across the country. Managing director Marie Piccone explained that Rosa is a trademarked name for this mango variety that originated from a Florida breeding program.

"One of the Australian retailers has recently described the taste as like honey," Ms Piccone said. "Keen to understand the attributes of Rosa, retailers have been taste testing because this is the first year that Rosa has been available on the east coast of Australia. Previously Rosa has been marketed in WA and SA where it is well established and very well supported by consumers. Depending on volumes available, Manbulloo may export Project Flavour varieties next year – including Rosa.

She added: "We are confident that our global customers will be 'very interested' as Rosa has lovely smooth flesh and a popular, sweet mango flavor. The consumer and retailer acceptance has been great. We have been growing Rosa in the Northern Territory since we purchased the Ballongilly farm. We see it as one of the key varieties of Project Flavour because it is all about the eating experience. Our experience to date is that Rosas is quite popular when consumers get to know what they taste like and how pleasant and enjoyable it is to eat them."

The other varieties that have been branded Yes!, Now!, and AhHa! have continued to build in production and harvest volumes and have been purchased by Australian retailers this season. Ms Piccone says there has been significant demand and great feedback overall.

"So, the market penetration and market acceptance are increasing. What consumers want is a good eating experience and while they love the existing varieties like Kensington Pride, we see these new varieties that are similar to Kensington Pride as complimentary. They have different timing, different size profiles, and some slightly different characteristics - but still with great consumer appeal. The feedback is good, but to be honest, the Kensington Pride is still the benchmark in terms of popularity. Kensington Pride is the 'cornerstone' of Australian mango flavor and about 90% of consumers consistently vote for 'Aussie mango flavor' and get really excited by it, compared to mangoes with mild or neutral flavor. Consumer testing and research keep showing that mango lovers and eaters want to eat mangoes that deliver 'that amazing Australian taste and experience' - that's what Manbulloo is selling and delivering around the world."

Manbulloo has just completed a transition from harvesting in the Northern Territory to Queensland, where there was a bit of overlap but Ms Piccone added that it was a tough season production-wise in the Territory, with wildfires, extreme heat, and intense storms - but overall Manbulloo has been happy with the outcome, after expanding volumes and also exports.

"We just finished sales of our NT mangoes. Throughout the NT season, we harvested KPs, R2E2, and Dragon Tooth with our 'late' variety, Rosa," Ms Piccone said. "Despite the challenges, customers are happy with the outcome and we increased our exports. We are currently harvesting in Queensland and we have managed to get a lot of the crop off, even though we have experienced intermittent rainfall and some flooding. Overall the quality has held up despite us having some weather-related quality issues and access issues. Despite the challenges we have still continued exporting, and we have increased exports from Queensland, while still supplying our Australian customers. Considering the environmental conditions 'thrown at us', I am very pleased. A great effort from the Manbulloo team once again under difficult conditions. "

While summer is the peak time to enjoy locally grown mangoes, especially leading into Christmas when there are plenty of uses for the fruit such as drinks, cocktails, cooking, and of course juicy and fresh. Ms. Piccone also explained that the eating experience and flavor are THE main drivers for sales and demand for Manbulloo Australian mangoes internationally.

"Around the world, the varieties that we grow and export are in very high demand and people pay a premium," she said. "It is all about the flavor and eating experience because they can buy a commodity mango any day of the week and a lot cheaper than we can provide these flavourful mangoes. There are still a lot of people who want to have that big, wonderful, amazing MANGO eating experience. We have more demand for the Manbulloo brand than we can currently supply. There are some brands that are not experiencing strong demand, and that's all down to ensuring you can give consumers what they want. If you do that they come back for more, otherwise they are disheartened. I think of it as a two-speed economy; there's plenty of demand if you have what people want, or low demand if you haven't."

After starting the mango harvest in September, Manbulloo is in the midst of the longest mango harvest done annually by any Australian mango production company. Harvesting of KP and R2E2 varieties in Far North Queensland will continue until mid-January - weather permitting - before moving onto 'later' season varieties including Palmer, Keitt, and Brooks which will be harvested until mid-March to close out the six-month season.

For more information
Marie Piccone
Manbulloo
Phone: +61 7 3860 6990
reception@manbulloo.com
www.manbulloo.com