Greetings, produce professionals, and welcome to the produce department. I hope everyone is having an amazing summer season chock full of family, friends and … FRUIT!
There is no better time of year to eat fresh fruit than summer, and there are so many options to choose from to beat that proverbial heat. While berries are always at the top of the list from a convenience standpoint, and melons are cut, quartered or sliced in ready-to-eat packages, one amazing piece of fruit lurks sometimes undiscovered — and maybe in some cases never tried. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you … the mango!
Mangoes are no longer “that fruit” that just hangs in the back of the department in a single basket, living next to bananas, hoping someone, somewhere will pick them up and put them in their shopping carts. No, they are a produce sales powerhouse and should be highlighted and merchandised like the superstars that they are!
In fact, it is the mango, not the banana, that is the No. 1-consumed fruit in the world. They truly are one of those fruits that just check all the boxes, for the most part. They look great on display, are super versatile, taste amazing, and, more often than not, they are a relatively inexpensive piece of fruit, depending on the time of year and the size of fruit you are purchasing.
Let's take a quick look at a few tips to help you maximize your mango sales and create some mango magic in your departments.
Tropical fruit, tropical handling
Ideally, mangoes should be merchandised and stored away from refrigerated cases and out of coolers. They are indeed a tropical fruit, after all, and do best when they are allowed to remain in room temperature to ripen naturally. They are also ethylene sensitive and will ripen faster when stored next to product such as bananas and tomatoes, so be cognizant when placing in backroom storage. Mangoes that are exposed to excessive refrigeration will often develop an off-color hue and never fully ripen properly. Like stone fruit and other tropical fruit such as kiwi, papaya and avocado, the eating experience for your customers will hinge on proper storage and handling on display.
Mangoes by the masses
Mango merchandising in mass displays is so easy to do and truly makes an impact centerpiece point in your department. Depending on variety, this can be a super colorful display that will be a showstopper for your customers and is sure to add fruit to your customers' carts. Because mangoes are a tropical fruit, rotation is super important to stay up on — make sure the ripest fruit always goes on out and is placed on top. This is one of those commodities that should not follow the FIFO (first in, first out) rule. While larger displays are awesome for consumer impact, sales building and creating impulse sales, be sure to merchandise fruit in your regular tropical sections or by your bananas as well. Having the two spots increases the visibility and will increase sales.
Mango 101
Education is a key part to the success of mango sales. Even though the mango has gained some wild popularity over the years with its versatility and the boom of juicing and smoothies, there are many consumers who, for one reason or another, have never tried one. Maybe they don't know how to eat them, what to do with them, or think that they are too much work for the reward. Mango flavor and texture profiles change (in some cases drastically) by variety during the course of the year.
It's great to be able to talk through the seasonal changes this awesome fruit enjoys. Another cool thing about this fruit is that everyone has their favorite varieties. Some love the tommy atkins, some enjoy the ataulfo (honey mango), and some crave the kents and keitts (my personal favorite) for the many flavors and textures each one offers. It's super important to have the flavor profiles on point to offer this information to your customers on each one. There are some shippers that have point-of-sale signage with variety name and info on it as well, and these are good opportunities to offer quick consumer education on the variety they are buying.
Another important piece in talking mangoes with your customers is to let them know how to tell when they are ripe and how to properly ripen fruit at home. As fruit ripens, just like a peach or pear, it will soften and will give to gentle pressure. Ataulfo mangoes will be at their peak eating quality when fruit colors up to a golden yellow and gets wrinkled. It's important for customers to know the ripening stages so they can enjoy the best eating experience possible. Place some brown paper bags by your displays for customers to ripen fruit at home.
And finally, be sure to know the many ways of cutting a mango safely. There are many different styles to cut and enjoy this fruit, and it's important to know them to pass them on to your customers. Place some “how to's” on your displays for customers to take home as well as some recipes for smoothies.
While handling and merchandising are keys to success with mangoes, the focus on education for successful sales is just as important.
I hope these short tips will help you create your next mango masterpiece and build sales in your tropical category with this popular fruit. A very sincere thank-you for all of your efforts in keeping the fresh produce flowing to consumers nationwide!
Brian Dey is the senior merchandiser and natural stores coordinator for Ephrata, Pa.-based wholesaler Four Seasons Produce. He's an industry veteran with a serious passion for helping produce teams to achieve great presentation and results in their departments.