MCALLEN, TX—The Mexican mango deal is off to a good start.

Chiapas groves, in the far south of Mexico, are the first in the market, which is arriving in Nogales and McAllen.

All sources report good quality, no weather problems, and seasonally normal volumes. The deal starts being especially heavy with Atualfo mangos. Volume will greatly increase as mango harvest moves up through states on Mexico’s west coast. Round mangos are more common and will soon be dominating Mexican volumes.

Mexican mango shipping winds down in September, as harvest wraps up in northern Sinaloa.

Rudy Uresti, owner of Jade Produce LLC in Mission, TX, received his first load of Ataulfos from Chiapas Feb. 17. Pricing early in the deal was “starting OK,” he said. “We’ll see when we get volume.”  Uresti will be receiving mangos throughout the Mexican season.

Jade is shipping mangos in its bright-pink “Pink” label. The distinctive, highly recognizable box has been a success for Jade in shipping other tropical products. On Jan. 1, Jade started shipping avocados, which are also shipped in the Pink container.

For Grow Farms Texas, a sister company of Ciruli Bros. in Nogales, volume of Ataulfos also began arriving in mid-February. On Feb. 18, Tommy Wilkins, director of sales and marketing for Grow Farms Texas, showed that his warehouse was rapidly filling with the firm’s Champagne-mango brand. Grow Farms was receiving 17 truckloads that day. He calculated that, if the average fruit size was 16, the firm would receive 1 million mangos on Feb. 18.

Champagne is packed in a distinctive purple carton.

Grow Farms will be receiving Mexican mangos for six months. Ciruli Bros. sources from other growing areas to have a year-round mango program.