As dawn breaks into morning, the fields come alive. The small green buds of a mango tree crack open to welcome rays of golden sunlight. The air is still except for a bustling team of pollinators buzzing effortlessly through the foliage. Powdery white petals reveal themselves to the world, greeting the sky with the fresh smell of a newly born blossom.
So much potential and hope is bred into each flower, and within roughly 90 days, the tree will be laden with crimson and emerald fruit.
These are the early days of the flavorful and nutritious mangos Freska Produce International brings to market year-round. Strong hands pull back the branches, reaching up to grasp the fruit with a gentle touch perfected only by those who have worked the orchards for years. The trees part ways with their delicious gems, hopeful that each piece will be enjoyed in one way or another.
Regardless of the outcome, Freska is committed to using 100 percent of its growers’ fruit—a mission that Co-Founders Gary Clevenger and Jesus “Chuy” Loza know to be wildly successful.
“In order to support a three-fold commitment to the growers’ welfare, create value for our customers, and sustainably fulfill our vision, we started dealing in organic dried mangos about five years ago. Whatever product is not qualified for retail goes into the dried segment,” Gary began. “This program benefits the grower because they’re not taking a loss on a number three-graded mango. Nowadays, a dried product can create just as much value as a number-one-graded, retail-ready fresh product. If a grower has imperfect fruit, they have alternatives to utilize it rather than tossing it away.”
Ataulfos are the primary variety used for dried mangos, although Kents and Keitts also feature the desired flavor profile and texture. This utilization of a hundred percent of growers’ fruit is going to be a huge part of the mango business in the coming years, Gary imparted to me. As of now, he went on to say, supplies of dried mangos still can’t meet the steadily rising demand.
“Consumer affinity for the dried mango category is definitely rising. We’re seeing a lot of action and doing our best to make sure we can get enough product,” Chuy asserted. “The biggest challenge right now is making sure we have enough supplies to meet this high level of demand.”
The main contributors to this demand are taste, convenience, and health. People love grabbing a bag of dried mangos knowing they will enjoy a flavorful and health-conscious eating experience every time. With no sugar added to Freska’s dried mangos, it’s truly an all-natural snack packed with the sweet nectar of a mango fresh from the tree.
"Nowadays, a dried product can create just as much value as a number-one-graded, retail-ready fresh product."
Gary Clevenger, Co-Founder, Freska Produce International
The dried category is its own world within the mango sector, creating an eating experience that is truly one of a kind. The soft yet meaty texture is unlike many other dried fruits, complemented by a natural sweetness and fresh, tropical flavor.
Freska’s mangos are dried out at its packing facilities in Mexico, with the entire process only taking about a day from beginning to end. The supplier has packing houses in a number of locations across the country that are operational at different times of the year, depending on where harvest is taking place.
“We maintain close relationships with our packers, who in turn are in direct contact with the growers,” Gary outlined. “Because there’s so many small mom-and-pop growers, as well as some larger commercial growers in the region, our relationship with the packers is an essential link in our supply chain. They deal with securing the fruit, and then we work on the sales and marketing side of things.”
At each of the packing house locations, the company has its own Freska quality control team that oversees all operations. This assures that what’s going under the brand label is of top quality.
“The quality control teams also help fill the orders that we need for different pack styles,” Chuy explained. “We relay to the team what type of pack styles we need and how many we need per week. On the fresh side, we offer clamshells and the regular 4 kg box, as well as different packs for big-box retailers like Walmart and Costco.”
"Consumer affinity for the dried mango category is definitely rising. We’re seeing a lot of action and doing our best to make sure we can get enough product."
Jesus “Chuy” Loza, Co-Founder, Freska Produce International
Freska’s dried mangos are available in all different sizes, catering to the liking of the customer. Gains on the buy-side are a shoo-in as shoppers go in search of convenience and give in to impulse buys at the point of purchase.
As Gary previously touched on, this practice of using 100 percent of growers’ fruit is becoming a focal point in the mango category, and not just for Freska.
“Outside of dried mangos, some operators process unused fruit in other ways like freezing, dicing, cubing, and puréeing. So, there are other alternatives that also use 100 percent of the fruit,” Gary stated, reflecting on these changes.
Given the various opportunities to process fresh mangos, most growers like Freska only end up with the seed and the skin as waste. To little surprise for an innovator such as Freska, the grower is currently doing research on some other products that could be derived from the skin and the seed.
Utilizing 100 percent of the fruit is an integral stepping stone in the category’s growth. Mangos are not only a boon for buy-side basket share, but they inherently support the bottom line of sustainability. Retailers and foodservice operators alike can work toward their sustainability goals by including fresh, dried, and processed mango in their programs, all while bolstering the Fair Trade Certified™ practices Freska and other suppliers implement.
But don’t just rest your laurels on my own musings—mangos will without a doubt attract register rings, as demand is rising in the segment across the board, from fresh, to dried, and beyond.
“Mangos are becoming more mainstream. They used to be in the back of the baskets, and now they’re becoming a produce aisle star,” Chuy said. “In addition, mangos are more readily available. Year-round programs have grown alongside offshore operations in the wintertime and then Mexico in the summertime.”
"Mangos are becoming more mainstream. They used to be in the back of the baskets, and now they’re becoming a produce aisle star."
Jesus “Chuy” Loza
Additionally, Gary relayed that the volume of fresh supplies continues to increase depending on the weather in the growing region. On top of this, Colombia is a burgeoning region of growth where U.S. mango purveyors like Freska are turning their attention to as a possibility for greater imports.
Needless to say, the mango category is full of fruitful avenues, and it looks as though the window of opportunity will only continue to grow. Buyers who welcome an expanded mango program now will be chief contributors to the sector’s future success, and Freska Produce International will be carefully tending to its groves—to the benefit of retailers and consumers alike.
Think of it this way: The mango category is a flowering tree that will continue to bloom until its fruit has reached its greatest potential. 
