Adding a personal touch, some importers have taken to driving mango vans loaded with fresh shipments directly into neighbourhoods with large Indian populations. For many customers, the experience is more than a purchase – it is a journey back to childhood summers and memories of home.
“Indians don’t eat mangoes as just some fruit; we celebrate them. Indian families in the US are no exception,” said Yakin Shah, a New Jersey-based pharmacist-turned-mango importer. Almost all his customers are Indians who eagerly line up when he announces arrival of his mango van through WhatsApp groups, he said. Within hours of the message going out, communities gather at designated locations to buy their favourite varieties, turning a simple sale into a celebration and nostalgia.
India’s mango exports to the US could increase 30% year-on-year this season despite a sharp escalation in air freight costs due to the Iran war, according to Abhishek Dev, chairman of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).
Innovative packaging
“The growth will be driven partly by an extended export window, with the season expected to continue for at least two more weeks as good-quality north Indian varieties make their way to the US market in July,” said Dev, adding that last year’s export figures (2,188 metric tonnes, valued at $9.6 million) had already been achieved by the third week of June.
Indian mango demand is concentrated in cities with large Indian-origin populations, including New Jersey, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, DC. Behind this demand lies a deeper connection — consumers often seek out varieties associated with their home states and childhood summers in India. “Gujaratis mostly buy Kesar. Maharashtrians and select north Indians prefer Alphonso. People from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala usually want south Indian varieties such as Banganapalle, Rasalu and Himayat,” said Jaya Prakash Gola, an importer in Washington, DC.
With US retail firm Costco selling Indian mangoes in its stores for the first time, the fruit is reaching beyond the traditional Indian consumer base. The chain is selling smaller four-mango packs instead of the standard boxes containing nine to 11. Retail prices currently range between $45 and $55 for a three-kg box.
“We do not have the exact sales numbers from Costco, but the mangoes I export typically end up at Indian-owned supermarkets such as Patel Brothers, Vijetha, Apna Bazar and Apni Mandi,” said Abhijeet Bhasale, director at Pune-based export company Rainbow International. “Some of these Indian retail chains have built a significant presence across the US. Patel Brothers, for instance, has more than 50 stores across American cities.”
The growing popularity of Indian mangoes has also attracted a wave of new players into the market.