This Season’s Calypso Mangos Launched in Shanghai

This content is sponsored by Perfection Fresh, an Australian family-owned produce company that is renowned for leading innovation in horticulture.

November 26 saw the successful conclusion of this season’s launch ceremony for Calypso^® mangos at the Huizhan Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market in Shanghai.

Guests at the ceremony included Esther Sun, commercial consul and trade and investment commissioner, and Stella Cai, senior business development manager, of the Australian Trade and Investment Commission; Chen Li, senior business development manager at the China office of Trade and Investment Queensland; Michael Kan, general manager for Asia at Perfection Fresh Australia Pty. Ltd.; Tyson Leung, director of Backbone Trading HK Ltd.; Zhao Zhixin, director and CEO of Guangzhou Great Uni Import and Export Trading Co. Ltd., the sole agent in China for Calypso mangos; representatives from the Huizhan Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market; and some of Calypso’s other business partners and wholesalers in Shanghai.

Calypso mangos are the only new variety of mangos from Australia in the last 30 years. Introduced in 1999, this crossbred variety has quickly won the hearts of Australian consumers, scooping up 35% of the market share. With respect to the success of Calypso mangos, Kan explained that this variety has a golden red-blush appearance, smaller seeds and succulent flesh. Consumers thus see this fruit as representing good value for money. He further elaborated that Calypso fruit trees are relatively short and therefore easy to manage. As a result, numerous Australian growers have switched over to this variety. Furthermore, Calypso mangos remain very fresh during transportation, in terms of both appearance and flesh, and thus possess a longer shelf life than other varieties, which is advantageous to retailers and consumers alike. Perfection Fresh owns the commercial rights to Calypso mangos, including supply, promotion and sales.

In 2006, Guangzhou Great Uni Import and Export Trading Co. Ltd. brought the first container of Calypso mangos into China by air. Since then, Calypso mangos have become increasingly visible on the market and the company remains China’s sole importer of Calypso mangos. According to Zhao, sales of Calypso mangos in China are expected to reach 100,000 cases in the 2019/20 season and double to 200,000 cases by the 2020/21 season. This rapid growth could mean that Calypso mangos may become a household name in China in the future.

Prior to the end of the ceremony, Produce Report interviewed Kan and Sun, who provided additional details about Calypso mangos in China. The Calypso variety was formally launched in China in October and November last year. Currently, the mangos are only imported into Shanghai and Guangzhou via air. According to Kan, “We hope there will be more direct cargo flights, which would enable us to air-ship products directly to their destination. Direct flights would shorten the total transportation lead time, keeping the mangos even fresher.”

Regarding the intense competition for mangos in China, Kan and Sun expressed much confidence in Calypso. According to them, the attractive red blush on the skin and value for money of Calypso mangos cannot be matched by mangos from other countries. Other benefits include their smooth and succulent flesh and the smaller seeds. Moreover, the selling season for Calypso mangos in China happens to fall within the Chinese New Year festive period, positioning the reddish Calypso mangos as a perfect gift throughout the country.

Perfection Fresh highly values the Chinese market and has a series of marketing activities in the pipeline. The company plans to not only continue to educate Chinese consumers and Chinese students studying in Australia on the unique attributes of Calypso mangos but also work with its sole importer and wholesalers in China to promote this fruit, including the use of in-store tastings. Kan said that he strongly believes that consumers, after tasting the sweet Calypso mangos, will be eager to come back for more. According to Sun, “The Australian Trade and Investment Commission will fully support Calypso’s marketing efforts in China.” She added that the color of these mangos could be leveraged to capture the attention of consumers, before informing them of the taste and nutritional value. Consumers will also be taught methods for using Calypso mangos in salads and cooking. According to her, “Michael and I are both hoping that Chinese consumers will fall in love with Calypso mangos.”

Before the event drew to a close, Kan shared some tips for selecting Calypso mangos and explained that the ripeness of the fruit can be judged by its color. If the skin is golden yellow, the mango can be consumed that day. If the skin still has a tint of green color, it would be better to wait a couple more days before consumption. Mangos are best kept at room temperature and refrigeration is not necessary.

For more details about Calypso mangos, which are now available for sale in China, please watch this video.

For more information about the supply of Calypso mangos, please contact:

Mr. Tyson Leung,

Backbone Trading HK Ltd.

E-mail: tyson@backbonehk.com

Mr. Zhao Zhixin,

Guangzhou Great Uni Import & Export Trading Co Ltd.

E-mail: xin@backbonehk.com

Images: Backbone Trading Hong Kong Ltd.