The US market for fresh mangoes continues to expand as more consumers become familiar with the fruit and its year-round availability. Imports account for about 99 percent of total sales, with Florida providing minimal and declining domestic production. In 1999, the US imported 219,000 MTs of mangoes, valued at $142 million, an increase of 11 percent over 1998 volumes. One Los Angeles-based importer predicts steady growth of 7 to 10 percent annually over the next few years, with higher demand during the winter months.
Mexico remains the dominant supplier, with an 81 percent market share in 1999. Its relative share has decreased marginally over the last few years, primarily due to increased shipments from Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru during the Mexican counter season. Mexico’s main advantage over these other suppliers is its proximity to the US, which it shares with rival suppliers Haiti and Guatemala. Like Mexico, Haiti is also a significant supplier during the summer months, able to compete by shipping mangoes directly to Miami.
Nearly 80 percent of all mango imports arrived during the period April-August in 1999, a time when Mexico supplies the market with large volumes at low prices. Mexico’s main competitors during the spring are Guatemala and Haiti. Reliable supplies from Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador from September to March have made mangoes available on a year-round basis. Mango prices tend to be volatile due to the seasonal change in suppliers, with prices averaging as low as $4.00 per carton (4.5 kg net) during the summer months and increasing to $7-$10 per carton from September to December.
The majority of US consumers are largely unfamiliar with mangoes, with Tommy Atkins remaining a popular variety due to its red blush, despite being fibrous and less sweet than others. Retailers attribute this to the tendency of consumers to select fruit based on appearance rather than taste, making it difficult to stock supermarket shelves with better-tasting but less attractive varieties. Of the major imported varieties, buyers note that Haden possesses superior taste but a limited shelf life relative to the Tommy Atkins and Kent varieties.
The US coffee market is comprised of multiple segments and product formulations, with the majority of sales consisting of ground regular and instant/soluble coffee products. Whole bean and specialty coffee sales comprise a small but increasing share of the retail market. Each of these markets can be further subdivided into additional product formulations, such as caffeinated/decaffeinated, flavored/unflavored, Arabica/Robusta, dark roast/light roast, etc. Contrary to common perceptions, US per capita consumption of coffee has declined over the last 30 years, with per capita consumption projected at 1.66 cups per day in 2000.
The specialty coffee market is highly differentiated, with no universally accepted definition as to what constitutes “specialty coffee.” For the purposes of this survey, “specialty coffee” is defined as coffee that is marketed in one of the following four categories: gourmet/rare origin/estate, organic, shade-grown (also called “bird friendly”), and “fair trade.” World coffee production in the 2000/2001 crop year is expected to hit a record of 6.5 million MTs, up 2 percent from the previous year. The majority of coffee is produced organically, but only a small portion is actually certified organic by independent organizations.
Approximately 85 percent of Ethiopia’s production is thought to be organic, yet very little of that is actually certified. Although Mexico is the largest producer of organic coffee, only 2 percent of its production is currently certified. In Guatemala, registered organic coffee production accounted for about 5 percent of total production in 1999, a level expected to start increasing in a few years as transitional farms become fully certified.