Freska Produce International's Gary Clevenger Discusses Ecuador Transition and Mango Season

With fall approaching, seasonal changes can leave some of us feeling a bit glum. For those looking to chase these feelings away, biting into a ripe mango is guaranteed to brighten any day. So, gear up those taste buds, mango lovers, because Gary Clevenger, Co-Founder of Freska Produce International, is here to dish the mango details.

When we first began, Gary shared details with me about the current harvest in Mexico, which is set to wrap up at the end of September, as well as insight into his latest trip to Ecuador, where the company has been preparing mango containers to ship.

“There’s already Ecuadorian mangos on the water, headed to the West Coast and set to arrive in late September,” he tells me. “From there, we’ll just keep going up in volume, probably peaking around early to middle November.”

With year-round supplies, Freska is able to provide consumers with a variety of mangoes, including Ataulfos (aka Honey Mangos)—arriving this week—Tommy Atkins, Keitts, Kents, and Hadens, all coming out of Ecuador. The red varieties are set to arrive in a week or two. Compared to last year, Gary tells me that he expects 10 percent higher volume, and that the growing regions in Ecuador and Peru are ahead about two to three weeks.

After the Ecuadorian shipments, Freska’s next growing region to begin shipment is Peru, which Gary shares with me will start in late November, with shipments arriving on the West Coast in December.

Freska also continues to employ its own QC staff to oversee the packaging of labels which assures customers of Freska mangos’ quality and consistency. Recently, the company has also begun offering dried mangos with some of its partners in Mexico and is looking to grow this business in the next year.

Freska Produce International is Fair Trade certified, has organic offerings, and the ability to skyrocket sales in the mango category.