Members of The Mango Association, which include mango growers, marketing co-operatives, importers and distributors, have appointed Chris Abram, of Minor Weir & Willis as chairman. The new chairman, who is also a founding member of the Association, has replaced Mark Moody of Utopia, who held the position for two years.
Abram is fruit manager at MWW, where he has been since 1992. Before that he worked for the Jamaican Government, marketing Jamaican goods including foods, clothing and textiles.
There is more good news for The Mango Association, as Martex Farms in Puerto Rico has agreed to join the association as its eighth member. Martex Farms is a family-owned business, established in 1989 and dedicated to the growing, processing, packing and shipping of tropical fruits and plants. Mangoes from Puerto Rico have a 10-month production season, from January to October, the longest mango season available.
Martex Farms is the biggest single mango shipper into the UK market. The Keitt variety María Rosa Martí, who heads up Martex Farms, said: "We are delighted to be joining The Mango Association and be involved in the PR campaign for 2004. Based on our commitment to the UK market, we are pleased to join efforts to build mango awareness and consumption. Our mangoes are in season for most of the year and we can really benefit from the activities planned. Keitt mangoes are among some of the most delicious exotic fruits and with a shelf life of 21 days they are an ideal variety to promote in the UK."
Abram added: "It's superb news that we have another member on board to drive the 2004 campaign forward. We are moving from a campaign which focused on National Mango Week to all-year-round marketing and my aim is to make the association a model for collaborative marketing of non-branded fresh foods in the UK.
"We can all benefit from the groundwork carried out by my predecessor as many projects come to fruition. The market has expanded 51.7 per cent in the two years the association has been running and the consumer penetration has grown from 13.3 per cent to 18.6 per cent over the same period which is a great achievement. I'm looking forward to these figures increasing and 2004 being the best year yet."
For more information log onto www.mad4mango.com
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