Getting the ball rolling

Here is the link to the first importer of Indian managoes, passed along first by Fred Teensma of the USDA. I visited with one of the principals from Savani Farms this week, and he said that the company hope to encourage other importers to become involved. Three Indian American brothers are involved in the startup venture - their father is involved in the mango business in India - and their office is in Philadelphia. The importer said cost of air freight, combined with other transportation charges, is about $2.50 per mango. Still uncertain is what the arrival condition of mangoes that are shipped by sea containers will be. Those should arrive in two to three weeks.

U.S. mango importers welcome the new varieties of Indian mango - check out the Savani Farms Web site for an extensive discussion of that topic - but remain unconvinced the deal will be more than a premium niche deal.

It is somewhat rare to have a new commodity in the marketplace, and that alone guarantees some level of interest. Considering the less friendly variables of distance and irradiation, the trade should know in about a year how big a deal this new deal is.