Fresh produce company, Perfection Fresh, has partnered with fourth-generation Mexican grower, Campos Borquez, to bring Calypso mangoes to the US market. After four years of rigorous trials, propagation is underway for the first commercial plantation early in 2025.
With around 40 per cent market share in Australia, Calypso mangoes are distinguished by their pink blush, fruit-to-seed ratio, and sweet tropical flavour. The variety’s unique attributes, including firm flesh with less stringy bits and extended shelf life, make it an attractive offering for retailers looking to enhance their premium produce range.
Developed in Queensland in 2002, Calypso mangoes are a hybrid of Australian Sensation mangoes, and Kensington Pride mangoes from Florida. The US supply is being grown in Obregon, Sonora, where the Borquez family has farmed for 4 generations.
The orchard is only 550 kilometres from the US border, and is in a fruit fly free zone, which means that there is no requirement for hot water treatment for export. This helps to preserve the flavour, freshness, and overall quality of the product.
Additionally, the supply timing is favourable, representing the last part of the Mexican season in August-September when the category is traditionally undersupplied.
Campos Borquez founder, Pablo Borquez, said Calypso mangoes are poised to become a staple in the premium North American market.
“We look forward to working with retailers to build a quality and resilient supply chain that meets the growing demand for premium mangoes,” said Borquez.
After an initial retail trial at Whole Foods Market in Los Angeles, where the product sold out rapidly, Perfection Fresh and Campos Borquez are undertaking a comprehensive international strategy to establish Calypso mangoes as a superior global brand in the mangoes segment.
Whilst the Mexican season has now finished, Calypso mangoes will return to the shelves in Whole Foods Market again between July and September 2025.
Perfection Fresh CEO, Michael Simonetta, said the company’s research shows significant potential for growth in mango consumption in North America, particularly with a premium and unique mango like Calypso.
As a benchmark, mango consumption per capita in Australia is more than 1.5 times greater than in the US. Compounding this opportunity gap, mangoes are typically only available during the spring and summer months, compared to all year round in the US.
For prospective international growers, the successful trial crop cultivated by Campos Borquez signals an opportunity for the Calypso variety in other geographies. Its post-harvest quality and product delivery mean that it is well placed to deliver to the premium mango segment in key markets.
