Sainsbury is increasing its programme to develop supplies of a soft yellow-skinned mango with a pink blush called Kensington Pride and grown solely in Australia.
The multiple is also conducting exclusive trials with supplier Minor, Weir and Willis and the Ord River Mango Growers Association in Kimberly, Western Australia to ship fruit under controlled atmosphere conditions by sea so it arrives in store ready to eat.
The variety, also grown in the earliest areas in the Northern Territories, has already been flown in and is being sold in selected stores in a £2.99 twin-pack labelled Ripe Australia.
While airfreight fruit will form the bulk of arrivals lasting until mid-January when Queensland is in production, sea shipment, if successful, could mean the fruit could be picked virtually ripe with its maturity suspended during the three-week voyage.
Sainsbury said its total mango sales were increasing 21% year-on-year by volume.
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The multiple is also conducting exclusive trials with supplier Minor, Weir and Willis and the Ord River Mango Growers Association in Kimberly, Western Australia to ship fruit under controlled atmosphere conditions by sea so it arrives in store ready to eat.
The variety, also grown in the earliest areas in the Northern Territories, has already been flown in and is being sold in selected stores in a £2.99 twin-pack labelled Ripe Australia.
While airfreight fruit will form the bulk of arrivals lasting until mid-January when Queensland is in production, sea shipment, if successful, could mean the fruit could be picked virtually ripe with its maturity suspended during the three-week voyage.
Sainsbury said its total mango sales were increasing 21% year-on-year by volume.
{{MARKET EDGE }}
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