You’ll find Whole Trade opens in a new tab™ opens in a new tab organic Kent mangos from Peru in our stores now.For the past few winters, we’ve offered these sweet and juicy Kent variety mangos grown by a group of small growers in northern Peru. This year, we’ve developed a more direct supply chain and are excited to offer this fruit with our Whole Trade Guarantee™ opens in a new tab, which is our commitment to ethical trade, the environment and high quality.The mangos are grown by members of the Small Farmers Association of Tongorrape (in Spanish, Asociación de Pequeños Productores de Tongorrape, or APPT). The group was established in 1999, and today it unites approximately 140 organic farmers in the Motupe Valley of Peru, about 500 miles north of Lima. The growers of APPT farm organic mangos, bananas, passion fruit and other crops on small parcels averaging about five acres. Most members have diversified farms with multiple rotating crops, a practice which protects the soil and reduces pest pressure.
By using the IMO ( opens in a new tabInstitute for Marketecology) opens in a new tab Fair for Life certification opens in a new tab, we are able to ensure that each grower receives a good price for their fruit, in addition to a specific “social premium” to support community and economic development projects of their choosing. In the past, the APPT farmers have used these premium funds to build community computer centers and repair roads, bridges and irrigation infrastructure. Your purchase of this fruit will directly contribute to efforts like these.Don’t be fooled by the green cast to the skin of these mangoes. Firmness is the best way to judge mango ripeness. A ripe mango will be slightly soft to the touch and the ripest fruit will have strong fruity aroma at the stem end. Kent mangos are known for having less fibers in the flesh than other popular commercial varieties (so you won’t need a toothpick after each taste).Please enjoy this great organic fruit while it lasts and let us know what you think!
