Orlando, Fla. – The National Mango Board’s (NMB) second quarter results for their Foodservice PR & Marketing program reveal great success in increasing fresh mango menu items due to strong promotions, partnerships and sponsoring industry events. The foodservice industry is an important audience since it is a prime location for consumers to try mangos, some for the first time, while the innovative marketing program includes working with operators and chefs and foodservice media to increase mango consumption.
The year started strong with a promotion with popular chain restaurant, El Pollo Loco. El Pollo Loco featured a new Citrus Mango Tostada Salad at 395 locations from March 9-April 19. This promotion included several in-store marketing materials such as photography, inserts, as well as television placement. The NMB also worked with Marie Callender’s Restaurant & Bakery for a branded foodservice promotion which featured the Citrus Mango Chicken Salad on their menus from April 1-June 27 in 78 locations.
College students at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) also had a chance to enjoy fresh mangos in 16 delicious recipes during a NMB branded promotion from April 8-12. During the promotion, 16,000 students tried several mango recipes, including Mango Lassi, Shrimp and Mango Tacos, Orange Soy Pork Tenderloin with Mango Salsa, Grilled Tandoori-style Chicken with Mangos, and Thai Mango Salad. UMass nutrition students developed a colorful Mango Mania information board that was displayed daily in the dining commons where customers could play a mango trivia contest. Ways to eat mango, nutrition facts, mango fun facts and mango varieties were featured. The NMB also partnered again with BJs Restaurant and Brewhouse for a branded promotion from April 4-23. Their customers were able to enjoy an Enlightened Thai Chicken Mango Salad at 130 restaurant locations. Due to these foodservice promotions, a total of 607 units were impacted and mango volume increased 127 percent.
In addition to the promotions, the NMB sponsored the Marketing Executive Group Meeting during the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show in Chicago on May 18-21, 2013 to reach more foodservice chefs and operators. Attendees of the show were foodservice marketing professionals who help decide new menu items and what to promote. The NMB featured Mango Blisscakes and the Mango and Green Papaya Salad to inspire foodservice operators to add fresh mango to their menu. To continue inspiring chefs, the NMB hosted seven top-level chefs for a daylong culinary education workshop, led by Chef Allen Susser, which provided an opportunity to think about using fresh mangos in new ways. The Miami Culinary Instituted (MCI) hosted the group in its theater demonstration kitchen. Guests were greeted with Mango Lassi Yogurt Cups and Mango Bread, prepared by MCI. Culinary content included the following: mango variety overview, spices and ripeness tasting, demo of condiments, and a demo of seasonal hot and cold menu applications. The workshop concluded with a hands-on culinary innovation session. The group also visited Fairchild Botanical Garden research facility to visit a mango grove and to learn about varietal research and taste new mango varieties.
Foodservice media also help the NMB inspire chefs and operators every day. The NMB sponsored the Multicultural Cuisine Brunch, an event focused on reaching foodservice media during the NRA show. They featured the beverage Mango Panna and Mango and Jicama Enchiladas. Magazines represented at the brunch reach chefs and operators across the country. As a result of their foodservice outreach efforts, including press releases and access to photos of mango recipes developed by chefs in kitchens across America, the NMB garnered great mango coverage. According to quarter two results, the NMB reached approximately 4.4 million foodservice professionals so far in 2013.
Later in the year the NMB will sponsor the Flavor Experience to reach operators and the International Foodservice Editorial Council to reach foodservice media. “Educating chefs to use mangos is the key to increasing knowledge of mangos and volume in foodservice,” said Megan McKenna, NMB Director of Marketing. “In the summer, we will be offering a mango culinary curriculum to culinary students and instructors as well as practicing chefs. The curriculum will cover selection, ripening, storage, cutting, varieties as well as day part and ripeness level usage.” The mango curriculum will also include an educational video which will be made available at www.mango.org/foodservice.
Visit www.mango.org/foodservice to access resources for foodservice operators and chefs, including information about handling, ripening, cutting, yield and usage ideas.
About National Mango Board
The National Mango Board is a national promotion and research organization, which is supported by assessments from both domestic and imported mangos. The board was designed to drive awareness and consumption of fresh mangos in the U.S. One cup of mango is only 100 calories, an excellent source of vitamins A and C, a good source of fiber and an amazing source of tropical flavor.
Mango availability per capita has increased 32 percent since 2005 to an estimated 2.47 pounds per year in 2012. Mango import volume for 2012 was 804 million pounds. Learn more at www.mango.org.
Source: National Mango Board