New York/Seattle | Indian mangoes are taking US cities by storm, with Americans devouring popular varieties of the fruit and wanting more, as the Consulate General of India in Seattle hosted a special event that highlighted the potential for exports and consumption of the 'king of fruits' by connoisseurs in the US Pacific Northwest region.
The Consulate General of India in Seattle Friday hosted the second edition of 'Mango Magic: Promotion and Tasting Event of Indian Mangoes'.
Over 100 leading importers of Indian fruits, including senior leadership of US retail giants like Costco participated in the event. They also relished the opportunity to taste seven premium varieties of Indian mangoes on display, including Alphonso and Kesar from Maharashtra, Banganapalle and Himayat from Andhra Pradesh, Langra and the famed Dussehri from Uttar Pradesh and Ripe Rajapuri from Gujarat.
The 'Mango Magic' event further amplified the potential of regional mango varieties from India and their potential for exports and consumption by wider global audiences in the US Pacific Northwest region, a press release by the Consulate General of India in Seattle said.
Hosted in partnership with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), the Indian Mango promotion event also featured a special luncheon with dishes of Indian cuisine made using the seven varieties of Indian mangoes on display.
In an enthusiastic endorsement and reaffirmation of mangoes from India, Washington State Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck said in a video message that "I will never ever ever ever miss opening day of mango availability again as long as I live." Addressing the special event, Heck welcomed the introduction of the wide variety of Indian mangoes to Washington State, particularly at leading US retailers like Costco.
Bob Huskey, Vice President of fresh produce at Costco Wholesale, said that the retail giant has just recently started selling the Indian Kesar mangoes, "and they have been selling faster than we can bring them back in. We are very happy to sell the mangoes and happy that we could be part of this mango celebration at the Consulate." Other dignitaries who attended and savoured the flavours of Indian Mangoes included Washington State Senators Tina Orwell, Manka Dhingra and Vandana Slatter and Consuls General from Japan and Uzbekistan.
The Indian Consulate had initiated the introduction of Indian mangoes in Seattle in July last year and had partnered with various stakeholders both in India and the Greater Seattle area with an attempt to bring new premium varieties of Indian mangoes to retail giants like Seattle-headquartered Costco for American consumers.
These efforts received a "significant boost" following a meeting with Costco CEO Ron Vachris in April, after which 'Bhagwa' variety pomegranates from Maharashtra were introduced at Costco stores in the region, subsequently followed by Kesar mangoes last month.
Later in May, Costco imported its first tranche of Indian Kesar mangoes, bringing them to its massive stores across the US -- in Greater Seattle (Seattle, Kirkland, Issaquah, Woodinville, Lynnwood, Redmond), Las Vegas (Summerlin, SW Henderson, Spring Valley), New Jersey (Clifton, Union, Bridgewater, Edison, North Brunswick, Princeton ) and Greater Los Angeles (Chino Hills, City of Industry, Eastvale).
Costco Representatives had then noted that "all the Indian mangoes were sold out from these locations within two hours of their arrival on the shelves", underscoring the huge demand potential for Indian mangoes in US, the release said.
India is the world's largest producer of mangoes, with an annual output of over 26 million metric tonnes and more than 1,000 named varieties. Indian mango exports to the United States, which resumed in 2007 after an 18-year suspension, have grown rapidly.
Export value reached USD 10 million in fiscal year 2023-24, up 130 per cent from USD 4.36 million in fiscal year 2022-23. US mango imports are projected to grow by a further 7 per cent in 2026, and the total US mango import market itself crossed USD 1 billion in value in 2025.
