This year, and for the second year in a row, the mango harvest has seen some complications. Mangos are a star product at CrowdFarming, and we are always very excited about the start of the season, however for the last couple of years, together with the farmers, we’ve had to face a few challenges. 

This year started off super well, with a spectacular flowering, which made us think it would be a great season. However, it turns out that the flowering of the osteen variety did not come to fruition. Nobody is 100% sure why this has happened, most of our farmers think that it could be due to the fact that last spring the temperature was too low, and therefore below the limit during the night and most of the flowers became “parthenocarpic” which means that develop without embryos. 

Some areas, like the Axarquia have lost up to 90% of their fruit. Other areas, like Granada, have luckily suffered much less. Two years ago, the high temperatures during spring affected the flowering, the mango produced fewer flowers because the plant felt that it was already in summer!  The few flowers that did turn into fruits ripen faster, so 2023 was the earliest and shortest mango season we had ever had in Spain.    

Accidents happen… 

As you may have seen on our social media accounts, we also dealt with a difficult situation in our logistics department. The lesson learnt: HASTE MAKES WASTE. 

The farmers take care of every part of the trees because they know that with fewer kilos, they have to recoup all the fixed costs that they have.

Recently, we started harvesting the first osteen mangoes of the season. We pick the mangoes in field crates, put the crates on a pallet and bring them to a logistics centre where we pack and ship them. 

Last week, when we opened the truck, we were beside ourselves. Two pallets had tipped over in transit and had knocked over the mangoes and passion fruit. A bar holding the pallets was not securely fastened, and possibly braking on the motorway caused this incident.

It is very frustrating how a minor but very important detail can upset our plans:

– The waste of crushed mangoes.

– The team that has to pick up the mess.

– Communicating the delay of the orders to the people who were waiting for their first mangoes.

– Going back to pick up new mangoes to prepare for the backorders 

Luckily at CrowdFarming, we always look on the bright side

We know that accidents happen and that sometimes things don’t go according to plan. The mangoes that were damaged by this accident will be turned into delicious mango chutney and other products for our anti food waste brand “All Is Good”. 

When working with nature, it’s important to be patient, learn to adapt, and accept changes. It’s thanks to our adoption model and our fantastic customer base that despite a tough harvest, our farmers will still make it through another season and continue to work with us to create the most sustainable food supply chain ever. 

Thank you for your help and support!