Kesar Mangoes from Gujarat reach London Heathrow with global demand growing

AHMEDABAD : Boxes of Kesar and Alphonso mangoes arriving from Gujarat to London Heathrow Airport fill the cargo area with their aroma, symbolising pride for many Indians, said importer Digvijaysinh Gohil, who travels annually to Gujarat to oversee purchases.

He added, “For the Gujaratis and Indians living in London, Leicester, and Birmingham, this is not just a fruit, it is a tangible memory of their homeland. People are willing to buy them regardless of the price. Now, even European consumers have developed a taste for Indian mangoes.” Gohil highlighted that while numerous mango varieties exist worldwide, both Gujaratis and foreigners favour the Kesar mango and Maharashtra’s Alphonso, with demand particularly high for Kesar. The distinct aroma and sweetness of these Indian varieties are said to be unparalleled globally, unlike mangoes from South America, Brazil, or Peru, which often appear vibrant but offer less flavour.

Exports are sourced from orchards certified by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and processed at accredited high-tech pack houses. Sameer Sapariya, owner of the APEDA-approved Kunj Cold Ware Solution Pack House in Kuvadava, Rajkot, described their process: “We handle the entire export processing pipeline at our pack house. We process and pack mangoes customised to the specific requirements of the USA, UK, UAE, Australia, Canada, European countries, and the Gulf nations. For the US market, we perform a specialised hot water treatment, which has received an outstanding response. For the UK and Canada, we couple the hot water treatment with a controlled ripening process before final packaging. We process Kesar, Rajapuri, and Alphonso varieties. Our Kesar mangoes are sourced from Junagadh, Talala, and Kutch, while the Rajapuri comes from Valsad.”