This project explored the current use of mangoes within the foodservice sector and identified opportunities to grow this segment. In collaboration with Hort Innovation’s Mango Marketing Strategy Panel, the project team developed a targeted, five-year Mango Food Service Strategy to increase mango presence within foodservice channels and boost overall mango sales.  

Challenge 

The mango industry faces challenges in navigating the complex and varied foodservice channel sector, which encompasses over 70,000 outlets across different segments, compared to just 25,000 outlets in retail. The foodservice channel – defined as providers of food eaten out of the home – is complex and varied. It is made up of three channel groups; Dining Out, Travel & Events, and Institutional. These groups are further broken down into twelve sub-channels, and contain over 70,000 outlets, making it challenging for the mango industry to effectively engage with foodservice enterprises on a broad scale.   

While mangoes currently outperform other fruits in the foodservice channel, with 18 per cent of fresh supply going into this sector (compared to 14 per cent for the total fruit market), there remains a largely untapped potential to further understand and expand mangoes within this growing market. 

Response  

To inform the development of the Mango Food Service Strategy, extensive research was first conducted to examine the current use of mangoes in foodservice and identify growth opportunities. The process involved extensive engagement with key industry stakeholders, including mango growers, buyers and foodservice industry representatives, leveraging existing industry insights to devise effective strategies for market expansion. The resulting ‘Mango Food Service Knowledge Base’ consolidates all available knowledge regarding mangoes in the Australian foodservice sector, serving as a valuable resource for ongoing strategy development.  

Using these insights, the project team developed the ‘Mango Food Service Strategy’ which synthesises and extracts implications from previous projects and research. The strategy is designed to strengthen the mango industry’s ability to engage effectively with foodservice providers, equipping them with the tools to execute plans for growth within this sector.  

Benefit  

The Mango Food Service Strategy provides a roadmap for increasing participation in the domestic foodservice sector, which is expected to boost market volumes and improve returns for wholesalers. By helping industry stakeholders better understand the foodservice channel, this project identifies growth opportunities and enables successful engagement with key players, positioning the industry for sustained sales growth in the foodservice channel.  

Additionally, the strategy will: 

The research is expected to raise the visibility and usage of mangoes in restaurants and other foodservice venues, solidifying the industry’s economic stability by diversifying market channels. The strategy sets clear, measurable goals for volume growth in the foodservice sector and outlines specific, actionable opportunities for stakeholders. Over the next five years, it will guide the mango industry toward sustained category growth in the domestic foodservice market.

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Access the Mango Food Service Strategy Key Fact Sheets 

Access the Mango Food Service Strategy Presentation