Orlando, Fla. – Ten popular food bloggers are competing through June 8 in an online video contest for the title of Mango Mentor. The National Mango Board (NMB) recently attended the BlogHer Food Conference where they shot videos of 34 bloggers explaining how to cut a mango. The contest winner will be chosen online from amongst the ten finalists. The finalists’ videos can be viewed and votes cast at www.facebook.com/letsmango. The winner will be announced by June 10.
Amidst the excitement and activity on the show floor of the BlogHer Food Conference, the NMB created a fully-functional video production set, complete with lights, two cameras and lots of action! Thirty four enthusiastic food bloggers took on the challenge of teaching the uninitiated how easy it is to cut a mango.
According to NMB marketing director, Wendy McManus, the process of narrowing down from 34 entries to the ten finalists was extremely difficult. “We were very impressed by the technical skills, knowledge and camera presence of the bloggers. So many of them just shined on camera that we struggled to choose the finalists,” said McManus.
The winner of the contest will earn the title of Mango Mentor, which comes with a regular guest blogging opportunity on the Let’s Mango blog at www.mango.org/blog. The winner will also be featured in the NMB’s new How to Cut a Mango video, which will appear on www.mango.org, and they will win an iPad 2 to help them blog about mangos on the go.
In addition to the video production, approximately 400 attendees of the conference were treated to samples of Haden and Ataulfo mangos, along with lessons about mango varieties, how to judge ripeness, how to use them in recipes, and of course, how to cut a mango. Said McManus, “This audience was so hungry for information to share with their readers, and we were happy to educate them.” At the event’s opening reception, bloggers enjoyed a delicious mango salsa with Barramundi fish, a sustainably farmed sea bass, which was provided through a partnership with Australis Aquaculture.
The online contest and the NMB’s participation in the BlogHer Food Conference were designed to engage food bloggers and provide them with the critical information they need to experiment with and write about mangos. According to McManus, “Food bloggers are creating a food revolution in this country. Many consumers, especially busy moms, are turning to food blogs for a steady stream of information and inspiration to help them feed their families. We want to make sure mangos are part of that conversation.”
The winner of the Mango Mentor contest will be announced by June 10 at www.facebook.com/letsmango, and at www.mango.org/mangomentor. The NMB will continue to engage food bloggers and looks forward to more exciting online coverage for mangos.
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 quadrupled since 1990 to an estimated 2.24 pounds per year in 2010. Mango import volume for 2010 was 770 million pounds. Learn more at www.mango.org.
Source: National Mango Board
