Sweet Crespo Organic season anticipation, plus a new Oaxacan packhouse – Bola de Oro
CHIAPAS, MEXICO: Crespo Organic’s Chiapas packhouse Empaque Don Jorge II (EDJ II) opened ahead of schedule today and is currently preparing to pack and ship the first organic Ataulfo mangoes, expected to arrive in RCF Distributors’ US warehouses in McAllen, TX, and Nogales, AZ, by January 25th. Round mangoes will follow suit a few weeks after.
Empaque Don Jorge II began operations in 2019 alongside the acquisition of several hundred hectares of flourishing and in need of help mango orchards in the area, and it is El Grupo Crespo’s second proprietary mango packhouse. The expansion immediately increased early season outputs. The planned result is stronger, full season partnerships with retailers, wholesalers, and processors.
EDJ II is conveniently located near Tuxtla, in western Chiapas, attached to the main throughways that lead north. It sits on about 2 acres with packing space of about 25K ft2. Capacity is four truckloads per day. The packhouse is equipped with 4 hydrothermal tanks, 1 washing line, and 4 packing lines – one of which is fully dedicated to Crespo Organic Mangoes. Cold storage is abundant with a five-truckload capacity. More surrounding orchards have been added, replanted, and improved upon.
In addition to the continuation of the group’s long-standing partnership with Empacador de Mangos Magmar (the largest mango grower and packer in Oaxaca), El Grupo Crespo has opened an additional packhouse in Oaxaca, called Bola De Oro. All operations for this leased facility are controlled by El Grupo Crespo; local area workers along with El Grupo’s operational management will implement the companies’ packing strategies that will ensure consistent quality output. The facility has over 20Kft2 of packing space, 4 hydrothermal tanks, 1 washing line and 3 packing lines, one also dedicated to Crespo Organic.
With this trifecta of southern packhouse power, El Grupo commences the 2023 season with more volume, more capacity, and more varietals. Mallika and Thai green mangoes add to the southern mix of Ataulfo, Manila, Tommy, and Kent.
The added packhouse allows for maximum packaging amplitude to support the many mango SKU’s the company currently packs for retail. This includes the signature Crespo box (4KG), The Crespo BIG Box (25LBs), as well as Crespo NET BAGS (3LBs) and A Case for Consumers (5.5LBs). All of which, banded together with the Crespo Organic Dried Mango program, make for one of the most well-rounded Mexican mango programs available. The fact that the group is 100% vertically integrated with a direct trade sales system and added value commodity and culinary education program just makes the groups tagline – We are the Mango Experts – believable because it’s obviously true.
