Philippines mango going down well in Central Europe

It seems the Philippines mango has captured consumers' attention in Austria. The first shipment of the mangoes were flown into the Central European country this month and were sold out within two days.



According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the entry of the fresh mangoes directly into the Austrian market is considered a landmark achievement since Philippine food products normally enter through big distribution monopolies in European countries. This marketing structure makes it extremely difficult to sell food products from the Philippines in a landlocked country like Austria at competitive prices.



The success has been credited to the joint efforts of the Philippine Embassy in Vienna, the Austrian importer Maharlika Reisevermittlung GmbH, the Department of Trade and Industry’s Bureau of Export Promotion and especially the Filipinos in various parts of Austria.



The DFA said the Filipino communities in Vienna, Linz, and Innsbruck, as well as the Filipinos working in the United Nations Office in Vienna, actively helped the Embassy and the importer in promoting fresh mangoes to the greater Austrian market.



The mangoes were promoted to hotels and restaurants in Vienna and Bratislava in the neighboring Slovak Republic and samples were also given to Agrokor-Konzum, the largest food importer and distributor of food products in Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro and the greater Balkan region.



The mangoes were also promoted by the Honorary Consuls in St. Pölten (Austria), Zagreb (Croatia) and Bratislava (Slovak Republic).



Due to the success of this initiative, Maharlika Reisenvermittlung GmbH is currently studying the possibility of exporting other fresh fruits from the Philippines to the region.



Source: mb.com.ph