The Tainan City Government continues to expand overseas markets with the arrival of the Tainan mango season. After successfully promoting Tainan’s fruits at the International Food & Drink Event (IFE) in the UK this March, the first shipment of Tainan Irwin mangoes has officially been air-freighted to the United Kingdom. Proper cold chain logistics were deployed throughout the delivery, ensuring local consumers in the UK could also enjoy the authentic summer flavor of Tainan, Taiwan. This also marked a new milestone in Tainan’s efforts to enter the British and European markets.
Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che said that the Tainan City Government sent a delegation to the International Food & Drink Event (IFE) for the first time at the end of March. Tainan’s air-freighted fruit, including pink guavas, pearl guavas, and golden diamond pineapples, was well received by local buyers, distributors, and consumers. Many British consumers are impressed by the aroma, sweetness, and taste of the fruits. A local group buying community in the UK placed an order for Tainan’s guavas after the expo. This mango season, Tainan is building on its understanding of the UK market and has launched Irwin mangoes shipped completely with cold chain transport. The city hopes to replicate its success in New Zealand and gradually increase shipment volumes to the UK each year.
The Agriculture Bureau pointed out that the mangoes were shipped under a full cold-chain system. They were first flown to Frankfurt Airport in Germany before being transferred to Manchester Airport in the UK. The cargo was placed in cold storage during transit and immediately delivered to retail channels and stores by refrigerated trucks. This process effectively preserves the freshness, flavor, and quality of the mangoes, ensuring that British consumers can taste the best quality produce from Tainan.
According to partner businesses that have operated in the UK for many years, this is the first official shipment of Taiwanese mangoes to the UK. It is expected that the imported fruit will be available through various channels and eventually bring more Tainan fruit and vegetables into wholesale markets, Asian supermarkets, and Japanese supermarkets. Market responses and consumer feedback will be collected to further build the Tainan brand. The mango exports to New Zealand this year have been successful - reaching a record high of over ten tons, which shows that Mayor Huang’s overseas market expansion strategy is beginning to deliver results.
The Tainan City Government continues to work on established markets such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia, while also actively expanding into emerging markets including the UK, the EU, New Zealand, and Australia. In addition to exporting premium agricultural products, the city aims to introduce Tainan’s fruits to more global consumers, increase farmers’ income, and strengthen the competitiveness of Tainan’s agriculture through diversified sales channels, brand marketing, and localized promotional campaigns.