Firms prepare to meet high papaya demand

Excerpts from a 4/26/10 article in The Packer written by Abraham Mahshie

Tropical fruit suppliers are increasing their volumes of papayas this year thanks to greater familiarity, higher demand and an uptick in foodservice applications.

Tropical fruit suppliers are increasing their volumes of papayas this year thanks to greater familiarity, higher demand and an uptick in foodservice applications

Mary Ostlund, marketing director for Brooks Tropicals Inc., Homestead, Fla., which specializes in papayas from Belize, said the proximity of the country to the U.S. mainland make the item easier to import than Brazilian papayas.“We like to emphasize to people that we are not considered the Mexican papaya. We don’t have the musky smell or musky tastes,” she said.

Ostlund said she is increasingly finding papayas in the foodservice industry, especially for use in salsas, fruit salads and as a topping for fish.“They have kind of been getting into the restaurants by backing into them,” she said.

“Fish with a papaya salsa on top of it is a way of introducing papaya onto what I would call mainstream menus.”Ostlund said consumers are experiencing papayas and other tropical fruit in their travels and on the Food Network, encouraging them to pick up the fruit at supermarkets.“It’s amazing — they are adding mango, avocado and papaya not just on special occasions, but putting them on their weekly grocery lists,” she said.