First batch of Taiwanese mangoes to blast off to U.K. on Sunday

Taipei, June 27 (CNA) A total of 500 kilograms of Taiwan's famous Irwin mangoes will be air-shipped to the United Kingdom on Sunday, according to the Tainan City government, in a first such shipment of the popular fruit.

According to the city government, the Tainanese Irwin mangoes will be the first batch of Taiwanese mangoes to be shipped to the U.K.

The fruit -- known for their sweet and juicy taste as well as thin pit -- is mainly consumed in Taiwan and exports previously have mostly gone to nearby destinations in Asia. Rarely have the fragile fruits traveled such a long distance.

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To ensure their freshness, the shipment of mangoes headed for the U.K. will be transported using cold packaging, which means they will be refrigerated in low temperatures during the entire trip.

The city's Agriculture Bureau told CNA Saturday that the shipment bound for the U.K. totaled 500 kg, with each carton weighing 5 kg.

Cartons containing eight to 10 mangoes will be sold at high-end supermarkets, with each mango priced at 18-20 euros (US$20.49-US$22.77). Cartons containing 10 to 12 mangoes will be sold at retail supermarkets, with each mango priced at 15-18 euros.

Meanwhile, cartons containing 10 to 12 mangoes will also be sold as whole cartons to wholesale supermarkets, while cartons containing 12 to 14 mangoes will be distributed to fruit and vegetable wholesale markets.

The mangoes will be transported using cold chain logistics starting in Tainan, all the way to Taoyuan International Airport, where they will be flown to Frankfurt Airport in Germany and transferred to Manchester Airport in northern England.

Cold chain transportation will be adopted all the way until the mangoes reach their sales location.

The bureau said the marketing plan for the Tainan mangoes will adopt a multi-sales strategy to promote the Taiwanese produce at various shops, including wholesale produce markets and Asian markets.

The total production of Taiwanese mangoes in 2025 was 102,578 tons, of which, 836 tons were exported to different markets.

In 2025, Japan purchased 463 tons from Taiwan, while Hong Kong imported 208 tons, and Korea bought 140 tons.

Besides the U.K., Taiwan's Irwin mangoes have been exported to France, where they have been well liked.