Premium Japanese Mangoes Begin To Be Exported: Grown In Hot Springs And Harvested In Winter, IDR 5.3 Million Per Fruit

Japanese premium mango illustration. (Source: Japan Brand)

JAKARTA - A mango producer in Hokkaido, northern Japan, which grows tropical fruit using heat from local hot springs and harvests it in winter, started shipping to high-end supermarkets in Hong Kong in December.

This is the first time that Noraworks Japan, headquartered in Obihiro, has exported its mangoes overseas since it started cultivating the fruit more than 10 years ago. Now able to provide stable supply, the company hopes to further develop overseas sales channels.

Mango named 'Hakugin no Taiyo' or 'Sun in the Snow' cultivated by Noraworks is claimed to have a sweet and delicious taste, with a sugar content of 15 percent or higher.

Prime, four mangoes were delivered to upmarket Hong Kong City Super supermarket on December 4, with one fruit each available at its four branches, citing Kyodo News on December 28.

Mangoes usually sell for around 6,000 yen to 30,000 yen in Japan, depending on the size. But in Hong Kong, the price is twice as high.

Of the four mangoes sent, one sold for the equivalent of 43,000 yen or IDR 5,333,829. The company said it plans to ship mangoes to Hong Kong once a week until mid-January.

Noraworks started growing mangoes in 2010. To harvest mangoes in the middle of winter instead of the usual spring to summer, the company installed pipes under its greenhouses.

It serves to drain cold water from snow and ice deposits in summer to keep the greenhouse cool. And, warm water from hot springs in winter to heat it for the mangoes to bear fruit.

Noraworks mango harvest season runs from mid-November to mid-January. The company built a large-scale greenhouse three years ago to expand its production and expects to harvest a total of 4,000 mangoes this year.

The company hopes to increase its production fivefold to around 20,000 mangoes per year within the next five years. This is in line with plans to export to Taiwan, Dubai, and other places where there is strong demand for the mango in the future.

"Mango is a tropical fruit, but Tokachi has low humidity and few insect pests so we can grow it with very little pesticide", said Hiroyuki Nakagawa, president of Noraworks.

"I want people overseas to enjoy this taste which is only possible in very cold climates", he concluded.