The Florida Mango Festival: Meet the Farmers

OPENING BELL HAPPENED AROUND 930 THIS MORNING. ERIN. ALL RIGHT INTERESTING STUFF. THANK YOU STEVE. SWITCHING GEARS A LITTLE BIT HERE. IF YOU LOVE MANGOES, DO WE HAVE AN EVENT FOR YOU IN THEIR THIRD YEAR. JOINING ME NOW ALEX SALAZAR, ORGANIZER OF THE FLORIDA MANGO FESTIVAL. ALEX THERE ON THE END AND THE OWNER OF TROPICAL ACRES FARMS. AND THEN VINCE ROGERS, ORGANIZERS, ORGANIZER OF THE FLORIDA MANGO FESTIVAL AND OWNER OF BACKYARD MANGOES. AND I’M LEARNING YOU GUYS ARE FIRST GENERATION MANGO FARMERS. YES. WHICH IS REALLY COOL. THIRD YEAR FOR THIS EVENT, AND I GUESS I’M LEARNING THAT THERE ARE ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF MANGOES. SO TAKE IT AWAY. TELL US WHAT WE CAN EXPERIENCE IF WE IF WE GO OUT TO THE FESTIVAL. SO LAST YEAR WAS THE THIRD YEAR OF THE FESTIVAL. WE HAVE ALL THESE DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF MANGO. THIS ONE IS A. PICKERING. PICKERING, PICKERING. LET’S SEE WHAT YOU CAN TASTE THERE. AND WE HAD ABOUT 5000 ATTENDEES. SO IT WAS A BIG EVENT. IT WAS OF COURSE IT’S GOOD. WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO TASTE? COCONUT. YEAH, YEAH. COCONUT IN THAT ONE. INTERESTING. VERY GOOD, I LIKE THAT. OKAY. PICKERING. SO THERE’S ACTUALLY HUNDREDS OF VARIETIES OF MANGOES GROWN IN FLORIDA. MOST PEOPLE ARE SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT. YES, VERY MUCH SO. AND THERE IS A SMALL TROPICAL FRUIT INDUSTRY HERE THAT SPECIALIZES IN MANGO. WE AT OUR OWN FARM GROW 300 DIFFERENT VARIETIES HERE IN WEST PALM BEACH, AND WE’RE KIND OF SCATTERED ABOUT THE STATE AS FAR AS ALL THE MANGO FARMS ARE CONCERNED. BUT AT THIS EVENT, WE KIND OF BRING THEM ALL TOGETHER FOR THE PUBLIC TO MEET ALL THE DIFFERENT FARMS AND NURSERIES HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TRY AND BUY DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF MANGOES AND DISCOVER THE WORLD OF MANGOES THAT EXISTS IN OUR STATE, AND EVEN PURCHASE TREES THAT THEY CAN PLANT IN THEIR YARDS. AND WE HAVE AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM AS WELL TO TEACH PEOPLE ABOUT GROWING MANGOES AND AN AMAZING INTERACTIVE DISPLAY THAT HAD OVER 200 VARIETIES ON IT. ARE THERE A LOT OF MANGO PRODUCTS AT THE EVENT? THERE WILL BE. THERE’S SOME, AND THERE’S OTHER TROPICAL FRUIT TOO. SO LIKE WE HAD DRAGONFRUIT THERE. THERE MIGHT BE SOME LYCHEES. AND SO EACH OF THE VENDORS, THESE ARE FLORIDA VENDORS OR FLORIDA GROWN FARMS. AND THEY ARE CHOOSING THE FRUIT THAT THEY BRING. NOW THE PRIMARY FRUIT IS MANGO. BUT THERE WILL BE THINGS LIKE JACKFRUIT OR SOMETHING ELSE. TRY THIS ONE. OKAY, WHICH THIS IS CALLED, WHAT? THIS ONE HERE IS CALLED A CACTUS. IT’S FROM VIETNAM. BUT WE GROW IT HERE. SIRUP FLAVOR TO IT. I LIKE THAT ONE. YEAH. SO YEAH. SO NOW WE’RE YEAH. SO WE’RE GOING UP IN TEARS A LITTLE BIT. BUT WHAT I WAS GOING TO OKAY, SO YOU KNOW, A LOT OF TIMES I KNOW IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, WE HAVE A COUPLE LIKE MY, OUR GOOD FRIENDS, THEY HAVE A BIG MANGO TREE IN THE BACK AND THEY’RE JUST HANDING MANGOES AWAY. WHAT, WHAT ARE THOSE? WELL, SO THAT’S A GOOD THING THAT YOU BROUGHT UP. SO AT THE FESTIVAL, IF PEOPLE COME TO THE FESTIVAL AND THEY BRING A FEW MANGOES, WE’RE GOING TO ACTUALLY HAVE AN ID BOOTH WHERE THEY’RE GOING TO DROP OFF THEIR MANGO AND THEY CAN, AND THEN WE’LL ID IT OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, AND THEN WE EMAIL THEM BACK AND TRY TO GET A POSITIVE ID. AND LAST YEAR WE DISCOVERED A MANGO DOWN IN BOCA AREA. THAT WAS A PHENOMENAL TOP TIER MANGO THAT A LOT OF HISTORY. WE PUT A YOUTUBE VIDEO ABOUT IT OUT BECAUSE IT’S SO SPECIAL. THAT’S AWESOME. OKAY, THIS IS THE LAST ONE IS GOING TO BE A CITRUS FLAVORED MANGO. IT’S LEMON MERINGUE. THIS IS VERY MUCH A CITRUS FLAVORED MANGO. YEAH, THAT’S PROBABLY MY FAVORITE. WE GO RIGHT IN ORDER, SUPER HIGH END THEN. YEAH, IT’S VERY POPULAR LEMON MERINGUE. BUT DOES THAT MEAN THAT IT’S EXPENSIVE? IT CAN BE DEPENDING ON WHERE THEY’RE BEING SOURCED I SUPPOSE. SO THE VENDORS ARE GOING TO SET THEIR OWN PRICES AT THE FESTIVAL. THE FESTIVAL DOESN’T SET THE PRICE FOR EACH VENDOR. SO IT IT IS LIKELY BECAUSE OF THE COLD FRONT THAT WE HAD. IT REALLY HURT OUR CROP. AND SO IT HAS DRIVEN LIKE GAS PRICES UP AND DOWN. MANGO PRICES HAVE FLUCTUATED THIS YEAR. OKAY, REALLY QUICKLY, LET’S GET THE DETAILS ON THE EVENT. AND THEN I HAVE ONE LAST QUESTION. PALM BEACH COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER, 650 OKEECHOBEE BOULEVARD JUNE 27TH. OKAY. ENJOY IT. THAT SHOULD BE A LOT OF FUN TIMES. YEAH. 1030 THERE’S GOING TO BE FOOD TRUCKS AND THERE’S GOING TO BE JUST THE FAN WE HAD. YEAH, IT WAS A BIG EVENT. HOW MUCH IS IT TO GET IN? SO WE HAVE A FIRST PICK TICKET, WHICH GETS YOU INTO EARLY ENTRY. AND THAT TICKET IS ABOUT $65. AND THEN WE HAVE A GENERAL ADMISSION TICKET THAT IS BASED AT ABOUT $30. OKAY. REAL QUICK, YOU HAVE TO ANSWER QUICK BECAUSE MY BROTHER’S GONNA GET MAD AT ME. I CAN NEVER CUT IT. IT’S ALWAYS A PIT. HOW DO I CUT IT? SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT, YOU ORIENTATE IT, AND YOU CAN GET AN IDEA. SO ON THIS ONE, YOU SEE THE SHAPE OF IT? YEAH. THE PIT IS THIS DIRECTION. SO YOU’RE GOING TO GO RIGHT DOWN THE SIDE OF IT. AND IT WOULD BE THE SAME WITH PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THESE. GOOD TO KNOW. WELL THANKS FOR SHARING. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. THOSE WERE DELICIOUS. I APPRECIATE IT. IF YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW MORE, GO TO OUR WEBSITE, WPBF.COM. I’VE LINKED YOUR WEBSITE SO PEOPLE CAN GO STRAIGHT TO WATCH THIS. THEY CAN LEARN A LOT JUST BY WATCHING THIS INTERVIEW AGAIN.

Meet the growers who bring you the freshest mangoes at the Florida Mango Festival in West Palm Beach. Click here for event details. Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 NewsGet the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.

Meet the growers who bring you the freshest mangoes at the Florida Mango Festival in West Palm Beach. Click here for event details.

Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News

Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.