National Mango Board 2016 Programs

Editor's Notes

1. Thank you Ken! Good afternoon and welcome to everyone joining us today. I see we have people joining us from coast to coast here in the U.S., And several people in other countries as well. The purpose of today’s webinar is to provide an overview of the projects you can expect from the National Mango Board in 2016.
2. There are two main areas we want to cover today: First we’ll do a quick review of our mission and vision statements, and also our three-year strategic plan. Second, we’ll highlight the key projects we have planned in 2016 for each of our Program areas. Which are Marketing, Research, and Communications. And, after that we’ll answer any questions you may have.
3. As we get started, it’s important to understand the purpose and the structure of the National Mango Board. We are an agriculture promotion group that is made up of mango growers, handlers, and importers. There are many groups similar us here in the U.S.; and we all have a common purpose, which is to work together as an industry in order to obtain results that cannot be achieved individually. Now, in the case of mangos, the industry decided to work together to create awareness and to conduct research studies that would benefit the entire industry. And, from that idea, the National Mango Board was created in 2005. Now, for any organization to be successful and to stay focused, it’s important to have a clear mission and a vision. The “mission” explains why an organization exists; And the “vision” describes what you want to accomplish; where you see the organization in the future. As you can see on the slide, the National Mango Board’s mission is to increase awareness and consumption of fresh mangos in the U.S. through innovative research and promotional activities, while fostering a thriving industry. This is what we do on a day-to-day basis.
4. AND Our vision, is To bring the World’s love of mangos to the U.S.” Simply stated - We want to inspire consumers to eat and drink more mango. Now, in order to achieve our Mission and Vision, we have a Board of Directors that’s made up of 18 members, and every three years they develop a strategic plan that lists what our priorities will be.
5. We currently have 5 priorities: The first, is to Reach consumers directly through marketing activities and initiatives in order to increase mango consumption; To work together with the Retail Industry; and to find ways of increasing mango sales; Also just as important, is working with Restaurants and the Food Service industry to increase the use of mango; finding creative ways to add more mango to menus; To Generate knowledge through Research efforts. This is a broad priority because it includes research that benefits everyone in the mango supply chain; starting from the growers and all the way through to the end user, which is the consumer. To Enhance Industry Communication. The objective is to share key information and to make it available at all levels of the mango industry. We also encourage the industry to be more united and better informed of things that are happening.
6. Now, in order to fulfill our mission, vision, and these 5 strategic priorities, The National Mango Board has developed 3 core programs to move the industry forward. These three Programs are Marketing, Research, and Communications. Each year a work plan is developed, and we work towards accomplishing the objectives that the Board has set.
7. For the next part, I want to introduce Rachel Muñoz. Rachel is the Director of Marketing at the National Mango Board, and She’s going to update us on some of the projects that the Marketing Program has in place for 2016.
8. “One of the best ways to win a person’s heart is through their tastebuds. This is why it is important to have sampling events, so consumers experience the great taste of mango first hand.”
9. SMT Impressions: 2-3M (estimated 20+ television, radio and/or web interviews will be scheduled) National Broadcast/Online Impressions: 125M+ Social Media Impressions: 2-3M Six (6) hour media day, inclusive of an SMT and additional media interviews Approval of four (4) bylined mango recipes Six (6) social posts during the term Access to USWNT player imagery/b-roll footage of Julie highlights
10. (Rachel, don’t forget to mention that we stated with Mexico, but the plan is to focus on a another country and culture each year)
11. RDs: We will continue to work with media RD ambassadors, perhaps working with one or two new ambassadors this year. The two individuals shown here are Sylvia Melendez Klinger (based in Chicago) and Manuel Villacorta (Based in San Francisco). FitFluential: In addition, we will work with FitFluential, an online organization of fitness and personal trainer bloggers who reach an audience of consumers focused on health and fitness. We will launch a one-month campaign, working with 15 of FitFluential’s personal trainer bloggers (who we will hand-pick). We’ll equip them with our messaging and information to craft blog and social media posts focused on the benefits of mangos. Estimated 20 million+ impressions
12. Thank you Rachel, As we just saw, the National Mango Board has a lot of great marketing projects in 2016. However, in order to maintain an effective promotion program, it’s also important to balance Marketing with Research and Communications. So let’s look at other key projects and initiatives we have this year. Within our Research Program, there are two main areas, First, there is consumer-focused research; and second, we have industry-focused research.
13. With Consumer-focused Research, we are investigating the nutritional properties and potential health-related benefits that mangos have. Then, any positive findings/discoveries are emphasized in our Consumer Nutrition Program, as Rachel just shared with us a few minutes ago.
14. Some examples of Nutrition & Health studies that NMB will continue funding in 2016 include: Colon and Breast Cancer research, Diabetes and Glucose studies, There are also investigations into: Cardiovascular disease, Obesity, Osteoporosis, Digestion and metabolism. If you’re interested in learning more about the studies that have been published or any other research topic, please visit our online library at mango.org/Research for more information.
15. Moving on to our Industry-Related Research Projects, One of the areas that the National Mango Board is involved in, as many of you know, is Crop Forecasting and Analysis. We gather news and data from USDA, and also from importers, Foreign Mango Organizations, and the countries that are in season and then we summarize and publish this information in our Weekly Crop Report. The purpose of the report is to monitor and to forecast mango volumes that are being harvested and exported to the U.S., in order to generate reliable information that the supply-chain can use in decision-making. This type of information is especially important at the retail level. So, this year we’re looking at some projects that will improve our crop-forecasting methods so that we can provide more accurate projections.
16. We are also in the process of updating our Mango Crop Report. Currently, the crop report is a weekly bulletin that’s published in PDF format. This year we’re looking at creating an online database, where you will be able to go in and look at both current and historical information. In addition, you will also have the option to create your own charts for different countries and different times of the year. So, we are really excited and looking forward to adding these additional tools to the Mango Crop Report. If you’re still not signed up for the Mango Crop Report, it’s really easy to do so, all you need to do is go to the following section of our website: Mango.org/Crop
17. In the area of Post-Harvest Practices, we have several research projects looking at areas where we can continue to improve quality, maintain consistency, and also finding ways to minimize losses throughout the supply chain. We’re mindful that for consumers to purchase mangos over-and-over again, we must be committed to food safety and offer consistent quality. This is why food safety and quality initiatives are always top-of-mind at the National Mango Board, and this is why we are regularly updating the Postharvest Best Management Practices Manual, and Food Safety Training materials. These are resources that you can download online for free, or you can also order them from our office.
18. Another area of our Research Program focuses on is Postharvest Practices, In 2016, we will continue conducting research into:
19. One specific area I want to focus on is food safety. For those of you who have been following us for some time, you know that food safety is a topic that the National Mango Board has dedicated considerable time and effort towards. In conjunction with Food safety expert Dr. Sergio Nieto of Food Safety CTS, we’ve developed an impressive online library of food safety materials. These materials are available at Mangofoodsafety.org
20. When you visit this website, what you will find are Training materials in 4 different languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French Creole). We also have materials specific for Farm and Harvesting Crews, Packing Houses, Warehouses, and Fresh-Cut Facilities.
21. In addition, these training materials are available in several formats, including, PowerPoint Presentations, Flipcharts, Posters, and we are working on applications that can be downloaded to ipads, or smart phones. All this is being done at the request of the mango industry, in order to have well-trained and better-informed employees throughout the mango supply chain. We also provide support materials such as training logs, tests, certificates; more or less everything you need to document your employee food safety training program. However, please remember that this is not a certification program, instead these are tools that help facilitate the training of employees.
22. As you can see, Food safety and quality are top priorities for the mango industry. In 2016, the NMB, in conjunction with the Center for Produce Safety in Davis, California, is funding two research studies related to foodborne pathogens and finding ways to improve on current handling practices. For those of you that handle produce, you know the importance that wash water plays in our industry. Therefore, this an area that NMB is focused on, so that the industry can continue incorporating the latest science and continue improving best management practices. Any research that enhances food safety and quality is beneficial to both consumers and the produce industry.
23. Our Ripe and Ready to Eat Mango Initiative has been in place for the last 5 years, and during this time the National Mango Board has developed protocols, best management practices, reference guides, and videos on how to handle the fruit. We know that a ripening program requires attention to detail. This is not a one size fits all program, and this is why we have an expert that works with companies that are interested in developing a ripening program. Retailers who have implemented these type of programs tell us that they have increased mango sales, and perhaps more importantly, they have also increased customer satisfaction. If you are interested in learning more about the mango ripening program, please visit Mango.org/Quality for more information, or you can also contact us.
24. Our third NMB Program is Communications,
25. This program has three main purposes: 1. The first is enhancing our contact and messaging with the mango industry and facilitating a more unified industry. 2. Second, although we are not an association, we do provide a voice for the industry in certain situations. Specifically, we are an industry resource when it comes to messaging and communications during a reputation or crisis situation. 3. And Third, Through our Communications Program, we’re also able to emphasize industry education initiatives around quality and food safety. Let’s go over a few main projects we’ll be executing in 2016 -
26. The first one I want to mention here is the Mango Connection If you’re not signed up to receive this newsletter, I strongly encourage you to do so at the address listed in front of you. As we have been discussing, NMB publishes industry bulletins and communication materials – in addition to the Mango Connection, and the weekly Crop Report, which we talked about earlier, We also have Best Practices Manuals, and several other industry tools. The easiest and fastest way for you to have the latest mango related information and news is to have us send you an update via email.
27. Now for those of you who like to interact through social media, we recently created a new Facebook platform, which is specific for the mango industry members. For several years now , the National Mango Board has been on Facebook, but it’s been focused on consumers. With #MangosConnect, the industry now has another way to communicate and share information. We know that each person has their own social media preferences, so we want to make sure the mango industry has a presence in each area.
28. As a brief summary, these are the social media platforms where the National Mango Board is present. They are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, And of course we have our website: Mango.org, which by the way we also just upgraded last fall. Each of these offers a different way to share information. This is all influenced by how people like to receive and view information.
29. One of the more significant initiatives we have in 2016 is to amend the Mango Order to include processed mango products. In November 2015, our Board of Directors approved the proposal to move forward. So the next steps are to: To Inform both the fresh and processed mango industry of this proposed amendment and gather feedback; After that we will submit comments, information, and the order amendment proposal to the USDA; USDA will then review and publish the official notice an amendment has been requested and will conduct a referendum vote. If the Referendum passes, then additional seats will be added and new board members will be appointed. At that point, our Marketing and Research initiatives will cover both fresh and processed mango. Ideally, we would like to have everything finalized and in place by next spring, but since this is a presidential election year, this process is likely to take longer than normal.
30. AFFI???? Also, on our website, there is a section that lists all the upcoming events and activities that the NMB is involved in. This includes industry and extension meetings, tradeshows, conferences, events, webinars, and board meetings. We are still working on the exact dates and locations, so I invite you to check back to see when we will be in your area, or if your signed up to Mango Connection, you will be the first to know. Some of the meetings and events that are currently being scheduled are: Domestic meetings with industry members. International extension meetings in Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico, Haiti, Peru, and Ecuador. We will also be at industry tradeshows, including the Southeast Produce Council Expo, Viva Fresh, PMA Fresh Summit, the New England Produce Council Expo, and the New York Produce Show. If you ever have any questions of what is next for NMB, you can check our online calendar at Mango.org/Events.
31. Everything we just covered today can be accessed on our website at Mango.org. Again, I encourage you to sign up for our newsletters. By doing this, you will have access to the latest information on the U.S. mango industry, and to all the resources that NMB is continuously developing. We will be posting a link to this webinar in case you want to share it with others. And for those who registered for today’s webinar, we will also be emailing you the presentation slides in case you want to go back and review the information. At this time, we’ll open it up to any questions you may have. We appreciate your time and look forward to seeing you at events this year or on future webinars. Thank you and have a great day!