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Click here to see the final 2008 Foodservice Media Results Tracker.
Click here to see the final 2009 Foodservice Media Results Tracker.
The foodservice industry includes anyplace where people eat away from home, such as restaurants, fast food chains, school cafeterias and others. The foodservice arena is important because 50% of all consumer food dollars are spent in foodservice establishments, where 70 billion meals and snacks were served in 2008. We also know that many food trends start in foodservice, so more mangos on menus can also help drive future mango sales in grocery stores. Because our mission is to drive increased consumption of fresh mangos, we shape our marketing messages for foodservice very carefully. The program is focused on three key areas:
Media Outreach
Here, our goal is to get mango stories and recipe ideas featured in the trade magazines that chefs and foodservice operators read.
International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC) – This event in October 2009, connects the mango industry directly with foodservice trade media editors. We have face-to-face meetings where we pitch mango story ideas and try to fit mango concepts into stories that are already planned for the remainder of this year and the following year.
Press Releases – Six times per year we send out press releases, each focused on a unique attribute of mangos.
Foodservice Event Sponsorship
Different segments of the foodservice industry get together at events throughout the year to learn about trends and find inspiration for future menu development. Our sponsorship of these events increases awareness for mangos at foodservice, allows us to network with chefs and foodservice operators, and helps us identify chains that are looking for help to get more mangos on their menu.
- Flavor Event – This event in August 2009 brings foodservice operators and suppliers together to focus on the power of flavor through seminars, demonstrations and hands-on activities. Mangos are featured heavily throughout the event.
- Worlds of Flavor International Conference & Festival – This annual event in November 2009 reaches an audience of 700 influential chefs, national media and food industry leaders. This year’s theme, World Street Food, is a flavor-driven trend that is a perfect fit for fresh mango.
Chain Menu Development
While our media outreach keeps mangos “top of mind” and our event sponsorships allow us to network and raise awareness for mangos’ versatility, our work with chains is all about getting mangos on the menu. We identify chains that are looking for help including fresh mango dishes on their menu, and then we help them make it happen.
In addition to chain outreach the NMB is participating in a summer promotion with Sodexo Inc., the leading provider of integrated food and facilities management services in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, serving 10 million customers in 6,000 locations every day. When we first spoke to representatives of Sodexo early in 2008, they loved the idea of using mangos on their menu, but they believed that mangos would be too difficult to handle and that the yield would be too low for their needs. The National Mango Board completed yield and cutting studies in 2008, and the results helped change Sodexo's ideas about mangos. In August of 2008 representatives from Sodexo visited with Chef Allen during the National Mango Board's Day with Chef Allen program to learn creative ways to use mangos in a variety of dishes. Since then Sodexo has been working to develop, photograph and promote the mango dishes for our summer promotion. Our arrangement originally promised the use of fresh mangos in 4 mango recipes served at 1,200 locations. This has grown to 6 recipes and 2,000 locations. Click on the links below to see the point of sale material used to promote each dish:
Grilled Fish Tacos
Mango Chicken Chop Salad
Mango and Avocado Chicken Ciabetta
Mango Shrimp Salad Croissant
Thai Shrimp and California Avocado Salad
Tropical Fruit Salad Cup