Champagne brand mangoes from Chiapas, Mexico, the signature item for Rio Rico, Ariz.-based Ciruli Bros., should peak during the second week of March, said partner Chris Ciruli.

“There will be huge volume of Champagne mangoes coming for that timeframe,” he said. In late February, eight to 10 loads a day were coming in, he said. That will continue to increase until mid-March.

“When you hit that timeframe, you are getting into the mindset of spring,” he said. The early fruit was “very, very nice” quality, but it remained a bit green. Color will improve as the weather warms up, he said, adding, “The flavor has been exceptional.”

This will be the 20th season for Champagne mangoes, a proprietary label of Ciruli Bros. “It’s our most promotable, heaviest volume (item) of the season,” Ciruli said. Champagne mangoes were peaking on mid-range sizes — 16 and 18 — and should be available until the end of July.

“It’s right in the sweet spot of what chain stores use,” Ciruli said. “(Retailers) are able to write nice per-piece ads going forward.” Ciruli Bros. will be able to support a lot of ads from mid-March through the Easter push, he said.

This Easter, April 12, seemed to be setting up pretty well, Ciruli said. “It will give us quite a few weeks to get the fruit in there and set some really nice promotional ads,” he said. “It will allow retailers to get those end caps going and use them all the way through Easter or Passover.”