00:00This is a mangosteen.
00:04If you're unfamiliar with this tropical fruit, that might soon change, because the
00:09demand for its flavor is skyrocketing.
00:12Just look at one of the 44.7 million TikTok posts with the hashtag mangosteenfruit.
00:20In India, the largest producer of the fruit in 2022, a kilo of mangosteen costs $4, but
00:28in the U.S., just one fruit can go for $6.
00:33Even the saplings the nursery grows from the seeds of unsellable mangosteens are flying
00:37off the shelves.
00:39The global demand is so high that farmers in India are doing everything they can to
00:44grow more, including wiping their farms of other produce to plant more mangosteen trees.
00:51Or for a fruit that couldn't be legally imported into the U.S. from Asia until 2007.
00:58But stateside vendors told Business Insider they've been finding ways to get their hands
01:03on the fruit for decades.
01:06So does demand go beyond TikTok-worthy visuals?
01:10And why is this purple fruit so expensive?
01:15Some describe mangosteen as sweet and tangy, with notes of lychee, peach, and strawberry.
01:22Others can't quite figure out how to describe it.
01:25It's an emotion.
01:26If you eat, you will understand.
01:28I can't explain the taste.
01:32Street vendors in New York City, like Li, have been selling mangosteen for decades,
01:38even when it was contraband.
01:46In the early 2000s, a kilo could cost about $120 in New York, a little over $9 for a single fruit.
02:00Part of the reason for that staggering rate was a total ban on mangosteens grown outside
02:05of Central America and the Caribbean.
02:09Mangosteens are mainly grown in Southeast Asia, but until 2007, the USDA restricted
02:15imports fearing pests like the Asian fruit fly would harm U.S. agriculture.
02:21Even so, Li says he found ways to get a hold of some.
02:25He used to come from Thailand.
02:27He used to come here when he was very young, but he sold out very quickly.
02:30You couldn't see him, right?
02:32Now you can see him every day.
02:36Thanks to the lift on the import ban, more mangosteens are reaching the U.S.,
02:41which has lowered the price.
02:43Today, Li is selling a kilogram for $22, but other vendors charge as much as $78.
02:52And as more mangosteens have made their way to the U.S., vendors have also seen demand grow.
03:14It's not just an American phenomenon.
03:17As global demand keeps rising, mangosteen farmers in Asia are doing everything they
03:22can to increase production.
03:27One way farmers are trying to meet that demand is by simply growing more.
03:37Murlin Muthithar Nursery in Kerala, South India, decided to cut down its other fruits
03:42in favor of mangosteens.
03:45Right now we are cutting all coconuts.
03:47We are only promoting this mangosteen because we have profit in this.
03:51That much demand we have right now.
03:54Mangosteens currently make up 50% of the farm's profits,
03:58so Manu says it's the right investment.
04:01The future is fruitful.
04:03Hey, I feel like that.
04:10Other farmers like Shaju are catching on, too.
04:15Even the saplings the nursery grows from the seeds of unsellable mangosteens
04:20are flying off the shelves.
04:22This year I have just one plant which gave me fruit for almost 10,000 rupees worth fruit.
04:28About 40 kilos I sold.
04:30So I thought, why not? I'm taking 120.
04:34I want to plant these saplings the best possible way,
04:37and I want to make it for a commercial purpose.
04:41He won't be able to capitalize on mangosteens from those trees any time soon.
04:47It takes up to 10 years for a mangosteen tree to bear fruit.
04:52They need a warm, tropical climate with high humidity and slightly acidic soil.
04:58That's why they're mainly produced in South and Southeast Asia.
05:02Once the fruit does grow,
05:04the farm tries to ensure pickers don't miss a single ripe mangosteen.
05:15Badu has been picking mangosteens at the farm for 35 years.
05:21During the peak season of June and July,
05:24harvesters like Badu climb 40-foot trees
05:27in hopes of finding the best mangosteens,
05:30considered first-grade.
05:33First-grade mangosteens are 4 to 8 centimeters in diameter,
05:38and can grow up to 3 to 4.5 feet in length.
05:42The best mangosteens can be harvested in the summer,
05:45and the best mangosteens can be harvested in the winter.
05:49They're 4 to 8 centimeters in diameter,
05:52with a purple or nearly black outer shell,
05:55and a bright white, fleshy fruit underneath.
06:01It's a delicate dance as the climbers race against the clock to pick mangosteens,
06:06before they overripen or fall, ensuring no fruit goes to waste.
06:19Pickers rotate through sections of the grove quickly
06:23to control the quality of their product
06:25and prevent mangosteens from falling in between harvests.
06:32And if one falls, it will quickly lose its sought-after,
06:36sweet and tangy taste, and become inedible.
06:41This one is a fell-down fruit.
06:43I think fell down before 2 or 3 years.
06:47Even if a fruit on the ground isn't rock-hard,
06:50they still won't sell it.
06:52Mangosteen can spoil within days of harvesting,
06:55so there's a chance it'll go bad before reaching the customer.
07:00But every mangosteen they do pick has a predetermined destination,
07:04according to Manu, whose father started the mangosteen farm.
07:08The destination guides harvesters in choosing which mangosteens to pick.
07:15Nearly a third of the harvest is reserved for direct customers
07:19who come to the farm to buy their mangosteen in smaller quantities.
07:25The darkest, ripest mangosteens are sold to them
07:28because they're the most expensive.
07:31The price of mangosteens varies,
07:34The darkest, ripest mangosteens are sold to them
07:37because they need to be eaten immediately.
07:41Another third is purchased wholesale by other retailers.
07:45They pay 350 rupees a kilogram, or around $4.17.
07:51These buyers seek less ripe, lighter purple mangosteens
07:55that can withstand transport times.
07:57The final third goes to middlemen,
07:59including exporters who sell to other countries.
08:03The further Manu has to send the mangosteens,
08:05the more expensive they get.
08:13Shipping the mangosteens by air
08:15is five times as expensive as ground transportation,
08:19which factors in to the final price.
08:22While only certain climates are suitable
08:24for farming prolific mangosteen trees,
08:26farmers can't depend on high yields every year.
08:30If a tree produces lots of fruit one year,
08:33it will produce less the next,
08:35causing production to vary in cycles.
08:39Last year, Manu's family farm made 10 million rupees,
08:43or about $100,000.
08:46Last year, Manu's family farm made 10 million rupees,
08:50or about $119,000 in revenue from its harvest.
08:55This year, Manu expects a third of that.
08:59He says, regardless of fluctuating profits,
09:02his family continues to benefit
09:04from mangosteens' surprising success.
09:07While Merlin Mutadhar Nursery
09:09doesn't have an export license yet,
09:11other farmers in Asia who do
09:13have to irradiate their mangosteens
09:15before they reach the U.S. market.
09:18Irradiation is when the fruit is exposed
09:20to ionizing radiation
09:22to eliminate harmful bacteria or microorganisms.
09:27But irradiation doesn't come cheap.
09:29The fruit must be shipped
09:31to either a local irradiation agency
09:33or one in the United States,
09:35adding to transportation costs.
09:38From farm to table, the expenses stack up.
09:41Mangosteen aficionados like Stephan Lin
09:44bear the brunt of that cost.
09:46I'd say it's more of like a treat.
09:48It would be more like a once-in-a-while thing,
09:50maybe like once a month or whatnot.
09:52If it was cheaper, I'd probably go out of my way
09:54of work to get it,
09:55but I do wish it was like $1 or so per fruit.
09:59People are willing to shell out
10:00for treats like mangosteen,
10:02especially in the United States,
10:04where 57% of fruit consumers
10:06are interested in trying exotic fruits.
10:09Mangosteens are known as the queen of fruit
10:12after a rumor that Queen Victoria
10:14loved them so much,
10:16she offered knighthood
10:17to anyone who would bring some to her.
10:19Today's consumers agree.
10:21The global market for mangosteen
10:23is growing at an annual rate of 3.6%,
10:26and is projected to reach
10:28up to $658 million by 2030.
10:33But this growth is relatively new.
10:35When Manu's father, Merlin Muthadhon,
10:37grew up eating mangosteens
10:38from a tree his grandfather planted
10:40over 100 years ago,
10:42it wasn't a viable business.
11:05He didn't make much money from it initially.
11:36But last year, his mangosteens sold
11:39for almost 18 times that amount.
11:43Merlin started off with 80 mangosteen trees,
11:46and now he and his sons
11:48look after 1,000, and counting.
12:05And if you have a good marketing skill also,
12:08you can get a huge success from this.
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