The first shipment of Tainan Irwin mangoes has officially arrived in the UK following the Taiwanese city’s appearance at IFE earlier this year.

Tainan City Government exhibited at the International Food & Drink Event (IFE), part of Food, Drink & Hospitality Week, for the first time at the end of March, showcasing a selection of air-freighted fruit including pink guavas, pearl guavas and golden diamond pineapples.

According to Tainan City Government, the fruit was well received by UK buyers, distributors and consumers, with visitors praising its aroma, sweetness and flavour. A UK-based group-buying community subsequently placed an order for Tainan guavas.

Building on this response and its growing understanding of the UK market, the city has now launched Irwin mangoes transported through a complete cold-chain system.

The mangoes were first flown to Frankfurt Airport in Germany before being transferred to Manchester Airport. They were kept in cold storage during transit and delivered to retail channels and stores using refrigerated trucks, helping to preserve their freshness, flavour and quality throughout the journey.

Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che said the shipment represented a new milestone in the city’s efforts to enter the UK and wider European markets. The city hopes to replicate its success in New Zealand and gradually increase the volume of fruit shipped to the UK each year.

Partner businesses that have operated in the UK for several years described the delivery as the first official shipment of Taiwanese mangoes to the country. The imported fruit is expected to become available through a variety of channels, with the longer-term aim of bringing more Tainan fruit and vegetables into wholesale markets, Asian supermarkets and Japanese supermarkets.

Market responses and consumer feedback will now be collected to support the further development of the Tainan brand in the UK.

The city has also achieved record mango exports to New Zealand this year, with shipments exceeding ten tonnes.

Alongside established export markets including Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia, Tainan City Government is working to expand into the UK, the EU, New Zealand and Australia.

Through diversified sales channels, brand marketing and localised promotional campaigns, the city aims to introduce Tainan fruit to more consumers worldwide, increase farmers’ incomes and strengthen the competitiveness of its agricultural sector.