Why Miyazaki Mangoes Are So Expensive | So Expensive Food | Business Insider

Taiyo no Tamago, or Egg of the Sun, are stunning, plump, red, perfectly unscratched, and incredibly sweet mangoes that are farmed in the Miyazaki Prefecture of Japan. Every year, the best mangoes are auctioned off to the highest bidder, with the record set in 2019 at 500,000 yen for a pair — almost $4,000. But although farmers in Miyazaki dedicate an entire year ( or their entire lives?) to preparing these mangoes for auction, there is no guarantee that the fruit will fetch such a high price. So why are Taiyo no Tamago mangoes so difficult to grow? And what makes them so expensive?

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Why Miyazaki Mangoes Are So Expensive | So Expensive Food | Business Insider

[omarvaldivia]

The Japanese always find a way to make a commonly grown fruit into an incredible and overcomplicated commodity.

[WelfareChrist]

I've tried one, and I live in Hawaii where Mangoes grow everywhere, and I can tell you that it just tastes like any good mango. Like yes it's a good mango, but I think the differences start to become vanishingly minute when you scale up quality production on a fruit like this. Like 500% more effort and cost for a 5% better taste.

[maxlee]

No one does food marketing better than the Japanese and French

[djungelskog]

I'm always baffled at the extent that Japanese pursue perfection in whatever craft they practice, but sometimes it feels a bit unwarranted. I just hope that even the defective mangoes don't go to waste and are actually consumed. On the bright side, the farmers actually get rewarded for their hard work, unlike the treatment other farmers get across the globe.

[sasoni]

“Every mango repays him with a unique flavor”

Takuya: “It has both sweet and sour taste”

That seems like every mango to me.

[varunalpuria]

So many varieties of Mangoes we get here in India and they are not this freaking expensive but tastes heavenly. A fruit should remain as fruit for everyone to eat and enjoy. Alphonso and Kesar are the best with there own unique texture and flavour.

[theredreceivers]

Japanese do this about literally everything, and sometimes the extra work or dedication pays off, but in others it's just a marketing ploy to command ridiculous prices, and to make the workers feel better about doing pointless labor, to achieve a result that is indistinguishable from a much cheaper alternative.

[angieangie]

Kinda sad they didn't touch up on the history of these mangos.. Miyazaki prefecture originally didn't have mangos, Okinawa was one of the very few prefectures that produced them. It all started when Shoichi Tate, a man from Miyazaki visited Okinawa and happened to eat some local mango. He was shocked at the flavor and when he went back to Miyazaki he decided he was going to try to grow some with 8 of his farming buddies. Things didn't go well for him and could barley grow a single fruit since they didn't even know how to pollinate the plant. They decided to rely on an Okinawan man, Ryokou Yara who who was the leader of mango studies in Okinawa. Yara didn't keep secrets and willingly taught the 8 men how to properly grow the fruit. Many of the Okinawan farmers hesitated to teach Miyazaki prefecture how to grow mangoes, but decided to anyway since Miyazaki was one of the few prefectures to let Okinawans evacuate to during WW2. Many older people who contributed to sharing the art said it was to in some way return the courtesy. That's how the Taiyo No Tamago was born.

[den_]

It's ridiculous how expensive a mango can be... but i do love the dedication these farmers give to their products.

[laverne]

In Philippines, we call this variety (the one on the video) apple mango. and most of the Filipinos don't eat this variety because it tastes like syrup medicine.
but we do have what we call carabao mangoes which is the best variety of mango that is good enough for exportation.
it is sweet, not rubbery and melts in your mouth like ice cream.

[m.a]

Had the chance of trying an A and compared it to the common "inferior" types, there's almost no difference. It's visual at most and the entire category is there to generate higher profits. It's like buying a carton of regular mangos and selling the one perfect looking one you find for the price of the 10 cartons.

[kataep]

It’s really nice to know that if you have something you love to do in Japan like growing mango, and it’s your passion and you just keep working for it and keep the standards nice and high for your product, it can pay off very easily

[kta_]

Japan: Miyazaki Mango
Philippines: These mangoes are always dropping on the road from the trees because nobody's eating it.

[mpandunky]

I've been to strawberry & melon farms in Japan and was amazed at how much respect the farmers give to getting the fruits right.

[azaiahspeaks]

As a native Miamian who grew up hopping fences to pick mangoes off of neighbors trees, I can honestly say I’ve never had a mango that I felt was worth $4k. EVER. And I love mangoes.

[regem]

I have tried these mangoes at a Japanese colleague's house, trust me, the Bright Yellow Alphonso Mangoes of India are way sweeter, smoother and flavour packed. Miyazaki Mangoes just look good on the outside with their crimson hue, that's it( in my opinion).

[erickalbertorodriguezmusic]

I really like his honesty! He looks so happy doing this. I respect this man!

[DakuJTenshi]

I absolutely adore the gift giving culture in Japan. I went on a business trip there and received gifts from partners and members I literally had to leave with an extra suitcase 🤣. Japan will always be such an incredible country to me culturally.

[arnaavraizada]

People treating those mangos so preciously 🤔
And Here in India we have 100s of mango varities and produce so much that it's more than we need 😅 Just today I ate 3 😋

[kenta]

In India u can find 50+ varieties of mango which would cost $4~$10 for 12 mangoes from Jan onwards. It reduces to $2~$3 during May and June.