An Australian mango variety is now being commercially grown in Spain, where it has opened up a new growing region.

Australian mango breeder, Ken Rayner, now has RA-17 mangoes producing fruit in Alicante. The mango, which will be marketed under the Ibérica Fresh brand, will be sold exclusively in Spain in the fruit shops of El Corte Inglés.

Until now, Spanish mangoes came only from the producing areas of Malaga and Granada.

"This year we have gone ahead, being the first to commercialize mangoes from Spain," Pedro Pérez Marín, co-founder and Director of Business Development at Ibérica Fresh said.

"We grow these mangoes on the hill of a mountain, there kilometers from the coast, an area with an almost tropical microclimate since the average temperatures are high and it is not prone to frost."

The mango is the protected RA-17 variety, developed in Australia after 17 years of research and began to be marketed in the oceanic country about six years ago.

It is grown only in Alicante and is available from mid-August to the end of September.

"This mango's main advantages are its low level of fibers, its small core, an incomparable sweetness with a touch of stone fruit and a very fine texture," Pedro Pérez said.

The company's main objective is to bring fresh fruit to Spanish homes that is produced in-country with care for each individual fruit.

"We wanted to launch this product exclusively with a distributor who fully understands its real value. We may extend this exclusivity to 5-10 years in the future," agronomist and director of Ibérica Fresh, Guillermo de Scals said.

Production will be limited since it is the second productive year and each piece will be selected daily to be on sale in less than 24 hours.

"Our forecasts are to produce at least six times more mango in about five years, being one of the main mango producers in Spain."

The company is also looking to Peru or Brazil for expansion as the commercial period in Alicante is quite short.