With unseasonal weather conditions affecting flowering during the Australian winter, an unexpected late bloom could help Queensland-based Deane Farms save its mango season, Good Fruit & Vegetables reports.

Manager Daniel Le Feuvre says that the outlook for the upcoming season was “pretty poor,” with the company preparing for extremely low yields.

"Two years ago we had unprecedented low-yield and this year was looking to be the same, however we did get a very late flowering in September which has pushed it towards a more normal yield,” he adds.

The unexpected late bloom is set to delay the bulk of the crop until much later than usual, Le Feuvre says. However, the firm still hopes for some early fruit.

Sustainability and food waste have an important place in Deane Farms business strategy, as the company established The Mango Fundraiser in 1999 to create a market for its blemished fruit.

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The fundraiser connects schools and organizations and sells Kensington Pride mangos directly to them at a preferential price.

"It started because we wanted a market for fruit that was marked, but still good quality eating... supermarkets would only take fruit with no blemishes," Le Feuvre indicates.

With this, the company is getting closer to a 50/50 share between supermarkets and fundraising customers, helping them to cut losses.