Can someone point me in the direction of a contract bottler in Northern California? I am looking to bottle approx 1000-2000 24 oz/month of 100% pure mangosteen juice in clear/brown tinted glass bottles.


Thanks.

Adam

This begs a few questions:

1. Have you somehow gotten fresh mangosteens into California?

2. Are they from SE Asia or Hawaii?

3. Why would you ruin the delicate and delicious flavour of mangosteen by processing and bottling it?

Franz-

1. They are not fresh mangosteens. I have a permit pending with the USDA for import of fresh fruit; this is a potential side venture.

2. The juice is from Indonesia.

3. I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted the juice - it's pretty good. I had tried canned mangosteens, which tasted truly awlful. Anyway, I think the market I am looking at is more of the 'health-food' market.

Any advice on a contract bottler would be helpful.

Are you the dude in San Francisco who has been trying to get the FDA to let him import them into the US?

I know Hawaii is putting an irradiation center to allow their produce other than papayas and pineapple to enter the US.

Originally posted by Franz Hemingbeck:

I know Hawaii is putting an irradiation center to allow their produce other than papayas and pineapple to enter the US.

Funny, I thought if somethiing was in Hawaii it already entered the US

Franz -

Yes, I am the dude in San Francisco trying to get fresh mangosteens in the US. I was recently contacted by some folks in Indonesia about the juice, and I just got the sample in last week. I am having it analyzed to make sure it really 100% juice (as I said, it tastes pretty good). If it turns out to be real, I think it will sell well.

As to the Hawaii matter, I visited the SureBeam plant two years ago. It is up and running for papayas. I know they grow mangosteens in Hawaii, but I only found 1 commercial supplier and he is happy selling his limited crop within Hawaii.

adam

Is he the guy on Kauai who does the farmer's markets when the fruit is in season?

I once mentioned to him that it would be cool to get his stuff in the US, but he said that he wasn't allowed to export. He didn't seem opposed to the idea.

In any case, there are tens of thousands of Southeast Asians and some white folk like me who would kill to get unfrozen mangosteens here on the mainland.

The rambutans I bought on Clement last week were a little weird. Totally different from the ones I bought on Kauai a few weeks before.

I almost forgot...

My wife has a friend who sells bottled mangosteen juice @ $40 a pop and apparently it doesn't taste that great.

I believe the farmer is on the Big Island. Onomea Orchards.

As to the mangosteen juice that your wife's friend sells, I believe that would be the competition for my proposed venture. In fact, I think there are 4-6 versions out there (Vemma, Xango, ThaiGo, Trim, etc). I just ordered a Trim and a Xango so I can do a taste test. Anyway, my product will differ significantly from the others I've seen. First, I have 100% mangosteen juice - no other juices/materials add (most others I've seen are 30-40% mangosteen juice). Second, I am not doing multi-level marketing; just regular retailing. Third, my price point will be approximately half, ie about $20/32 oz bottle.

Well if it tastes good, I shall be a regular customer.