When weather and wars reach the mango orchard

India’s love affair with the king of the fruits has existed for generations. But it is three brands that, for decades, have defined the country's packaged mango drink market. 

Coca-Cola's Maaza, Parle Agro's Frooti, and PepsiCo's Slice have become synonymous with mango beverages, together accounting for well over 90% of the organised market. Industry estimates place Maaza in the lead with nearly 48% market share, followed by Frooti at about 26% and Slice at around 23%.

However, unpredictable weather patterns have altered crop quality, while geopolitical tensions in West Asia have sharply disrupted export demand, creating ripple effects that are being felt from mango orchards to beverage factories. Even as consumer demand for mango drinks continues to rise, the industry is increasingly finding that securing quality fruit, managing volatile procurement cycles and protecting farmers have become just as important as selling more beverages.

Let's not forget the opportunity is sizeable. As the world’s top producer and consumer of the fruit, the nation grows over 24 million metric tons of mangoes annually, consuming roughly 99% of that total domestically. That scale has made mango-based beverages one of the country's biggest packaged drink categories.

Climate and conflict reshape the supply chain

The biggest challenge today lies in producing enough quality mangoes consistently.

"We are seeing major challenges over the last six to seven years due to abnormal climatic changes before, during and after the mango season," says Moloy Saha, CEO of Foods & Inns Ltd, a major mango pulp supplier to Coca-Cola. "It is not only the volume of the crop but also the quality. Over the last five years, we are seeing climatic changes affecting the sweetness of mangoes."

Foods & Inns processes around 250,000 metric tonnes of raw mangoes annually, with mangoes contributing 75% to 80% of its business. The company supplies nearly 55,000 metric tonnes of pulp to Coca-Cola, accounting for roughly 35% of its processing volumes.

Changing weather is altering the characteristics of mangoes, forcing more fruit originally meant for the fresh market into processing. According to Saha, poor quality Alphonso mangoes from the Konkan region this year resulted in larger quantities being diverted to processors.

Yet weather is only one part of a bigger problem.

Export markets have weakened significantly because of geopolitical tensions. Saha says exports to West Asia have fallen sharply, affecting both fresh mangoes and processed pulp.

"The ongoing West Asia situation has definitely impacted the mango industry in a big way. Fresh market as well as processed industry, both are affected," he says.

Ironically, weaker exports and a higher crop helped domestic processors this year. Saha says the processing industry's mango crop was around 12% higher than last year, while prices of both Alphonso and Totapuri were lower because export demand remained subdued.

The industry, however, remains vulnerable to annual volatility. Processing happens only between mid-April and July, forcing companies to procure and process an entire year's requirement within roughly three months before holding inventory for the rest of the year. That results in substantial working capital requirements.

Moreover, during years of poor crop availability, several beverage brands reduced pulp content in their drinks to manage costs. While that helped brands navigate shortages, it reduced demand for mango pulp and affected farmer incomes. The industry has urged the government to introduce minimum pulp content norms for mango beverages.

Building resilience beyond the orchard

To reduce supply risks, companies are increasingly investing deeper into their sourcing ecosystems instead of treating procurement as a seasonal exercise. Saha says Coca-Cola has spent the past several years introducing newer mango varieties to reduce dependence on only a handful of cultivars.

"Instead of depending on only two or three varieties, you are depending on multiple varieties. If one crop fails, another crop will help you. That is the good way to sustain the brand," he says.

The company has also been working with Foods & Inns for over 15 years on sustainable agriculture programmes that focus on improving productivity, reducing pesticide use and strengthening farmer relationships.

Parle Agro has taken a similar long-term approach. According to CEO, Schauna Chauhan, the company has spent nearly four decades building partnerships with fruit farmers and processors while investing in their infrastructure and processing capabilities. This includes investing heavily in upgrading processing infrastructure, supporting partners with equipment such as fruit washers, pulpers, evaporators and pasteurisers to improve juice yields, productivity and processing efficiency.

But one of its biggest interventions came in 1985, when it encouraged cultivation of the Totapuri mango, then considered a low value variety. Today, Totapuri has become the backbone of India's mango processing industry.

Parle Agro now sources 173,000 tonnes of mangoes annually, up from just 1,000 metric tonnes when Frooti was launched. The company fulfils all its fruit requirements from within India and works directly or indirectly with 20 processors across the southern mango belt. The company fulfills 100% of their fruit needs from within India to not only fortify the local fruit industry but also guarantee unparalleled product freshness and quality.

Chauhan says procurement this year was shaped by an unusual combination of factors.

"We had made a bumper purchase of mango pulp last year. Unseasonal rains in the previous year, along with the ongoing geopolitical conflict in West Asia, led to excess stock being carried forward by the industry and processors. As a result, procurement of mango fruit was lower during the current year," she says.

"Export demand was also significantly affected. The conflict coincided with the peak procurement season, creating uncertainty in export markets and reducing demand for mango fruit."

Despite those disruptions, she says consumption continued to grow and the company expects procurement to normalise going forward. 

A category with room to grow

Even amid supply side uncertainty, industry executives remain optimistic about the long-term outlook for mango beverages.

Paritosh Ladhani, joint managing director of Coca-Cola bottler SLMG Beverages, expects the category to maintain strong momentum. "We anticipate strong double-digit growth for mango-based beverages over the next few years. To capture this momentum and meet projected demand, we are proactively expanding and building our manufacturing capabilities ahead of the curve," he says.

According to Ladhani, Maaza continues to deliver double digit revenue growth currently. Around 60% of annual category consumption happens in the first half of the year, while in SLMG's markets, Maaza contributes nearly 20% of revenues.

He attributes demand to three structural trends. Consumers are becoming more health conscious, mango continues to dominate India's juice category because of its deep cultural appeal, and innovations in packaging and affordable price points are expanding consumption across the broader ready to drink beverages market.

Frooti itself continues to grow at 20% to 25% annually, with summer accounting for around 40% of yearly sales.

Even in totality, the country's largest beverage companies continue to report healthy growth. Coca-Cola India, whose flagship mango drink is Maaza, posted operational revenue of ₹5,042.56 crore in FY25, up 7% year on year, with net profit of ₹615.03 crore. Parle Agro, maker of Frooti, reported revenue from operations of ₹3,284.13 crore, a 5% increase, while net profit jumped to ₹115.38 crore. PepsiCo India Holdings, which owns Slice, reported consolidated revenue of ₹9,798 crore in calendar year 2025, up 8%, while net profit rose 4.5% to ₹905 crore.

For an industry built around a fruit that grows only once a year, success increasingly depends on managing risks that have little to do with farming itself. As consumer demand continues to outpace supply side certainty, the future of India's favourite mango drinks may depend as much on adaptation as on appetite.