Mangosteen juice is here to stay, Xango

The Utah-based mangosteen juice company sources the antioxidant superfruit for its juice in Asia, manufactures it in the United States, and distributes the product worldwide through direct marketing. "I believe that the mangosteen this year is transcending the trend,"​ Xango's senior vice president of sales and marketing, John Digles, told NutraIngredients-USA. Xango claims to have secured 80 percent of the global market share of mangosteen juice since it introduced its product in 2003. Over 2006, the company expanded the reach of its product and entered the German, Swedish and Singapore markets. The company said repeat sales have soared in its established markets in the U.S., Japan, Canada, Mexico and Australia. At the heart of securing long-term viability for the juice, according to the company, is making sure the public is familiar with the fruit. "Appreciation of the fruit is the key to building the market for it,"​ said Digles. The company said the mangosteen has reached this level of awareness in the eye of the consumer and as such will be around of the long haul. For instance, Digles cited pop singer Hilary Duff's use of mangosteen in her new perfume With Love as a sign the fruit is going mainstream. Xango said it sells large volumes in Asia even though the fruit is found there. "We're marketing it as a lifestyle brand that fits into a regular diet,"​ said Digles. The company said it only uses puree for its juice, and no extracts. The mangosteen fruit contains the flavonoids, catechins and proanthocyanidins. Xango said the EGCG catechins found in green tea are slightly more abundant in whole mangosteen. But the company said the superfruit lends well to the juice format due to challenges of maintaining freshness.