Symbolic ‘first mango tray of the season’ raises $70,000 for charity

The season’s symbolic first tray of mangoes has sold at the Brisbane Markets for a whopping $70,000, with its buyer crowned this year’s “mango monarch”.

The auction marks the beginning of the mango season, and raises money for charities Redkite and the Lady Musgrave Trust.

Elijah Etri, the manager at 24/7 Wellington Point produce spot Skippy’s Fresh Frootz, took the crown of mango monarch.

“We don’t think about what it’s costing us, we think about what it’s going towards,” Etri said.

“Everyone keeps asking what we’re going to do with a $70,000 mango tray … we can’t sell it, we’d have to sell them at $5,000 a mango.

“We will take it home, share it amongst ourselves, and relish in what we won today.”

Thea Sitcheff from Redkite said their share of the funds would be able to support eight families for a year, including counselling and financial assistance.

Redkite works with families dealing with childhood cancer, while the Lady Musgrave Trust is focused on supporting homeless women and children.

Lady Musgrave Trust chief executive Victoria Parker said the auction was her favourite fundraising event of the year.

“It’s always a joy … the money raised is so valuable toward supporting young women and children across Queensland who are experiencing homelessness, which is a really big issue,” Parker said.

The $70,000 mango tray, filled with 14 Kensington Prides, came from NT Happy in Darwin and is part of Australian Mangoes’ first crop of the season.

“First season fruit is always the best,” Jenna McManus from Australian Mangoes said.

“[This year’s] fruit set is looking phenomenal, flowering … it’s a good indication of a great season.”

Last year the first tray of mangoes sold for $66,000 to Chris Frame from the Standard Market Company.

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