“The whole culture of buying mangoes has changed,” says Vasantha Das, a homemaker in Kochi, referring to buying the fruit online, and getting quality produce right at her doorstep. “I could never imagine buying mangoes online before the pandemic,” she adds. Asha Krishnan, another homemaker in Kochi, adds that it may be marginally expensive but the facility offers “great service”. “Bad fruits are replaced” and she even gets a complimentary kilogram at times.
The relationship between Indians and mangoes is emotional because most families in Kerala, irrespective of their economic status, had mango trees and therefore mango memories abound. This altered during the lockdown when people had to try the mango bazaar that mushroomed online in 2020. Happily, many found the tech-enabled platform better.
