Mango mania in Chennai: Where to indulge in organic varieties this summer

Summer has always arrived in India with a promise of leisure, and unrelenting calidity: holidays, grandparents’ home, cousins and friends, of soulful food and the sweet smell of mangoes always lingering in the air. This year, that memory feels strained at the edges.

Reports in The Hindu have pointed to one of the harshest summers India has faced in recent years, with prolonged heatwaves sweeping across states and temperatures ranging from 35°C to 45°C breaching seasonal norms. In several key mango-growing regions, this has meant stressed trees, disrupted flowering cycles, and a visible dent in yield. Farmers have spoken of delayed harvests, irregular flowering, smaller fruit, and the constant gamble of sudden heat spikes.

The ripple effects are already visible in Chennai’s markets. While Banganapalli and imam pasand continue to dominate shelves and shopping lists, growers and retailers say this year’s season has started later than usual, with many farms only beginning harvests towards mid or late May. Prices too remain in flux. Early season mangoes are currently retailing anywhere between ₹120 and ₹220 per kilogram depending on variety, quality and source, with sellers expecting rates to stabilise as arrivals improve through June. The sale of raw mangoes has seen steady demand driven both by the delayed sweet mango season and the annual rush for pickles, pachadis and summer preserves.

And so, across the city, grocery stores, roadside fruit vendors, and local farmers are doing what they do every year: bringing the season to your doorstep. Because even in a year like this, the search continues for the sweetest slice.

As the season begins, here are some organic farms from where you can source your mangoes. 

Hanu Reddy Farms 

Located in Othivakkam near Guduvanchery, Hanu Reddy Raghava Farms is a 70-year-old mango orchard known for its Banganapalli variety, grown from saplings originally sourced from Kadiam in Andhra Pradesh. This year, the farm is seeing a delayed and reduced crop. “The fruiting is not so much because of climate change. It’s not just our farm, everywhere people are saying the same thing,” says Nirupama Reddy, COO, adding that harvest is expected only towards the end of May. 

Hanu Reddy farms
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

What sets their produce apart, she says, is their ripening process. “We allow the mangoes to ripen on the tree. So it’s almost 95% mature when we cut it. From the time we harvest it to when you eat, is only a three to four-day period.” 

The farm sells through its own outlets and directly from the orchard. To place orders, contact 9884020848.

Ponfarm Organic

After two difficult seasons, Ponfarm Organic is expecting a steadier year. “Last two years were very bad. We were able to harvest only about three to four tonnes,” says S Ganesh, who runs the seven-acre integrated farm with his family. Unseasonal rain and strong winds had disrupted flowering, but this year, he says, conditions have been more stable and the expected yield is eight to 10 tonnes. The farm grows three varieties: Banganapalli, imam pasand and sendhura, with Banganapalli forming the bulk of the harvest.

Ponfarm Organic
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

For over a decade, Ponfarm has followed organic practices like using panchgavya to ward away pests and monitoring trees closely. Harvesting is staggered rather than done in one go. “We harvest daily after observing the fruits and it yields around 300 to 400 kilograms. Then, we clean and sell it directly.” This also shapes how the fruit is sold and consumed. “We tell customers to buy small quantities as it can be stored only for three to four days.” 

To place your orders, reach out to them on WhatsApp via 9884374416. They deliver using local delivery apps.

Organic Shandy

At The Organic Shandy, founded in 1998 as one of Chennai’s earliest organic marketplaces, this year’s mango season has been marked by unpredictability. “We had some flowering even in February, then it failed. Now they are getting a new flowering, which is very strange,” says co-founder PB Murali, describing what he has observed across their Punnamai Orchard in Cheyyur, which spans 70 acres and houses over 6,000 trees. The farm is currently growing alphonso, Banganapalli, imam pasand and a small quantity of rumani. While the orchard continues to follow its long-standing organic practices, Murali points out that the challenges this year have not been linked to any single cause. He says that only a fraction of trees are in bloom at present.

The organic shandy, Mylapore, in Chennai
| Photo Credit:
SRINATH M

Beyond the farm, he flags deeper structural gaps in the ecosystem. “We do not have a national mango board in India and there is no wholesaler for organic produce,” he says, noting that organic farmers are often left to navigate both production and distribution on their own. At Organic Shandy, prices are expected to stabilise between ₹70 and ₹100 per kilogram at peak season. 

Mangoes can be ordered directly through The Organic Shandy store in Mylapore. 

Cholayil Farm

At Cholayil Farm to Table, variety is the defining feature of the season. Spread across 90 acres with over 2,000 trees, the farm grows close to 20 types of mangoes, including imam pasand, malgova, neelam and kalapadi, along with lesser-seen and region-specific varieties such as suvarnarekha. “We have varieties from all across India. People are more willing now to try different types than just Banganapalli,” says co-founder Susmera Cholayil. While many farms are reporting delays this year, she notes that their cycle has always been slightly offset. “We always anticipate starting only mid-May to end-May,” she says, adding that the season often stretches well into August.

Cholayil Farm
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The farm follows fully organic practices, using a mix of natural inputs such as panchagavya, neem-based solutions and bio compost. “Because we don’t use pesticides or chemical fertilisers to speed up the process, there is that natural delay,” she explains. After crop losses during the cyclone two years ago, this year is expected to be steadier. “We didn’t have that kind of damage this time, so we are expecting a better yield than last year.” 

Mangoes are sold at their Anna Nagar store at J block, Anna Nagar East and delivered across the city through local delivery apps.

Organic Farmers Market

At Organic Farmers Market (OFM), the mango season arrives in fragments from different farms, different timelines, and a steady rotation of varieties through the weeks. The shelves typically carry Banganapalli, imam pasand, alphonso and sendhura, alongside native, less common varieties such as kalapadi and jawari, depending on what each farmer is able to supply. As a market that aggregates produce, OFM largely stocks mature, unripe mangoes rather than fully tree-ripened fruit.

Organic Farmers Market
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

“Transporting a ripened mango is very difficult, so we ask farmers to send mature mangoes and customers can control the ripening at home,” he explains. That process, he adds, needs some care. “The sap should not remain and needs to be cleaned properly,” he says. At home, simple methods still work best: wrapping the fruit in paper or cloth, or placing it alongside bananas to speed up the process. “We have to unlearn that everything has to look perfect. That’s not how Nature works,” he says. 

Mangoes are available at OFM store in Adyar and OFM markets across the city. Log on to ofmtn.in to see locations near you.