“Are Bowen mangoes the same as Kensington Pride?”

“What’s the difference between Bowen and Kensington Pride Mangoes?”

“I like Kensington Prides, but Bowen mangoes are my favourite…”

As growers of high-quality Kensington Pride mangoes, we frequently hear these questions and comments throughout Australian mango season. Often, our answer is met with confusion or surprise:

“Actually, ‘Bowen’ and ‘Bowen Special’ are alternative names for the ‘Kensington Pride’ mango variety.”

A possible reason for so many names lies in the fruit’s history…

Discovered in Bowen

The Kensington Pride variety was first discovered in Bowen, a town in Northern Queensland.  In the late 1800s, Bowen was known for its lively horse trade. Traders from the British Army in India were known to arrive in Bowen with mangoes and spices. They would give these as gifts to prominent locals. It’s believed that the Kensington Pride variety developed from one such gift, given to Bowen Harbour and Customs Officer, GF Sandrock.

The Kensington Pride is Born

What followed was a process of selective breeding. The best seed from Sandrock’s original gift was planted by a Mr McDonald. The process was repeated by William Lott, and then again by William’s son Harry Lott. It was on Harry Lott’s property – ‘Kensington’ – that a distinctive new variety was first identified. They named it ‘Kensington Pride.’

What’s in a name?

The Kensington Pride variety proved to be very popular at the Sydney Markets, and production quickly ramped up in the Bowen area. Consumers increasingly associated Kensington Prides with Bowen, and over time the fruit also became known by the names ‘Bowen Mango’ and ‘Bowen Special.’ It’s still grown in Bowen, but also in many other areas, like our Red Rich Fruits orchards near Darwin.

Are Bowen Mangoes The Same As Kensington Pride? Yes.

So there you have it: ‘Bowen’, ‘Bowen Special’ and ‘Kensington Pride’ are all names for the same variety of mango!

A version of this blog post first appeared on the Mr KP Mangoes website under the title “Is there a difference between Kensington Pride and Bowen Mangoes?“