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Indian pomegranates reach Seattle-area Costco
The rollout follows a January promotion event by the Indian consulate and comes weeks after Indian officials met Costco’s chief executive in Washington state.
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Malvika Choudhary - Fri, 03, Apr 2026
- 15:00 EDT
- 21
Shipment in Seattle / X/ @IndiainSeattle
Indian pomegranates have entered the Greater Seattle retail market, with Maharashtra’s Bhagwa variety appearing at Costco stores in the region amid India’s broader push to expand fresh fruit exports in the United States.
The availability was announced by the Consulate General of India in Seattle, which said the fruit reached Greater Seattle Costco stores on March 26 following a pomegranate promotion event it organized on Jan. 24 this year.
Also Read: In a first, India’s Maldah mangoes land in New York
The retail rollout also comes weeks after Indian officials met Costco chief executive officer Ron Vachris and his team at the company’s headquarters in Issaquah, Washington, on March 6, according to an earlier post by the consulate.
Pomegranates from India available in Greater Seattle area now!
— India In Seattle (@IndiainSeattle) April 3, 2026
As a follow up to the Indian Pomegranates promotion event organised by CGI Seattle on 24 January 2026, the “Bhagwa” variety pomegranates from Maharashtra made their presence at Greater Seattle stores of Costco from… https://t.co/BoLvW5FJo6 pic.twitter.com/ClQWRQZN1T
The meeting, the post said, included discussions around Costco’s India Global Capability Center in Hyderabad.
The development comes as India continues efforts to build overseas markets for its horticulture produce following recent gains in market access and export logistics in the United States.
India began exporting pomegranates to the US after securing market access in 2023, with initial trial consignments shipped by air in coordination with US authorities.
In 2025, India completed its first commercial sea shipment of Bhagwa pomegranates to New York, marking a shift from air freight to a more cost-effective transport route. The consignment included about 4,600 boxes weighing nearly 14 tonnes and reached the US East Coast in around five weeks.
The move to sea shipments was enabled by efforts to extend the fruit’s shelf life to around 60 days and by pre-clearance arrangements with US agricultural authorities, helping ease entry into the American market.
India exported more than 72,000 metric tonnes of pomegranates worth around $69 million in 2023–24, with shipments continuing to grow in 2024–25. The United States is among key destinations alongside markets in the Middle East and Europe.
Primarily grown in Maharashtra, the Bhagwa variety is known for its deep red arils, longer shelf life, and suitability for long-distance transport, making it a preferred export variety.
The Consulate confirmed that mangoes from India could be introduced in the Seattle market next.
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