Cantaloupes and honeydews may not rank as high on the popularity list as watermelons, but they are consumer favorites, and grower-shippers say there should be plenty of them available this spring and summer.
Los Angeles-based Pacific Trellis Fruit LLC will starting shipping its Dulcinea brand Tuscan Style Extra Sweet Cantaloupes from Yuma, Ariz., in mid-May, said Josh Leichter, general manager.
The proprietary variety will available through August, said Vivianna Greene, marketing manager.
They’re sold mostly in 8- and 9-count cartons with special packs available upon request.
Tuscan Style Extra Sweet Cantaloupes offer a consistent eating experience, Leichter said.
“The market is looking for better and more consistent-eating fruit, across the board but in the cantaloupe category specifically,” he said.
“That’s where we see the Tuscan Style really standing out.”
Quality should be good this season, Greene said.
“Weather forecasts are good, and we haven’t experienced too many issues with plantings for the spring and summer.”
All Dulcinea melons are harvested at the peak of ripeness, she said.
“This gives us an advantage in ensuring unique, amazing flavor and characteristics.”
Rio Rico, Ariz.-based Grower Alliance LLC planned to kick off its spring cantaloupe season the first week of April in Guaymas, Mexico, followed by fields in Hermosillo in mid-April, said Jorge Quintero Jr., partner/managing member.
The program will continue into May or June.
Quintero expected good yields and was hoping for good markets following a “horrible fall” marred by weather issues caused by a late-summer hurricane.
“If there’s progress (against the coronavirus), and people start going out again, it will be a nice little boom to the economy,” he said.
“We’re playing a waiting game.”
Rio Rico-based MAS Melons & Grapes LLC anticipates its usual cantaloupe start date in Hermosillo of around April 20, said Miguel Suarez Jr., sales representative.
“Fields are looking great,” he said in late March. “Plants are vigorous and looking strong.”
Weather has been good, Suarez added, with “a few rains here and there, but nothing alarming.”
The company will ship honeydews until the end of June or into July if supplies last and the market allows, he said.
The deal should start off with sizes 5-6 and some 4s then 5s, 6s and 8s for the majority of the season.
The company was experiencing “steady movement” until panic buying erupted around early March as a result of the COVID-19 scare, he said.
“It’s slowly starting to feel like business as usual this week,” he said the last week of March.
“The most important thing for us in the produce industry is to keep the produce moving and to keep the supply chain flowing,” Suarez said.
Carrizo Springs-based Dixondale Farms Inc. is the only cantaloupe grower in Texas from May to the Fourth of July, said president Bruce Frasier.
The company gets strong support from Texas retailers for a couple of reasons, he said.
Dixondale Farms grows the Navigator variety — a netted, full-slip cantaloupe that “smells and tastes like a cantaloupe is supposed to,” he said. And the company offers overnight delivery.
Dixondale Farms will have about 450 acres of cantaloupes this season, a bit more than last year.
“We don’t overdo it,” Frasier said.
About 75% of the cantaloupes will be 9 count with the remainder 12 count.
The company will ship about 250 loads, almost all of which will stay in Texas.
Dixondale Farms also ships some honeydews at the same time to provide a one-stop shop for cantaloupe and honeydew customers.
Frasier expects good size and quality on honeydews this season with a slight increase in volume compared to last year.
The melons are yellow on the outside with a green interior.
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