Good melon quality expected after late start

Melon production got off to a slightly later start than usual in many areas of the U.S., Mexico and Central America this spring, but growers say quality should be good.

Peak season for Pompano Beach, Fla.-based Sol Group Marketing Co. runs from November through mid-May, said Mark Cassius, president. The company offers cantaloupes, honeydews, personal-size watermelons and seedless watermelons.

“We have an exclusive honeydew variety, which delivers the consumer a sweet and juicy eating experience,” he said. “We also have our Glow melon, which presents similar to a canary melon but has an orange interior and has an exotic, fruity sweet flavor.”

The company has also introduced its Royal Golden cantaloupe, which he said has a bright gold exterior and a flavorful pink-orange flesh.

Central America, where Sol Group sources its melons, had one of its wettest seasons ever, but the company’s production team managed to produce high-quality melons with the perfect size for retail and fresh-cut business, Cassius said.

“Now that we are seeing the weather begin to warm, and spring begins in the U.S. and Canada, we are seeing sales rise as our retail partners are increasing the in-store shelf space and [highlighting] melons,” he said.

Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Stella Farms LLC was finishing its southern Mexico watermelon program in early April and now is set to kick off its deal in Guaymas, Mexico, said Mike Martori, vice president of sales. Hermosillo, Mexico, will get underway in late April. Picking started about 10 days later than usual.

“They’ve been catching that cool, wet weather to some degree that California has had,” Martori said. “But there isn’t any cause for concern as far as quality or sizing.”

Sonora, Mexico-grown melons will cross through Nogales, Ariz., and be distributed throughout the western U.S. Acreage in Sonora will be down from last year, so there will be less production in April and May, Martori said.

Weather in Florida has been warmer than normal, so the harvest started earlier there than usual, he said.

“We’re going to see good production from Florida throughout April on watermelons,” he said.

That’s the opposite of what happened last year when cool weather and a freeze event kept production well below average.

Stella Farms will ship out of Florida until mid-June. About 90% of the company’s watermelons are seedless.

Volume of seeded and seedless watermelons from Indio, Calif.-based Green Life Farms LLC will be similar to last year, said Flavio Martinez, owner, CEO and president.

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The company, which typically starts its spring program the first or second week of May, won’t get started until about May 20 this year, he said, because of unfavorable conditions in Mexico. 

“We had a lot of wind and cold weather,” Martinez said.

The melons have since recovered from any adverse conditions they faced.

“We should have good quality,” he said.

Carrizo Springs, Texas-based Dixondale Farms Inc. got off to a troubling start this season.

“We lost our first 100 acres to a hailstorm a couple of weeks ago,” company President Bruce Frasier said in late March.

That will delay the start until June 10. Harvest usually begins right before Memorial Day.

If there’s going to be a hailstorm, it’s probably better to have it hit at the beginning of the season rather than creating a disruption mid-season, causing a panic among buyers who might fear losing their source of Texas-grown cantaloupes, he said.

The company has been producing the same Western shipper, full-slip variety — called Navigator — for 30 years, he said.

“It’s not the extended shelf life type,” he said. And it’s a favorite of Texas retail chains.
 
“Very few of our cantaloupes ever leave the state,” Frasier said.

Watermelon growers, like all fruit and vegetable producers, said they faced unprecedented cost increases this season, but Martori of Stella Farms said consumers perceive watermelons to be a value, and he doesn’t expect higher prices at retail to impact sales.

“You tend to get more for your money with watermelon on a per-pound basis,” he said.