California’s Westside melon deal should get underway by early July, as usual, and growers expect to provide their customers with ample supplies of tasty melons this summer.
Cantaloupe volume should reach 14 million 40-pound cartons, up from just over 13 million cartons last year, said John Gilstrap, manager of the Dinuba-based California Cantaloupe Advisory Board.
Del Mar Packing in Westley, Calif., offers a full line of conventional and organic melons, said Brian Wright, sales manager. This year, the company has added organic seedless and seeded watermelons in response to customer demand.
“We’ve seen growth in our organic program, so every year we try to add an additional item to our offerings,” Wright said. “We feel there is a need and demand for them.”
Harvesting of conventional honeydew and cantaloupe melons will start first week of July for Del Mar Packing. They should be available nationwide through October.
Because of the large number of watermelon growers throughout the nation, the company concentrates on West Coast customers for its watermelon program.
Volume will be the same as last year for many items, but there will be added supplies of organic and conventional hami melons and a few more conventional honeydews at Del Mar Packing.
Fresno, Calif.-based Classic Fruit Co. is in the second year of an alliance with Firebaugh, Calif.-based Westside Produce, said Tom Conrado, vice president of West Coast sales and business.
“[The alliance] provides us with more opportunities to provide fruit to our customers on a year-round basis,” he said.
The companies maintain two distinct labels — Tri and Classic Fruit — but the melons are packed in adjacent fields.
“We do everything together,” Wright said. “We’re vertically integrated.”
The two companies had worked together for more than 25 years before forming an official partnership, he said. Now they have an integrated sales, growing, harvesting, crewing and shipping operation that combines Classic Fruit Co.’s offshore program and Westside’s operations.
The companies will transition from Yuma, Ariz., and start shipping cantaloupes and honeydews from the Firebaugh area July 1.
Turlock, Calif.-based Turlock Fruit Co. Inc. grows cantaloupes, honeydews and several kinds of mixed melons, said co-owner Steve Smith.
Cantaloupes should start harvesting by June 27 with honeydews following the first week of July. Specialty melons should be underway by July 10.
Smith said he’s spotted a new trend at some major supermarkets: They’re cutting up their own melons and packing them in-store in clamshell containers.
“Customers who are doing that are seeing expansion in their melon category,” he said.
Retailers are responding to the wishes of a new generation of consumers who are not used to cutting up whole melons at home, he said. The trend is paying off for supermarkets, because clamshells take up less space on produce shelves and bring in more dollars per square foot.
“Any chains — especially upscale chains — that have done cut fruit have been really successful,” Smith said.
