Spring brings a broad availability of commodities from Rio Rico, Ariz.-based Mas Melons and Grapes LLC. The company has spent decades building up its offerings, and continues to grow its commodities and volume.
Mas Melons and Grapes is a fruit and vegetable shipper with over 25 years of experience in the industry. Its spring produce lineup includes honeydew, seedless watermelon, orange candy melons and hard squash. The company also boasts a broad variety of table grapes, including early sweets, sweet celebrations, sweet globes, Ivory, perlette, sugraone, flame and some other new late reds.
“Spring is one of our most diverse season as far as the variety of fruits and vegetables we provide,” said Mikee Suarez, who works in sales at Mas Melons and Grapes. “Our volumes on the core items, like melons and table grapes, will be about the same as last year and expect promotable volume in key weeks.”
This will be the company’s first year with a spring hard squash program to offer and Mas plans to continue adding items to the list. Another new launch includes an organic program that it is planning to grow quickly.
“Tables grapes is the one item where we can offer organics for this coming spring season, but is not a core item for us yet,” Suarez said. “We are looking to grow in the sector and considering honeydew or miniature watermelon as our next venture. We’re planning for the fall.”
The company is hoping to add more organic to its offerings. It believes the melon category could use a good organic melon supplier and wants to fill that role soon.
Mas is wrapping up its winter season in late March and transitioning to northern Mexico for the start of its busy season in early April. This is when the company offers all of its commodities.
“Our seedless watermelon and table grape programs will be at the height of their quality and flavor due to ideal growing conditions this winter,” Suarez said. “We plan to have both cartons and bins available of seedless watermelon and a whole lineup of table grapes through spring and summer. Honeydew and orange candy melons should have supply until early July.”
Demand for melons and seedless watermelons has been steady through winter. As the company comes into warmer weather, it expects the demand to grow. It will be selling more orange candy melon because of the fruit’s unique look and flavor, as well as its popularity.
“We have steadily increased our acreage of orange candy melon every season and project that this will continue due to a good audience for the melon,” Suarez said. “The orange candy is an orange flesh melon with a bright yellow exterior. The flavor is similar to a cantaloupe and very juicy.”
Suarez believes that retailers can boost their sales on any given commodity by focusing on flavor.
“It is our strong belief that flavor will drive sales for that item. Fruit with proper flavor will always be first off the shelf,” he said.
