Eastern cantaloupe campaign gains social media momentum

Two cantaloupes may have the same DNA, but their growing climate can change the flavor — a concept one organization is promoting in a campaign through peak cantaloupe season.

While genetically similar, there is a big difference between the sweet, juicy cantaloupes grown during the balmy summers in the South and Midwest, compared to cantaloupes grown in the hot, arid West, according to a news release.

The Eastern Cantaloupe Growers Association, a food safety and advocacy group for eastern cantaloupe growers, has teamed up with key food influencers to bring this message to social media throughout the 2021 peak season.

Building on 2020’s Flavor of Sunshine campaign, the association turned to food influencers Colleen Redwood (@sprinklesofcocoa) and Haylie Abele (@ourbalancedbowl) to develop new recipes and share with their extensive audiences all that is great about eastern cantaloupes.

“Eastern cantaloupe growers recognize the importance of supporting their retailers, and getting consumers excited about buying delicious, locally-grown, seasonal fruit is a great way to do that,” ECGA executive director Debbie Johnson said in the release.

Halfway through the 2021 social media campaign, Redwood developed eastern cantaloupe popsicles and a summer sangria. Meanwhile, Abele contributed recipes for an eastern cantaloupe caprese salad and spiced cantaloupe bread. Colleen and Haylie are also promoting tips and lifestyle information for consumers on the best ways to select, store and prepare eastern cantaloupes for any dish.

“We’ve focused on easy recipes with familiar ingredients that are perfect for warm summer days and nights,” Johnson said in the release. “The consumer response has been phenomenal; we’ve heard stories of consumers asking their produce managers ‘are these eastern cantaloupes’, which is exactly what we were hoping for.”

Also called athena melon, muskmelon and rock melon, eastern cantaloupes are grown throughout the Midwest and all along the East Coast. Melons produced in these regions, available from May through early September, benefit from the wetter climate and rich soil, and consequently tend to be larger and sweeter than melons grown in western U.S., according to the release. With fewer miles to travel, eastern cantaloupes make it from field to retailers’ receiving docks in as little as 24 hours in many places.