Daren Van Dyke, director of marketing for Brawley, Calif.-based Five Crowns Marketing, reports great early response to a new proprietary melon variety called Picasso.
The Picasso just hit the market, and within days of it appearing in stores, the Five Crowns office started getting calls from consumers who wanted to know more about it, Van Dyke said.
“That type of response, with the lack of sampling and stuff like that, is really pretty exciting,” Van Dyke said.
The Picasso melon cuts white as opposed to green or orange and has a very high sugar level.
“The flavor is amazing,” Van Dyke said. “It has such a unique flavor, it’s just crazy. It’s just refreshing.”
The appearance of the variety is another unique attribute.
“It looks like it’s painted with watercolor,” Van Dyke said.
The story of the specialty melon category as a whole is centered around a renewed emphasis on flavor. Yield and durability through the supply chain are still important, but flavor is a non-negotiable now, particularly as a melon section full of options signals to shoppers that a new season has arrived.
“When they come in in spring, the specialty melons offer them something that has pizzazz, that has pop, that has flavor, and I think that the good retailers are looking to give them that, and I think as growers that’s what we’re striving to provide,” Van Dyke said.
