With the spring season and warmer weather now the norm, Divine Flavor will be in full swing with its melon program for the next 50 days.

With offerings of watermelon (regular seedless and mini seedless), cantaloupe and honeydew grown both organically and conventionally, the Nogales, AZ-based grower-shipper anticipates a strong month of May in terms of volume and promotion for its expanded melon program in Mexico.

Two of the larger seasonal melon shippers are joining forces to provide retail, foodservice and fresh-cut customers with year-round supplies of cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon and mixed melons.

ORLANDO, FL — A line of super sweet, premium melons from Brazilian grower Agricola Famosa made their debut to the North American market at the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show, here.

Rodrigo Lima, president of Key Biscayne, FL-based Crown International, the commercial arm in the United States for Agricola Famosa, said the melons are now available at select retailers such as Walmart, Sam’s Club and Costco, with plans for wider distribution in the coming months.

Currently, the weather is the biggest story. The hot, excess temperatures that spreads across the Southwest and Southeast is accelerating the fruit and vegetable growth. In some cases, the extreme heat could possibly stress and even harm some of the crops.

Some items will be a bit tight due to the big draw period as we head into the Independence Day holiday. However, there is always a suitable supply of product for everyone to sell, especially for those who planned orders and transportation early.

Every produce director knows that melons will easily speed up sales in a hurry. A new crop of watermelons is starting to strengthen the supply as Florida, Georgia, Texas and California production is entering the summer scene. Cantaloupes and honeydews are seeing production sweeten up sales volume as a new crop is shipping out of California.