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Agricola Famosa looks to expand melon shipments to U.S.

By
John Groh

Brazilian melons from Agricola Famosa have begun seasonal shipments to the United States, providing an important source of imported fruit during the North American winter from October to March.

Rodrigo Lima, president of Crown International USA, the Miami-based commercial arm for Agricola Famosa, said the grower is one of the largest melon growers in the world, with more than 20,000 acres of melons and watermelons in production. Approximately 70 percent of the volume is shipped to Europe, but Lima said there are plans to ramp up shipments to the United States.

Agricola Famosa is known for growing some of the sweetest and best quality melons on the market, with high Brix levels that are sought by U.S. consumers. Among the melon varieties it ships are the Piel de Sapo, or Santa Claus melon, as well as a mini seedless watermelon that started in 2022 with small volumes, which are increasing as demand grows.

It also is in development on a new variety of Italian cantaloupe as well as a Galia variety. These are now shipping to Canada, and Agricola Famosa hopes to start shipments to the United States as early as next year.

“Brazil is a very reliable source of melons,” he said. “We have generally steady weather and no hurricanes, which is good for the U.S. market because retailers know they can rely on the volumes they need without any supply gaps.”

One of the challenges Agricola Famosa faces each year is on the transportation end, as rates for ocean transport can get quite high. To help mitigate that cost, Lucas Gutierrez, operations manager, said the company has begun chartering its own vessels to ship the fruit to Europe.

“After the pandemic, there were a lot of challenges with logistics,” said Gutierrez. “We usually send 300 containers per week to Europe, but they were hard to procure so last fall we chartered our own vessels to three ports — Cartagena in Spain, Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Dover in England.”

He said Agricola Famosa is looking to do the same with shipments to North America, and will possibly look to partner with other fruit growers in Brazil to gain an economic advantage.

“By doing this, we can limit delays and better service our U.S. retail clients,” said Lima.

Agricola Famosa is a sophisticated operation, said Gutierrez, and with an advanced infrastructure on the 12 farms it owns in Brazil. While other farms might wither during a drought, Agricola Famosa has drilled wells that are up to 1,000 meters deep to ensure it has an ample supply of clean water. This could be an especially important point this coming winter, when El Niño is expected to return, bringing with it arid conditions for the region.

Additionally, the grower is a consummate good steward of the land and looks to minimize its use of chemicals in favor of integrated pest management.

“The Leaf Miner is a bug that can be a problem for the melon crops,” said Gutierrez. “We have developed a species of wasp that is a natural predator of the Leaf Miner, and we use a drone to release them in the areas that might be affected. We try to be as eco-friendly as possible.”

Aside from melons, Lima said Agricola Famosa grows the large papaya variety known as Tainung, which it currently ships to Europe.

“We are trying to get approval to start shipping to the U.S. as well,” he said. “Papaya consumption in the U.S. is growing, and we will be a good option for retailers to consider alongside Mexico and Guatemala, the current largest suppliers to the American market. The quality we offer is fantastic, and we hope to start shipping to the U.S. next year.”

Photo: At the Agricola Famosa booth during the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show in Anaheim, CA, promoting their line of Brazilian melons were Felipe Cunha, Ramon Alvarado, Lucas Gutierrez, Rodrigo Lima and Fred Tavares.

John Groh

John Groh

About John Groh  |  email

John Groh graduated from the University of San Diego in 1989 with a bachelors of arts degree in English. Following a brief stint as a sportswriter covering the New York Giants football team, he joined The Produce News in 1995 as an assistant editor and worked his way up the ranks, becoming publisher in 2006. He and his wife, Mary Anne, live in northern New Jersey in the suburbs of New York City.

 

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