
Market Minute: Summertime melons at their peak for promoting
There is nothing better in the summer than seeing large colorful displays of stone fruit, grapes, berries and melons in the produce departments. Melons are always a summer favorite for shoppers who have backyard cookouts and parties — or just for personal eating enjoyment.
If you want to sell plenty of melons, it will take a massive type of display to do the job. Wherever space allows the best way to sell plenty of melons is to set up a free-standing display in an open spot. This way, the customers can easily shop around it.
The western weather has been excellent with high heat temperatures, which are perfect for melon growth in California and Arizona. There is a very good supply of Westside cantaloupes and honeydews available, showing outstanding quality and larger sizes.
What are Westside melons?
I’m sure every produce director and buyer knows about the Westside melon deal. The term means the melons are grown in California's San Joaquin Valley from Bakersfield to Sacramento. The melons are available in that area from June to October. They are known for their superior quality.
Cantaloupe from California and Arizona show a fairly good demand with a slightly higher market. Cutting tests show the interior color to be outstanding with smaller seed cavities and thick bright meat.
Honeydews are in fairly good demand on a steady market. There are larger sized melons coming out of the fields. The interior of the honeydews is excellent.
Watermelons out of Georgia are promotable and showing excellent quality. There is a new crop being harvested in Florida and Mexico to push up the availability supply. It's a good time to put together a promotion.
Your melon supplier experts are ready to plan some great summer promotions with you. Work with them and capture all the mega sales you can.
Ron Pelger is a produce industry adviser and industry writer. He can be contacted at 775/843-2394 or by e-mail at [email protected].