Itaueira Farms to debut fresh-cut melons at PMA
Itaueira Farms to debut fresh-cut melons at PMA
Itaueira Farms, the Brazilian producer of the premium "REI" brand Canary melon, will introduce a new fresh-cut line of the product at the Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition, Oct. 18-20 in New Orleans.
This marks the sixth year that Itaueira and its North American marketing agent, Crown International USA, will be promoting the melons at the Fresh Summit, and the PMA Fresh Summit has been a big reason for the rise in popularity of the melon, according to Itaueira Farms President Carlos Prado.
"We have had five years of experience [at PMA Fresh Summit] and we have made a lot of good contacts and friends," said Prado. "We hope to increase volume [shipped to the United States] by 80 percent this year, and PMA is a big part of it."
In past years at PMA Fresh Summit, Itaueira and Crown International distributed samples of the melons to trade show attendees and to participants of the PMA Foundation for Industry Talent's 5k Race for Talent. The samples were so well received that more than 7,000 cups of the melon samples were distributed during the two-day expo in 2012.
The strong reception of the fruit prompted company officials to explore a fresh-cut offering.
"We have been exhibiting for five years, so now many people are familiar with our melons," said Fred Tavares of Crown International USA, which is based in Key Biscayne, FL. "The new line is the same great-tasting melon in a more user-friendly format. We decided that we wanted to provide a product that is ready to eat so people could take it with them, for example to a park."
Melons will be shipped whole from Brazil and received in Vineland, NJ, and Montreal and Toronto, said Tavares. Whole melons will be processed once an order is made, to ensure freshness of the final product. The fresh-cut melons will be available in one- and two-pound clamshells.