The watermelon deal is off to an early start for Kansas City, MO-based Keith Connell Inc., and with production areas across the United States, the company will have plenty of volume and a high-quality crop throughout the season.

Grower Direct Marketing LLC in Stockton, CA, has cherries from all growing areas in California from Arvin in the south to Stockton in the north, according to Jim Hansen, a salesman for the company.

The company will be handling Brooks, Coral and Tulare varieties out of the Arvin and Bakersfield area — the southern district — and Brooks, Coral, Tulare and Rainier varieties out of the Fresno-Reedley area — the middle district, he said.

Coachella, CA-based Prime Time International expects a banner watermelon season in terms of both quantity and quality.

While Prime Time is a 12-month grower of colored peppers, it only deals seasonally in watermelons, tomatoes, green beans and sweet corn, all of which are grown in California.

With more than 60,000 square feet of warehouse space in Nogales, AZ, Big Chuy Distributors & Sons manages to maintain full control of its product line — including specialty packing — and deliver hallmark quality.

Big Chuy grows seeded, seedless, mini- and yellow-fleshed watermelons 12 months out of the year, mostly in the heart of the Mexican growing region, with a focus on food safety and a quality assurance program that meets or exceeds industry standards. Third-party audits ensure the highest standards achievable.

Ladera Ranch, CA-based Dulcinea Farms LLC, a subsidiary of Syngenta Seeds Inc. in Boise, ID, has raised the bar for the category with its year-round program of proprietary mini- and seedless watermelons.

Marketed under the “Pureheart” brand, the line is the product of Syngenta’s best research and development. The line was developed by asking one simple question: What qualities are most important in a watermelon?

For the first time since its founding in 1960, there is a president at Springfield, MO-based Tom Lange Co. who is not one of the company’s original “big three.”

The late Tom Lange was the company’s original president. Though Mr. Lange passed away in 2001, two of the company’s principal founders, Chairman Emeritus Farrell “Dutch” Gay and Chief Executive Officer and former President Phil “Rock” Gumpert, are still involved in operations, and Executive Vice President Mike Smith — considered the architect of the company’s international expansion — has been onboard since 1980.