The Central American melon season is in full swing at Levarht in the Netherlands. "The transition from Brazil to Central America went well; it was seamless," says Frank Levarht. "We received the first Costa Rican melons in week 5. Due to the bad weather there, the supply of the larger quantities only started later. The quality, however, is excellent."
Costa Rica
Levarht gets mini-seedless, seedless and Quetzali watermelons and Cantaloupe and Honeydew melons From Costa Rica. "We ship directly from there. The melons go to the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and Ireland. That's all from our own company Rica Fruta. Provided the weather holds, the final arrivals are scheduled for week 17/18."
Honduras
This importer also receives weekly supplies from Honduras. These are of Galia, white honeydew, Cantaloupe and Piel de Sapo melons. There, Levarht is partnered in a plantation with Agroindustrias Distex. They ships directly to the Netherlands, the UK, Scandinavia, and Ireland. "The Honduran season also started a bit later. That was because of hurricanes Eta and Iota. As a result, the quality was problematic when the season started. But it's under control now," says Frank.
Guatemala
Finally, Levarht gets Cantaloupe melons straight from Guatemala in the Netherlands every week. "These are 15kg boxes, which we mostly use for the foodservice sector. We have a partner crop in Guatemala with Fresh Earth Produce. All our melons are Rainforest Alliance, Tesco Nurture, and GlobalGAP certified."
"Fortunately, melon demand has been excellent throughout the Central American season. I don't expect this to change in the coming weeks, either. Last year was terrible, price-wise. So it's high time we had a good season again. However, the limited sea freight is currently a major challenge," concludes Frank.
For more information:
Frank Levarht
Levarht
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.levarht.nl