As the domestic melon season begins in the US, production is gradually moving its way north through California, from the southern fringes all the way to the Sacramento Valley. Weather conditions have been fairly stable in recent weeks, and early indications are that the season will begin close to schedule.
"Some districts have already begun," said Don Smith of Turlock Fruit. "In California, June, July and August are the big months where we see most of the volume. The season starts in the south before moving northwards into the San Joaquin Valley and finally the Sacramento Valley. At this point, it looks like everything is on schedule, due to the normal temperatures and general weather conditions we've experienced during the past month."
One of Turlock's fruit stand staff holding a Golden Hami melon
Consumers not interested in specialty melons
While Turlock Fruit's main crops are honeydew and cantaloupe, the company also specializes in specialty melons, including Hami, Sharlyn, Galia and Crenshaw, along with other exotic varieties like Casaba and Piel de Sapo. Unfortunately, Smith has observed that general consumption for these melon varieties is declining. He attributes two main reasons for this, one being the unwillingness for retailers to carry them, and the other is consumers' general disinterest with unusual produce items they know little about.
"Consumption is not great on these melon varieties and interest has been diminishing," he said. "Many grocery chains don't want to carry them because they believe they won't move them. Giant retail stores want to move volume so they don't want to take a risk on these varieties. They prefer cantaloupes and honeydews which are the big movers."
"Consumers are also hesitant to buy them, mainly because they don't know what to do with them," he continued. "Additionally, more consumers are being drawn to ready-to-eat, sliced and cut fruit. They don't have the time or desire to eat a large, mysterious melon they have to cut and prepare. The one exception is the orange flesh honeydews which are seeing significant growth. Also, the Hami still appeals to particular demographic groups and therefore, demand on those is steady."
As a result, there are not many growers of these varieties remaining in California. "Turlock Fruit is one of only about three growers of mixed melons remaining," Smith noted.
Harvesting Juane Canari melons
Exports offer promising avenue for melon growers
One area where Turlock Fruit is seeing good demand is in the export market. Honeydews in particular, are in high demand in East Asia, and exports are strong. Demand though, is noticeably focused on green and white flesh fruit.
"We export a lot of honeydew into Asia," Smith explained. "This market has been very steady, with Hong Kong and Japan maintaining strong and steady imports. These markets are mature, whereas Korea and Taiwan, in particular, have seen tremendous growth in recent years. One caveat, however, is that they almost exclusively import honeydew. The Asian market has a strong preference to white and green flesh fruit, generally staying away from orange flesh. We see this reflected in other fruit varieties as well, such as peaches."
For more information:
Don Smith
Turlock Fruit
Tel: +1 (209) 634-7207