The supply of both cantaloupes and honeydew melons is good right now. "There are still people harvesting in Central California. We are going in Yuma, Arizona so we're harvesting out of two growing areas right now," says Justin Bootz with Legend Produce LLC. "There's no gap in supply and shippers seem to be in pretty decent supply."
There is often an overlap between melon production in central California and the fall harvest in Arizona at this time of year. "I do think there's a little more product available right now than there was last year. Though I don't think there was any kind of shortage last year. Overall it's pretty similar," he says.
As for demand, it's moderate. At this time of year for cantaloupe, honeydew, and even watermelon, oftentimes retailers scale back on melon displays to make room for squash and pumpkins for fall which does impact demand overall.
Meeting demand with supply
That said, it's a pattern that shippers know well and are prepared for. "We're past our peak volumes at this point and while there's not huge demand, there are definitely people still buying out there," says Bootz.
In turn, pricing is reflective of that and is flat and steady, though better than where it was a month ago. "That's to be expected. As you get into fall, prices rise a little bit because there's not the big glut of product that there is in the heat of summer. There are also fewer players in the game," he says. "As we get further into the fall and more shippers drop out of the game and finish up their harvest in California and we transition mostly down to the desert, we'll see prices hopefully continue to go up."
For more information:
Justin Bootz
Legend Produce
Tel: +1 (623) 298-3782
[email protected]
www.legendproduce.com