Organic melons of all sizes teed up for July 4th promotions

Nice warm weather and a smooth transition between spring and summer production areas has resulted in a very good supply of several organic melon varieties, pointing toward promotional opportunities for the Fourth of July holiday.

Watermelons are always a big favorite for that summer holiday, and both organic mini watermelons (also called personal watermelons) as well as the large size fruit, typically called bin melons, are readily available. There are also good supplies of organic honeydews and cantaloupes.

Ashley Berlinger, Business Development Manager and Sales Representative, Creekside Organics

“We are seeing very strong demand for all of our melons,” said Ashley Berlinger, business development manager/sales representative for Creekside Organics Inc., Bakersfield, California.

The supply is keeping up with demand, she added, and at least through June, there should be competitive FOB pricing that allows for retail promotions for July 4 ads. Berlinger said there are still organic melon supplies coming out of Mexico and the company is also pulling volume from farming operations in Holtville in California’s Imperial Valley.

“Melons are a great ad item,” she said. “Quality is excellent and we are seeing strong brix.”

Berlinger revealed that Creekside’s production will move up to the San Joaquin Valley as the summer moves on, with both the Bakersfield area in Southern San Joaquin Valley and Firebaugh on the west side of the valley producing various melon varieties. “We will have good supplies of cantaloupes, honeydews and mini watermelons through September,” she said. “We’re not taking our foot off the gas all summer.”

Howard Nager, Director of Marketing and Business Development, Pacific Trellis Fruit

Howard Nager, director of marketing and business development for Los Angeles-based Pacific Trellis Fruit and its Dulcinea brand, said the company should have a good supply of organic mini and bin watermelons through the summer. He agreed that both varieties offer solid retail promotional opportunities for the July 4th holiday.

“We will have good supplies of cantaloupes, honeydews and mini watermelons through September. We’re not taking our foot off the gas all summer.” - Ashley Berlinger

Turning his attention to the organic minis, Nager said, “We are currently finishing up production in Hermosillo, Mexico, and we’ve already begun shipping from Yuma (Arizona) as well. We will be pulling from Yuma through June, including for July 4. In July we will transition to California, which will give us good supplies of minis through the summer.”

Nager said the fruit is currently at the perfect and most desirable size, peaking on the 6 to 8 count per carton. “We are seeing excellent demand with the organic minis receiving a $2 to $4 premium over conventional minis.”

He said the full-size organic bin watermelons are following the same production pattern as the minis, with production winding up in Hermosillo this first week of June before transitioning to the San Luis area in Mexicali, just south of the U.S. border, for the remainder of June. That fruit will be staged in Yuma along with the mini watermelons, allowing for one-stop shopping. He added that there are strong supplies of organic bin watermelons with a very small price gap separating the organic and conventional fruit’s FOB price.

The Dulcinea brand has made great strides and its utilization on several different fruits is helping it become very recognizable to the general public. “In 2023, with all our items—including melons, grapes, stone fruit and citrus—the Dulcinea brand created close to 100 million consumer impression,” Nager said.