Galkia, the latest novelty in Galia melons

Bayer officially launched Galkia, its latest melon innovation, at Fruit Logistica 2016. With this development, Bayer combines the melon's traditional flavor with the highest quality throughout the whole summer. 

Bayer's goal was returning to the traditional melon, with all of its aroma and flavor. Galkia promises to meet the current market demands at every link in the value chain thanks to its properties. With Galkia, Bayer can provide a melon that will have an optimum quality when consumed. As a result, Galkia will promote repeat purchases, increase costumer loyalty, and consumer confidence, which will favor distributors, traders, and producers working with this melon.

"One of our strengths is that we work closely with every part of the food and supply chains to understand and anticipate their demands," said Carin Stroeken, Produce Chain Manager of Bayer's plant seed area for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. We decided to produce this melon after seeking and identifying the traditional flavor as a trend. "The Galkia melon will make a difference in the European lines this summer. Consumers will no longer have unpleasant surprises when buying melon. Our customers can rely on getting the best quality. Guaranteed!" added Mrs. Stroeken.

The new melon was created thanks to the hard work and dedication of the professionals at Bayer. Their goal was to provide high-quality melons in a regular manner throughout the summer season. 

What's the secret? Very simple. The melon's skin has become an indicator of how ripe the fruit is; Its color changes from green to yellow, thus revealing the optimal time for harvest. It's a real innovation that allows producers to identify the exact point at which Galkia displays all the characteristics that make it unique: its aroma, flavor, and firmness. Harvesting at the precise moment guarantees customers will purchase a melon that tastes like a melon.

When and where? Galkia is already being successfully grown in different regions of Spain, such as Almeria, Murcia, and La Mancha. This type of production will allow extending the supply season throughout all summer, from early June to late September. Three varieties of Galkia are already available for this summer: Kirene, Kinder and Kinetic. Bayer is currently developing other projects in the Southern Hemisphere to obtain new varieties that can be grown in other regions so as to increase the availability of Galkia.

"Enjoying Galkia at its best ripeness will be a reality this summer, as Galkia offers a high durability which allows us to supply perfectly ripe melons to any European destination. Galkia is the winning choice," says Francisco Solera, Crop Sales Manager.

Galkia was presented to the international sector at Fruit Logistica 2016. "We chose to publicize Galkia to our customers and the international media at Fruit Logistica because we consider it the perfect scenario to launch such an important innovation," said Solera. "Presenting the melon's properties during a magician's performance shows how Galkia can make the impossible a reality," he added. 

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in health and agricultural sciences. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, Bayer aims at creating value through innovation, growth, and high earnings. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In 2014, the group employed about 119,000 people and had sales of 42,200 million Euro. Its investments amounted to 2,500 million Euro and its expenditure on R&D amounted to 3,600 million. These figures include the high-tech polymers business, which started being traded in the stock market as an independent company called Covestro on October 6, 2015. For more information, visit www.bayer.com.