After a bad melon market during the Brazilian season in the autumn, the market has been experiencing a recovery as of early February. “Especially the sales of yellow, water and Piel de Sapo melons from Central America are very good with good prices,” says Frank Levarht. “The beautiful weather is playing its considerable part, and pre-sales have been optimal for the coming weeks.”
The market is currently not good for Cantaloupe and Galia melons. “Sales of Cantaloupe are doing less well due to the large volumes sent from Honduras and Costa Rica, and Galia melon prices are somewhat pressured because of quality problems,” the importer says. “I hope that the sales of these melons revive a bit as we head towards Easter. The sales of watermelons and yellow and Piel de Sapo melons will remain strong in coming weeks anyway.”
“The volumes from Costa Rica have remained fairly stable. Panama comes to the market somewhat later than in previous years, but with volumes that have been halved, so that will be good for sales. We personally receive a fairly large programme from Honduras. We shipped the first yellow melons from there last week, and that will last until May,” Frank explains.
“All in all, we can say the second half of the overseas season has been good. It is expected that Spain will arrive on the market two weeks later than last year, so for now there’ll be plenty of room for melons from Central America,” Frank concludes. According to the importer, the most important shifts in the melon range are that watermelons have become mostly seedless, and sales of miniature watermelons have taken off.
Levarht sells the melons throughout Europe, under the Sweet Kiss brand. All Costa Rican melons are own production of subsidiary Rica Fruta. As of this year, these melons are Rainforest Alliance certified.