For this reason, the Argentinian company Sud Fruit SRL plans to start exporting to Spain and other countries in Europe. Claudio Fili explains that "we are letting ourselves be advised by the experience of some Spanish producers, who are pioneers in the melon sector. That's why our first containers are going to be shipped to this country. We have experience in the export of fresh grapes and citrus fruits, but not in the melon sector, that is why we are counting on the advice of these Spanish producers, who are helping us launch this new line of business."
Also, melons need very short shipping times, so Europe, and especially Spain, are the perfect destinations to start with. Fili says that "despite the fact that most of our production is intended for the domestic market, we aim to start exporting about 10 containers; a figure that would gradually increase every year. We don't want to start exporting large volumes until we have gained some experience in this sector and customers know us better. We also want to diversify the harvests, so that we can supply melons when the number of Brazilian shipments starts to fall, allowing us to become more competitive internationally."
This Argentinian town, located in the province of San Juan, produces very juicy melon varieties, mostly thanks to the good climate, soil and water conditions in the area. They even have a PGI certification that guarantees that the melons of Sarmiento meet all required quality standards and are harvested at the right time.
"We grow very juicy melons, specifically varieties like the Sandew and Rocío de Miel. The latter is similar to the honeydew of Valencia, in Spain. These varieties are intended for the domestic market, since their skin is quite thin and unlikely to resist the transit time to destination. "Our intention is to cultivate Piel de Sapo, Galia and Cantaloupe melons, which aside from being the most consumed at destination, can easily handle the 15 to 18 days of transit time to the Old Continent," says Fili.
More information:
Claudio Fili
Argentina Sud Fruit SRL
Argentina
E: Sudfrut1@gmail.com
T: 549 264 5135251