"The melon campaign at Cooperativa Sole has started around ten days ago. Quality is good and the Brix level is very high. Melons are the second leading product for the cooperative right after strawberries. This year, we had planned a production of 6000 tons but, due to the adverse weather, we are expecting production to drop by 20%," explains Pietro Ciardiello from Coop Sole.
"The campaign started with netted melon cultivars Gaudio, Django and 5448. As for the organic produce, we kicked off with the Kabajon charentais cultivar. The melon campaign is rather long, as it should end around August 10th. The market has been rather slow so far, so we are hoping that the weather will improve to push demand."
"We supply the Italian retail chain and 30% of the produce goes to the Northern-European retail chain, which requires smaller fruits. Last week, prices hovered around €1.10/kg for melons from integrated crops and €1.50-2.00/kg for organic melons. This week, we are expecting prices to increase by 30%, as demand is increasing."
"We would like to stabilize our production at 6000 tons. We also want to prolong the production period and improve the quality of our melons and we would like to specialize in organic productions. Demand for organic melons as been rather low in absolute terms but I believe they have good prospects for the future."
"We are testing new cultivars suitable to our territory and to our needs. Our melons must be nice to eat, ethical, with a strong aroma and sustainable. In addition, we would like for their flavor to remain the same throughout the production period, so as to retain customers."
"The right roostock is also essential and we are looking for new ones that guarantee improved health, vigor and flavor."
Contacts
Cooperativa Sole
Via Prov.le Parete - Tre Ponti
Parete (CE)
Tel.: (+39) 081 5036887
Fax: (+39) 081 5035111
Email: info@coopsole.it
Website: www.coopsole.it