We will soon start harvesting canary yellow melons, which follow netted melons. Sicilia Bedda, a company run by Tommaso Ciaccio and Franco Altamore located in the Belice valley (near Palermo), has been specializing in this crop for years.
"The season usually starts around this time of year and continues well into October. The various heights at which our crops are located make it possible to stagger harvesting operations. Our semi-hilly crops represent in fact our latest productions," explain the two entrepreneurs.
"Except for testing a few new varieties that enable us to keep up with the times, we grow the cultivars we have always used and which are welcome by our commercial clients. These melons have a deep yellow rind that is very wrinkly and highly resistant to human manipulation during the harvesting, processing and logistic phases. The flesh is crunchy, fragrant and very aromatic. The flavor is excellent, as fruits are not harvested if they do not exceed 14° Brix."
Sicilia Bedda grows canary yellow melons on around 150 hectares and supplies them to both domestic and foreign markets in central and northern Europe. The commercialization channels are the wholesale and big retail market. The main destinations are France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, but new ones are added every year.
"Our melons are packaged mainly in elegant 60x40x17,50x30x17 and 30x40x17 cardboard crates. Our main competitor is Spain, which produces large volumes at a lower cost and sells them at a lower price. However, we believe their melons lack in both quality and flavor: a lower price does not necessarily mean a better quotation, as the latter is an expression of the balance between quality and intrinsic value. These standards cannot be linked to mere currency."
"The care and passion we put into our job reflect an agricultural tradition that mainly produces to eat rather than to sell. The first sorting operations occur already in the fields, then the fruit is brushed, graded and packaged in the warehouse."
Although the core business is canary yellow melons, the company also owns 30 ha of watermelons, which is currently in high demand all over Italy due to the high temperatures of the past few weeks. In this case, fruits are placed in carton bins. In addition to having a modern updated website, the company can also be found on Facebook and Instagram.
Contacts:
Az. Agr. Sicilia Bedda SS
di Altamore Franco e Ciaccio Tommaso
Tel.: +39 388 355 2614
Tel.: +39 333 450 6664
Email: siciliabedda@legalmail.it
Website: www.melonisiciliabedda.it