“So far, the French melon campaign is going well. The quality is clearly very good,” explains Alain Hohwiller, the new general manager of Soldive. “This year, volumes were low at the beginning of the campaign, but we were still able to supply our clients with regularity. Our stations worked without interruption to pack the harvests from our three production basins.”
“Since the 15th of August, the market has changed with the introduction of other fruits such as pears, grapes and plums. But the expected warmer weather will boost the demand for melons in September and help the season finish on a high note. We offer a quality product and volumes that meet the demand of our clients and consumers with a nice late season. Our fields are full of beautiful melons, waiting to be harvested.” The French melon campaign at Soldive will last until the first week of October.
For mid-November, Soldive will offer its Senegalese production, which will be available until April. “In March, our Moroccan production will arrive, followed in May by the Spanish production. This international deployment allows us to offer merchandise for more than ten months out of twelve.” Most of the Soldive production is sold in France. The company also exports to many European countries, Asia and the Middle East.
Processing plant
Soldive processes part of its French production for clients specialized in frozen products, ice-cream manufacturers, pastry chefs and confectioners. The melon pulp is used to make the famous “Calisson d’Aix”. The processing and deep-freezing plant located in Moncontour has existed for 30 years.
HEV level 3
“Soldive, melon producer since 1963, is 100% integrated and committed to an environmental approach. This year, we obtained the HEV level 3 certification for our entire French production on different sites,” explains Alain. “Soldive already offers conventional, organic and ZPR melon. Attentive to the needs of our clients and consumers, we work with our teams to innovate and offer a wider choice of varieties. In Senegal, Morocco and Spain, we also produce lettuce. But in France, Soldive mostly plants, grows, harvests and markets melon with passion.”
“At the end of this campaign, the sun will accompany us to prolong the pleasure of consuming summer melons in September. Now is the time to eat French melons,” according to Alain, who will accompany Soldive to further develop the company and work on differentiation/segmentation and upgrading the French market.
For more information:
Alain Hohwiller
Soldive
a.hohwiller@soldive.fr
www.soldive-producteur.com