“Our winter melon program is steady, but smaller than the spring/summer and fall programs,” says Mikee Suarez with MAS Melons & Grapes. “There is movement in the market, but consumption is lower compared to the warmer summer months. Therefore, we plant less,” shared Suarez.
Central America controls East Coast volumes in winter
“In winter, we try to complement the offshore programs of the Eastern Seaboard and Florida as East Coast supply is typically controlled by Central American countries. For the East Coast, it’s cheaper to import from Honduras than from Mexico. Therefore, we focus on the West Coast during winter time.”
From late December until late April, the company grows honeydews and watermelons in Tecomán, in Colima state, Mexico. In addition, smaller volumes are grown in Santiago Ixcuintla in Nayarit.” Starting in May and running through July, melon production shifts up north to Caborca for the spring and summer program. The different climates in the growing regions allow MAS Melons & Grapes to supply melons for 10 months out of the year.
Watermelons are 2nd largest commodity out of Nogales
Honeydew varieties have been pretty consistent although MAS has been marketing the newer Fonzy melon for the past two years. The variety has a naturally high brix level, ranging from 12 to 14. It’s a hybrid of a honeydew and a canary melon. “This variety really picked up steam and is popular during the spring and summer mostly,” mentioned Suarez.
Innovations in the watermelon industry however seem to be more common. “I got invited to a tour at Monsanto’s field trials in Northern California and saw how the company is working on developing a watermelon for the fresh-cut industry,” said Suarez. Watermelons are now the second largest commodity out of Nogales, AZ and because cutting plays such an important role, more time is invested in developing varieties that are suitable for that industry.
For more information:
Mikee Suarez
MAS Melons & Grapes
Tel: 520-377-2372
