"Households are becoming smaller and people want convenience. We offer melon varieties in every segment and already have smaller varieties available in the Piel de Sapo segment. The melon consumption per country varies considerably. The consumption of Piel de Sapo melons is very high in Spain, but remains far behind in Northern Europe. More marketing efforts are needed there," says Hans. In recent years Bayer has introduce a threefold of concepts in melons and watermelons."
Bayer is one of the five largest players in global melon breeding. We are mainly strongly represented in melon breeding for the European season, but we also have an important Galia variety for South America," says Hans Driessen, Produce Chain Specialist for the Dutch, German and Belgian market. Besides the basic conditions such as shelf life, flavour and resistance, there has been more attention for a smaller size of melon in recent years.
The Galkia-concept: less loss.
GalKia
In the GalKia concept the breeding company has accommodated Galia varieties that go yellow once fully ripe. "With the standard varieties it is hard to tell in the field whether the Galia melons are ripe. The result is that 40% are harvested unripe. In the end this leads to a disappointment to the consumer who has bought the Galia melon," continues Hans. "We have now found a gene that colours the Galia yellow as soon as it's ripe. This way the grower can supply a flavourful product and the retailer has less loss in their store. We have been carrying this GalKia concept for a few years now, but being able to offer multiple varieties with this characteristic is new, which means that we have the concept available for the entire Spanish season from early to late."
Magenta
A second line of Bayer's melons is the Magenta line for Cantaloupe melons. "We carry various Cantaloupe varieties in this line with a striking bright orange flesh colour. We have it available in Spain, but also for growers in Sicily. We see that this characteristic clearly stimulates the consumption of Cantaloupe melons. The processing industry in particular is very interested in this melon for a striking colour in salad mix. You first eat with your eyes," says Hans.
Magenta: you first eat with your eyes.
Fashion
Last but not least, Bayer has had a collaboration with Grupo AGF with the Fashion watermelons for years. This 'seedless sugarbaby' around 5kg is grown exclusively by Grupo AGF. "This group is a good example of a collective that successfully invests in branding. We want to get the characteristics of this type into smaller sizes of melons and we are working on this every day," concludes Hans.
Fashion: 'seedless sugarbaby'.
From June 28 to July 8 Bayer will show its full melon assortment during the demo days in Murcia. An event is also being organised on June 29, where the above mentioned market developments will be central.
For more information:
Hans Driessen
Bayer
Napoleonsweg 152
6083 AB Nunhem
Tel: +31 475 599 130
hans.driessen@bayer.com
www.bayer.com