Supplies of melons are coming along steadily from various parts of North America.
Honeydew and cantaloupe: These melons are shipping out of California mostly with additional supplies from Arizona but also Mexico. “The quality and the flavor have been right on the money,” says Stefanie Katzman, executive vice-president, S. Katzman Produce.
There was a slight gap this season between the end of May and early June given offshore supply finished up early and domestic production started late. “There were about two to three weeks where we were a bit short but not completely scarce. Once things picked up, we’ve had a pretty steady supply and are expecting good supply throughout the season,” says Katzman.
Demand for these melons is similar to last year and supply is a bit better. “Melons are a unique item that a lot of people like. It’s a good cut-fruit item and fruit salads in those mixed containers have become more and more popular over the years so the popularity of melons has increased too,” says Katzman.
Stefanie Katzman says demand for specialty melons, which often feature higher Brix and unique rinds, is growing.
Watermelons: While the summer watermelon season got off to a bit of a rough start, supply and quality have improved and are expected to continue through the end of the summer season.
“At the start, there were heavy rains in Florida which resulted in damaged crops, so the region finished up early,” says Katzman. Meanwhile, Georgia also got off to a bad start with heavy rains which resulted in flooding and crop disease and that in turn created a gap in production between Florida and Georgia. “Quality has improved now out of Georgia and we expect to see North Carolina start up in early July. Then we will continue up the coast to Maryland and then Delaware to round out the season through early September,” says Katzman.
Specialty melons: These melons, including varieties such as Galia and Dino, are also steady in supply.
Meanwhile demand for these types of melons, which often feature higher Brix and unique rinds, is growing. “They’re sometimes a bit pricier. It’s a challenging item but it’s very well-liked,” says Katzman. “We’ve had more and more customers call and ask about them and I’m interested in seeing how that category plays out over the next couple of years.”
In general, pricing is a little bit less on honeydew and cantaloupes compared to last year because of those stronger supplies. Watermelon pricing will be similar to last year as long as the weather allows it. Normally after July 4th, pricing comes down a bit as supply increases. However, with the weather issues in Georgia earlier in the month, growers aren’t committing to any price drops just yet as they wait to see what happens with the weather. “We may continue to see this pattern throughout the season, as product works its way up the East Coast,” says Katzman.
However next month, freight rates may determine how pricing develops. “Melons are a heavy commodity and you can’t fit as many on the truck and a lot of times the freight rates are almost more than the cost of the product that gets paid back to the farmer,” says Katzman, adding that in the summer, melons also compete with many other lighter West Coast commodities such as berries and stone fruit. “Pricing this summer on melons may be a little less but I don’t know if freight and inflation will make it seem the same.”
For more information:
Brittany Pearson
S. Katzman Produce
Tel: +1 (718) 991-4700 ext. 332
[email protected]
https://www.katzmanproduce.com
