Atlas Obscura

What happened to Montreal’s legendary melon?

A century ago, Manhattan residents with a hankering for dessert might flick on their finest frock coat, get a table at a white-tablecloth restaurant, and order a juicy slice of Montreal melon. It didn’t come cheap, though. A slice of the green-fleshed melon sold for a steak’s price of $1, or around $30…

"Nanhui 8424" and "Jinshan Xiaohuangguan" have become the preferred watermelon varieties for consumers

The first thing that Shanghai people must enjoy in the summer is watermelon. In the past, everyone would drive to the base to purchase. This year, due to the pandemic, they…

An exceptional season for the melon of the Italian Mundial Consortium

"The season of our Mundial melon is running smoothly. Prices are high and stable, thanks to the unusual weather for the time of year. Initially this aspect worried us, but in the end the weather proved to be an ally," said Domenico Raneri, president of the Sicilian Consortium of the Mundial melon. Domenico…

Record prices for watermelon and melon in Almeria in mid-May

According to the latest report on protected horticultural products from the Observatory of Prices and Markets of the Government of Andalusia, corresponding to week 19, the…

The Kiwi Connection plans to take South African kiwis places

The Kiwi Connection was established last year, a purely kiwi-focused entity that spans the breadth of the industry, from plant material to marketing.“We believe we’re strong technically and we’re strong in marketing, and that’s what we offer farmers,” says Roelof du Toit, technical manager at The Kiwi…

Uttar Pradesh: Heat wave hits watermelon yield

The heat wave that has struck Uttar Pradesh has affected watermelon growers, as the crop yield has fallen and the weight of fruit is also less. Farmers from Prayagraj,…

Early melons are lacking, leading to skyrocketing prices

The situation is "tragic" when it comes to melons: production is very low and prices are skyrocketing. The early produce is severely lacking in Sicily and volumes are low in Spain as well. The whole of Europe is looking for melons, but they are difficult to find.  "I have never seen anything like it in the…

As the melon campaign in Senegal, and other overseas origins end, Almeria's melon takes over the European markets

The overseas and Senegal's melon campaign is over and Almeria is taking over as the European markets' main source of production and supplier. This was reported by the Price…

Early watermelon imports increasingly popular in Georgia

There has been a rapid growth of Georgian watermelon imports in 2021. Last year, large early imports resulted in low prices for local producers. Over the past 8 years, imports…

“Zespri kiwis still have great potential to grow on the French market”

Three weeks ago, the import company Terragaïa started the campaign of the Zespri SunGold kiwi. The sales of this product have been growing steadily for some years on the French market. “Zespri SunGold kiwis are a ‘true good product’,” explains Gilles Lagache, general director of Terragaïa. “The fruit is…

Moroccan watermelons selling briskly in Sweden

Watermelons from Morocco are in demand and selling briskly in Sweden. Ramadan sales were very good driving strong early demand for watermelons. This is according to Yousef Kachama, owner of Malte Gustavsson Frukt & Bär based in Gothenburg, Sweden. “The quality of watermelons is now good. The sizes have been…

"The sunny weather means we don't have enough melons to meet demand"

"Melon sales of all kinds are going exceptionally well," says Jacob Aktalan of MG Fruit in the Netherlands. "The overseas season has also been very reasonable with relatively high prices and few real slumps. With this brilliant weather, we need both the last overseas and Spanish melons to supply the…

Italian seedless watermelon with a black rind

Dolce Passione is the premium seedless watermelon with a black rind and a red flesh. It was officially presented at Macfrut on May 5th 2022, but market tests were carried out last year.   It is the fruit of team work that has seen Lamboseeds dealing with experiments and advanced research for 7 years, working with producers…

"Large stocks of European kiwifruit have delayed the start of the southern hemisphere kiwifruit campaign in Europe"

The Chilean kiwifruit season started in week 8 with the harvest and export of the first fruits of this new season, in which the sector expects to ship between 150,000 and 155,000 tons. However, the start has been slower than expected and this has been reflected in export statistics. As of week 16,…

"With the rising temperatures, we will start growing kiwis in the 'vegetable garden of Germany' in the future"

Pfalzmarkt eG is staying the course in difficult times, showing that fruit and vegetable production in the Palatinate can be relied on. For several years now, there has been a decline in demand for lettuce, but this product will not disappear completely from German markets, says Pfalzmarkt CEO Hans-Jörg…

"We started the Spanish watermelon campaign with much lower volumes than planned"

The watermelon season has started late in the Spanish province of Almeria, with lower volumes and quality problems caused by the impact of heavy rains and haze. The first Spanish watermelons harvested are arriving to a rather empty market due to the issues with the production in Senegal and the low…

“French consumers are increasingly sensitive to a segmented offer of kiwis”

As the campaign of French green kiwis is about to end, Jean-Baptiste Pinel, director of Primland, is giving an update on the season. “We are selling our last French green Oscar kiwis. This year, the volumes were slightly smaller than last year.” But the market was actually balanced because, despite the…

Rio Grande do Norte harvests 300,000 tons of melons

According to data from Abrafrutas, some 40% of Brazil’s fruit exports come from Rio Grande do Norte. The state is also a leader in melon production, only the 2021/2022 crop…

The new campaign of the Mundial melon has just started

"With a delay of about fifteen days, the melon campaign of the Mundial Group Consortium has started last week. As is known to the operators of the sector, it includes the exclusive use of the variety Red Falcon and not only," said Domenico Raneri, president of the commercial association which includes 8…

Pricing comes down again as watermelon supplies come up

Watermelon supplies are ample again. “After a slow start to spring crops in South Florida and Northern Mexico, the volume is coming online right now in a good way. The crops are healthy and yields are good so there’s been a major change in availability in the last week,” says Mike Martori of Stella Farms…