Italian producer Francescon has extended its melon season to sell fruit from April through to October.
Thanks to the development of some new varieties and an arrangement with producers in Sicily, the company is now able to offer larger volumes of cantaloupe and Galia, according to the company's export executive, Margherita Avigni, pictured.
Italy's season is traditionally fairly short, running from June to September.
The Galia preferred by the UK market is produced at the company's main site in Lombardy, in north Italy.
But the warmer Sicilian climate is ideal for earlier varieties of Cantaloupe which precede the Northern season.
The company now operates 350 hectares, producing some 10,500 tonnes of which 1,500t is exported.
The family-orientated company has been exporting large volumes of galia, and some cantaloupe to the UK for the past three years, and is hoping to develop stronger relationships within this market as well as the rest of Europe.
Avigni said: “The company is BRC certified and last year acquired Tesco's Nature's Choice standard.” She said unity and specialisation are the secrets to Francescon's success.
“The company is highly specialised in producing melons. It is the largest non-co-operative company in Italy and its strength comes from the unity between its family members.”
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