Melon consumption, more so than many other fruits, is inextricably linked to weather. Poor climate equates to lacklustre demand, but a scorching, blissful summer will bring out legions of consumers eager to gorge on Galia, Honeydew, watermelons and Canteloupe.
“Seasonal changes in melons are very dramatic,” confirms Faustine Borie of TNS. “In 2003, demand in summer was approximately 200 per cent higher. However, this seasonal gap decreased to 140 per cent in 2004 and this year, although it’s still early, has only seen a 33 per cent rise at present. This could well be caused by a poor summer to date.”
TNS notes that Galia shows the greatest seasonal variation. Consumption increases a substantial 300-400 per cent each summer and in volume terms the change is even more dramatic.
Yellow Honeydew shows the next greatest variation. However, in actual terms this change is much greater since this variety accounts for a larger proportion of the total melon market.
Trailing behind are Cantaloupes, which have the smallest share of spend over the June to September period. “Where Galia enjoys between 18-20 per cent expenditure over those summer months, Cantaloupe has been between 10-13 per cent in the same period over the last three years,” TNS reports.
Spain is a key supplier of melons to the UK and very few articles can be written about Spanish fresh produce this year without mentioning the havoc Mother Nature has caused this season. However, it appears that she was kinder to melons compared to other categories.
There is already been some good news and earlier this year, the confederation of Spanish co-ops, CCAE, estimated that farm-gate prices for watermelons should rise by about 10 per cent. Crop volumes are forecast at 600,000 tonnes, a 10 per cent downturn on last season.
Normally, the Spanish melon season kicks off in Almería at the beginning of May and switches to Murcia where the season winds down in late September.
Due to harsh winter weather, Coexphal, the Almerían trade association, estimated volumes could fall five per cent this season.
However, according to Foods from Spain, poor weather failed to dent production. It claims that volumes increased some 10 per cent during the September 2004 - May 2005 period, compared to the same timeframe last year.
That is not to say it was business as usual. “The most obvious effect was that the campaign started a little bit later than other years; for example, in April, there was less than 40 per cent of the volumes available compared to April 2004,” says Maria José Sevilla, director of Foods from Spain.
However, she notes that earlier in the year, many growers were forced to replant seedlings following the harsh frost. As melon plantings began to mature at the same time, this resulted in a 25 per cent increase in available volumes during May.
“Though this did not affect prices as much as could be expected at first, towards the end of May, prices dropped to extremely low levels,” Sevilla reveals.
Whatever the challenges, growers are counting their blessings that they still had sizeable volumes for export. The UK is a significant market for Almerían melons, accounting for more than 10 per cent of volumes.
UK importer Janic handles melons from a wide range of sources including Morocco, Spain, Brazil and Costa Rica. In mid-June, Janic’s Jez Spikings reported that Murcia was in full production and melon demand was relatively strong.
Large volumes of Honeydew and Galia were available in mid-June and more Canteloupe melons were due to come on line a week later.
While Spain toiled with climatic anomalies during the winter and spring months, Murcian melons were unaffected, Spikings says: “Rather than plant the seedlings in the ground, they were left in the seed houses and so continued to grow.”
Francisco Tello of Fesa UK notes that high temperatures in Spain during May and June brought the Murcian season forward by eight to 10 days.
“According to some growers, about 50 per cent of the Murcian crop has already been harvested and if the hot weather continues, the season could wind down a little earlier,” Tello said in late June, adding that there could be a small gap between Spanish and Brazilian product this year.
Furthermore, Tello says that some melon plants are weaker due to a lack of rain. “Usually the plants produce two to three lots of fruits but this year, it’s only likely to be one to two,” he says.
However, importers have reported good quality fruit and so long as good weather holds up, both Tello and Spikings are optimistic about future consumption and prices.
Indeed, forecasts of another scorching August in western and northern Europe should boost demand. This is a welcome relief from last year, when lacklustre consumption was blamed on cool temperatures and wet weather.
Once the Spanish season winds down, Janic will focus on Brazilian melons which are normally available from the end of August.
Meanwhile, the Moroccan melon deal is becoming larger each year and Spikings reports very good quality Galia melons coming out of the country this season. Morocco enjoys a window of opportunity before Spain, however, the job is hampered by duty levels which come into effect in early June.
While the Brazilian melon season is still a few weeks away, importers are hoping for a better deal compared to 2004/5. Last season, growers battled against leaf minor, resulting in lower output. In addition, producers and exporters were stung by higher shipping rates and a stronger Brazilian currency effectively meant that costs were higher but net returns much lower.
However, Nolem, the leading Brazilian melon producer is looking towards the future and believes that despite some challenges, it will be a good 2005/06 season. “With regards to quality, we are very optimistic for the coming season as conditions are very good and we are prepared with a very good structure,” says Marcelo Gadelha, Nolem’s export director.
Nolem is keen to expand its shipments to the UK. The Port of Sheerness handles its melons and, for the upcoming season, the firm expects to increase volumes by 15 per cent.
“The UK market is very demanding but we are committed to providing consumers with the highest quality of fruit,” Gadelha says. “We offer a solid guarantee of quality, generating more satisfaction for the consumer.”
Europe represents Nolem’s main export market and during 2004/05, the company exported 6m cartons of melons. It is aiming to ship more than 7m cartons in 2005/06. Like other leading Brazilian producers, exports are key to the company’s operations and in Nolem’s case, 70 per cent of its production is devoted to exports.
Nolem claims to be responsible for approximately 40 per cent of Brazilian melon exports and the company produces a vast range of varieties. These include the Mickey-Lee and seedless watermelons, as well as yellow and white Honeydew, Piel de Sapo, Cantaline, Galia, Cantaloupe and Charentais. Yellow Honeydew, Galia, Cantaloupe and watermelons are among the most popular in the UK.
Nolem is keen to develop its operations further and works with universities, research institutes, agricultural companies and seed suppliers.
The company also maintains its own research centre with a laboratory and packing house. In addition, it devotes 700m2 of this facility to research and development. “Together, we are developing the largest network of melon research in Brazil,” Gadelha claims.
Last year, Nolem achieved EurepGAP accreditation and is working towards BRC and HACCP certification. As well as ploughing funds into its infrastructure and production processes, investments have also been made in its post-harvest facilities, with strong emphasis on cold storage, packhouses and pre-cooling tunnels. The firm also runs training programmes for field and packhouse workers.
HONDURAS HOSTS MELON CONGRESS
The Melon and Watermelon Growers & Exporters Congress will take place in San Pedro Sula, Honduras from August 3-6.
The congress is hoping to attract a worldwide audience and will gather Latin America’s leading melon growers as well as importers from Canada, the US and Europe.
Other sectors expected to participate include chemical and technology firms, seed companies, shipping lines and agricultural financing firms.
“This will be an international show where the Latin American melon industry will be exchanging ideas to make this event a fruitful one,” says Mauro Suazo, president of the Association of Melon Exporters of Honduras (APROEXMEH) who will oversee the congress.
Meanwhile, Honduran melon shippers are already preparing for the 2005/06 season and are hoping to dazzle the UK market in December.
According to Suazo, head of Suazo Agro Services, the country’s melon industry is bouncing back and not only are shipments expected to increase to the traditional markets such as the US and Canada but also to Europe and the UK.
Suazo Agro Services is looking to ship Yellow Honeydew and seedless watermelons to the UK later this year from its associated farms.
Suazo cites Brazil as the main competition for Honduras during the early part of the deal (December-February). Costa Rica is another rival.
“Our main hurdle is that Honduran freight rates to the UK and Europe are higher than those of Brazil and Costa Rica,” Suazo explains. “Our real advantage though, is that our quality is far superior and we count on our clientele’s loyalty to sell our fruit at competitive prices.”
AGREXCO AWAITS MELON ARRIVALS
The end of August heralds the start of the Israeli melon season for Agrexco. As the largest producer and exporter of Israeli melons, the company is in no doubt that the quality of the new season’s Galia variety will satisfy its customers and the UK consumer.
Autumn open-field production volumes are expected to hit 10,000 tonnes and the spring 2006 greenhouse crop will be in the region of 3,000-4,000t. The greenhouse fruit comes from trellised plants, which makes the blooms more accessible for pollination, as well as producing a cleaner fruit, says Agrexco.
Amos Orr, general manager, Agrexco UK, says: “Our melon business increases year on year, and we feel confident that we will have the season well covered and will be able to offer a consistent supply to our customers.
“The genuine Galia melon is grown only in Israel - we have almost a hundred dedicated growers who have heavily invested in improving their post-harvest technologies, thereby resulting in increased volumes of Carmel branded melons,” adds Orr. “In conjunction with this, we have started to grow in different regions this year which should enable us to cover the Christmas and New Year trade. Our main variety is Trooper - its characteristics being a stable, high sugar level, a small seed cavity and a longer shelf life.”
Another melon variety available from Agrexco is the red fleshed Charentais, identified as the A2. “As with Galia, we have an autumn production between November and December, and a spring production from March to May. Our post harvesting procedures ensures that all fruit is brought to the market in optimum condition - perfect softness and a high sugar level.”
CATERFRESH FORECASTS CATERING GROWTH
Melons may not be one of Redbridge Caterfresh’s main lines but the category is showing signs of growth, according to commercial director, David Burns.
Redbridge Caterfresh, which is the foodservice division of the Redbridge Group, imports melons from a vast range of sources including South America, South Africa, Israel, France and Spain, in addition to watermelons from Greece and Italy.
For the past two years, Redbridge Caterfresh has worked with Geest and one of its key clients Whitbread to bring exotic fruit mixes into the UK. Fruit is prepared and packed in South Africa and is then airfreighted daily to Heathrow and distributed throughout the UK.
“Generally, we’re offering more exciting exotic mixes which often include melons, guava, mango and passion fruit,” Burns says. “As we pack at source, we can get up to 10-12 days shelf life and even with the higher airfreight costs, it’s still competitive.”
Redbridge Caterfresh is hoping to emulate this success with other fresh fruit operations across the globe. It is currently in talks with a Californian company to import exotic fruit lines from South America in the near future.
“There’s the potential to use more varieties,” Burns reveals, adding that the Brazilian Cataline variety is already enjoying success in the UK, alongside the traditional Honeydew and Galia varieties. Peru is another important source.
As well as prepared fruit mixes, there is demand for melon slices and balls, particularly among the restaurant and hotel chains. “We find that the bright orange varieties mixed with the paler yellow Galia’s is very popular,” Burns says.
Ready prepared melon lines offer a host of benefits. “Previously, the catering sector brought in raw materials and all the preparation and packaging was done in the UK. This meant expensive labour and machinery costs,” Burns explains.
“However, when preparing fruit mixes at source, this means good shelf life, low labour costs, continuity of cuts and more convenience.”
Burns notes that if melons are going to gain further ground in the food service sector, it is vital that they are prepared in a consistent environment, without too many labour and handling costs.
Redbridge Caterfresh supplies a number of high profile companies including the Marriott hotel chain and Mitchells & Butlers, the UK’s leading operator of managed pubs, bars and restaurants.
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