Westside Produce and Classic Fruit Strategize for Melon Day; Garrett Patricio, Paul Raggio, Tom Ferguson, and Mark George Comment
FIREBAUGH, CA - Looking for a quick, easy way to boost sales in the produce department this week? Sunday, August 13, is Melon Day, and a great way to celebrate is by displaying Westside Produce and Classic Fruit’s high-quality varieties.
“August is the perfect time to celebrate melons because they can be found in abundance across the globe,” stated Garrett Patricio, President of Westside Produce. “In California, the hot, dry days bring on fantastic color and Brix, while the cooler, velvet nights allow the plant to rest.”
Westside Produce and Classic Fruit announced their strategic partnership in March, formalizing the alliance to provide customers with melons year-round, a release explained. Due to California’s climate, the duo is able to provide its retail, foodservice, and fresh-cut customers with flavorful melons all season.
So far, the two grower, packer, and shippers have achieved their goal of offering a one-stop shop for year-round supplies of great-tasting and safe melons, with more to come.
“Future objectives of Westside Produce and Classic Fruit together as an alliance include listening to our customers for ways to improve, so we can continue providing optimum melon quality, consistency, food safety, and service every week, each year,” commented Paul Raggio, President of Classic Fruit.
Melon Day provides a benchmark for summer production, which has been bountiful.
“Melons are enjoyed year-round for their nutritional value, but are most enjoyed during the summer as a refreshing way to beat the heat,” said Tom Ferguson, Sales, Classic Fruit. “As we continue with the summer harvest, which is producing incredible yields, we have continued to strengthen our programs as an alliance to provide our customers with top-quality melons during the best time to enjoy them.”
With melons being a quintessential summer fruit, now is the perfect time for retailers and operators to take advantage of the merchandising window and boost category basket share.
“Our summer harvest also signifies an important aspect of the industry,” added Westside Produce’s Mark George. “Many of us grew up with memories of eating cantaloupe and honeydew during the summertime, so it is vital to our program that we emphasize to customers what this time of year represents for the melon business.”
To see what else Westside Produce and Classic Fruit had to say, click here.
Happy Melon Day in advance!
