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we are the exclusive grower of the origami variety. The flavor, aroma and eating quality bring you back to what cantaloupe used to be.”
Legend signed an exclusive contract to offer this variety developed by Harris Moran Seed Company, Modesto, CA, seven years ago, steadily increased production the next few years, and ships thousands of acres of Origami cantaloupe in California and Arizona from May to mid September.
‘This cantaloupe has proven to increase sales,” says Zwillinger. “The eating quality of cantaloupe is not what it was 20 years ago. We go to major retailers and club stores, and Origami has led to 20, to 30 to 100 percent
Origami melon has been a boon for retailers, who are seeing as much as 100-percent increases in sales, according to Barry Zwillinger, owner of Legend Produce.
increases in sales of cantaloupe sales at retail.” Most shippers maintain the flexibility to respond to retailer preferences in the type of
cantaloupe they want.
“Our cantaloupe program is based on our customer mix — certain customers prefer a longer shelf life type, while others stay with the traditional Western type; we produce both based on our customers’ preferences,” says Stephen Martori, chief executive of Martori Farms, Scottsdale, AZ. “We intro- duce new varieties every year that we think make incremental improvements on the traits our customers are demanding.”
Not all stores want the same things when it comes to cantaloupe varieties, and suppliers generally try to satisfy different priorities.
“Some retailers have hung on to tradi- tional aromatic Western types; others don’t know the difference between long shelf life
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