Combining the flavor and brix of a Charentais melon with the shelf life of a canteloupe, Timco Worldwide's CantaBella melons have made an impact in a trial season with retailers in 2012. At www.freshfruitportal.com we catch up with produce manager Jamie Vosejpka who talks about the variety's origins and the significance it could have in years to come.

Vosejpka says the response to the CantaBella trial has been fantastic this year, with the internal office receiving around 10 calls a week from consumers asking how they could get a hold of the fruit.

Jamie Vosejpka and a CantaBella melon

"What started out as two melons in a greenhouse has turned into a commercial trial in 2012 and 2013," he says.

"We're looking at rolling this out in October, 2013. Some of the feedback we’re getting from our retail partners is that this melon would be great for October through May, as it doesn’t compete with that summertime local canteloupe deal.

"But that doesn't mean we can't eat it year-round."

The company is currently growing the variety throughout the U.S. and in Mexico, in Sonora and Sinaloa in the north as well as in the country's south in El Rosario.

Vosejpka says the most interesting part about the CantaBella is its natural ripeness indicator, which is a yellow halo on top of the fruit.

"When we see the yellow halo, it’s anything between 15 to as high as 18 brix, so what we’re trying to accomplish with this melon is to give the consumer a fantastic eating experience every single time in the canteloupe category.

"We’re going for a little bit more smooth skin too. We are seeing a little bit of sugar netting that is popping, and that just means it’s a very high sugar type of fruit."

Timco Worldwide is a wholly owned subsidiary of C.H. Robinson.

www.freshfruitportal.com