Domestic melon shipper Westside Produce supplies cantaloupes and honeydews all year, President of the company Garrett Patricio said to Freshfruitportal.com.

Thanks to the company's partnership with Classic Fruit, from November to mid-May, cantaloupes, honeydews, and watermelons come from Guatemala—before California’s season begins.

Most of the company’s melons are grown in California’s San Joaquin Valley and the deserts of Yuma, Arizona, and Southern California.

"We'll start our first harvest typically in the southern desert areas, either in Southern California or Yuma, Arizona, in about six or eight weeks," Patricio explained. "Then, we move into the Central Valley of California around the 1st of July, and we'll be here until the middle of October, then we go back to Arizona for October and November."

With California’s season approaching, Westside Produce is preparing to harvest its product after a year of stable weather, which Patricio said will lead to higher yields. Last year's crop, on the other hand, matured faster due to extreme heat.

President of Westside Produce Garrett Patricio. Photo courtesy of Westside Produce

"Last year was fine, we had a lot of erratic weather, particularly in California and you know, extreme heat and then cooling off periods and then heat again, then cooling off periods," Patricio explained. "Overall, last year we had a very successful year, but it was dominated, in my opinion, by low yields." 

Patricio added that he expects yields to be above average this year based on weather conditions so far—around 900 cartons per acre for cantaloupes and 1,200 to 1,300 cartons per acre for honeydews, which are typical numbers for Westside Produce.

Last year, the company averaged about 850 cartons per acre for cantaloupes and between 1,100 and 1,200 cartons per acre for honeydews.

He clarified that he’s not ready to make firm projections just yet. "It's hard to say because the crop grows in a relatively short cycle, it's really a 75 to 90-day crop, so when you only have three months of growing time, it's really the weather in between those three months that we should keep an eye out for."

He added that the melon industry is relatively static, particularly in the western cantaloupe-growing regions of California and Arizona.

"20 years ago, we had 25 or 30 handlers in California; we're down about 10," he explained. " Some people have gotten larger, some smaller, others have gone out of business or grown other crops, the big thing in California has been the tree nuts industry over the last 20, 25 years, and as those acres have been eaten up by permanent plantings, you tend to see fewer row crops grow."

Melons meet all those characteristics—they’re a row crop with a short cycle and require a wide supply of water, which is not always consistent in the state.

As for pricing this season, Patricio said most customers are asking for similar or lower prices than last year, but cautioned: “Just because the average price to the consumer on all goods has increased significantly in the last few years, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll translate to farm gate value or back to the grower dollars.”

That’s because the farmer doesn’t set the price, and in the melon industry, there’s not much retail movement on pricing — even in the case of surplus.

The organization often has contracts three or four months in advance of planting, meaning they commit to a price based on expected yield, maturity, sizing, and other factors that can impact day-to-day movement.

"Our end goal is making sure that we're partners with our customers and we offer them our best available price, and the growing, the picking and packing, the cooling, the rate, and movement of product, the marketing, all of those pieces play a role," he explained. "And unfortunately, melons are typically a commodity with a low margin, so you have to be very good on your costing mechanisms."

Photo courtesy of Westside Produce

Tariffs

When asked (prior to tariffs being paused for 90 days on April 9) how tariffs would affect the Guatemala season and supply, Patricio said the effect would be "significant." 

"It was an unexpected cost that suddenly hit us. Although they came, fortunately, later in our season, we probably have only about a fifth of the season remaining," he explained. "we only have a month or two remaining, but it will be impactful, you suddenly add a 10% tariff onto contracts that were set nine or 10 months ago." 

He said he’s not necessarily opposed to tariffs because they can work in certain situations but doesn’t believe they’re effective for seasonal produce, since the U.S. must import some items during times when domestic growing isn’t possible—melons, for example, can’t be grown in the U.S. during winter.

"The one thing we know is that the administration is committed to tariffs and we will do our best to navigate it and hopefully it doesn't impact any produce shippers to a significant degree, But if I were a betting man, I'd probably say there will be residual impact across all industries of the fresh produce sector," he adds. 

One thing he's worried about is the quality of the product and how that might be affected by tariffs. 

"I think one of the things that will get lost in the tariff situation is, as people are potentially impacted by higher pricing, purchasing the product, or bringing the product in, there may be opportunities for buyers to find cheaper alternatives," he explained. "And if they find cheaper alternatives, they're really sacrificing food safety, so I would caution anybody reading this that, you know, just because a product is cheaper, it doesn't necessarily mean it's safer."

He adds that Westside Produce has always emphasized the importance of food safety and that will remain a top priority even as costs rise. 

Yesterday, a week after announcing reciprocal tariffs to its trading partners on a 10% basis, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause and a substantial lowering of tariffs immediately. The president said his decision was based on the involved countries coming to the negotiating table to reach agreements.