Melon Gladial Famosa is the result of a fruitful collaborative partnership

Melon experience

Have you ever thought of combining melon with beer? In a live online event on 5 May, Brazilian chef Letícia Massula and beer sommelier Karin Moraes showed that the two ingredients go surprisingly well together. In three other online events, experts demonstrated that the yellow Gladial Famosa melon is extremely healthy, works well with the Brazilian herb mix called ‘Jiquitaia’ and is ideal for the barbecue. Besides these events, the promotional activities included a Veggie Box for food influencers and a Melon Box for retailers so that customers were able to experience the versatility of Gladial Famosa offline as well as online.

Aiming for year-round supply for customers

The new melon supports Agrícola Famosa’s ambitions. The company is Brazil’s largest producer of melons and watermelons, with over 30,000 hectares of land in the north east of the country. In the peak harvest period, it employs close to 9,000 people. The company grows various types, including Yellow, Piel de Sapo, Cantaloupe, Galia, all Rijk Zwaan melon types, and Dino and Meluna melons. Some melons are produced for the domestic market in Brazil, but the first priority is export to European retailers. The aim is to be able to supply high-quality melons all year round, which is why the company now collaborates with producers in the São Francisco Valley, which is situated around 500 kilometres to the south.

In partnership with growers in the São Francisco Valley

Raffaello Porro, Head of Marketing at Agrícola Famosa, explains the approach: “Two Rijk Zwaan sales teams – one based in Mossoró in the north east and the other based in the São Francisco Valley in the south – came up with this ambitious plan for a new melon production strategy. Their idea was to partner with third-party growers in the south. Together with Rijk Zwaan, we selected the best growers in the São Francisco Valley region. They now produce melons for us with their own resources in line with the agreed fruit quality standards and price conditions. As Agrícola Famosa, we contribute by sharing best practices for growing melons, and we take care of the marketing and sales activities.” The chosen variety was Gladial RZ, a productive yellow melon variety with strong plants and uniform sweet and aromatic fruits.

The best of both companies

In addition to technical support, Agrícola Famosa has also received marketing support from Rijk Zwaan. The new brand name ‘Gladial Famosa’ is a direct reference to both the variety and the melon producer. Raffaello Porro: “The name combines the best of both Rijk Zwaan and Agrícola Famosa. We developed an introduction action plan together with Rijk Zwaan’s chain managers. Initially, our plan was to launch the product concept at a live event for the top 20 Brazilian retailers, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic we decided to focus on online events instead. The feedback has been very positive. We are in no doubt that Gladial Famosa will be a success. The brand is a good fit with our ambition to produce fruit for a better future, which is another thing that we have in common with Rijk Zwaan.”

Stronger Together

Rijk Zwaan is committed to supporting growers and partners in their efforts to produce, distribute and/or process fruit and vegetables. Based on the very latest market insights, we aim to help the vegetable food chain to adapt to the ‘new economy’ by providing customised, relevant and applicable advise and solutions. Do you want to know more? Please have a look at this press release that elaborates on future challenges and opportunities for the fresh supply chain.