Brazil Melon Line Raises Conversation Awareness
As the weather cools and the leaves change color, we have the opportunity of enjoying one of Fall’s best seasons: Brazilian melons. There’s nothing quite like biting into the fresh vibrant flavors of Agrícola Famosa’s melons to add life and vibrancy to what is becoming a dreary time of year.
Agrícola Famosa is the largest grower and exporter of melons in Brazil. They grow on more than 74,000 acres and employ more than 8,000 people across their farms and facilities. Most of their melons are consumed in Brazil or bound for Europe, but we are lucky to partner with Famosa to offer them in the US market.
All of Famosa’s melons are Global G.A.P and Rainforest Alliance Certified. Each of their melons are also a part of the Forest Friend collection, a program that aims to drive awareness of Brazil’s ecosystem and support conversation efforts. Below, we breakdown more about the initiative and the melons behind each animal.
Arara Melon
The blue macaw, also known as the arara azul, represents the arara melon. This bird was chosen to celebrate the uniqueness of both the animal and the melon. In fact, the arara melon received its namesake in honor of the bird. Blue macaws are becoming rare and are considered an endangered species due to habitat loss and illegal pet trading.
Arara melons are a variegated variety of honeydew that’s prized for its super sweet flavor and unique appearance. It’s a small to medium-sized melon that features ivory-colored skin with green striations. It was developed in Japan and Korea, but is now grown all over the world, although commercial production remains limited.
Canary Melon
The golden lion tamarin was chosen to represent the canary melon. The monkey is a beloved part of Brazil’s forests with bright golden fur, just like the skin of the melon. Deforestation is causing golden lion tamarins to be endangered, but populations are slowly being introduced into protected areas.
Canary melons, also known as yellow honeydew, are famously known for their bright yellow skin. While this melon still has a super sweet flavor, its profile is milder compared to the other varieties. This variety is believed to have originated in Europe, but is widely popular in Asian cuisine.
Piel de Sapo Melon
Toad skin melons, AKA piel de sapo or santa claus melons, are represented by red eared sliders. This Amazon River turtle is facing threats from multiple angles. Pollution is affecting its habitat in both Brazil’s wetlands and rivers, along with habitat destruction.
Piel de sapo melons are very sweet with some tang. These melons have a strong scent, unlike the other melons. They are a great keeping melon and are often celebrated for their storage ability.
Mini Watermelons
The pink river dolphin, also known as a red dolphin or boto cor de rosa, represents mini watermelon in the Forest Friends collection. The melons flesh matches with the dolphin’s unique color. This animal is also endangered and is facing pollution, habitat loss, and threats from fishing.
Mini watermelons are a perfect cool weather melon when consumers are looking for a family-sized fruit rather than centerpiece displays, like in the summer. Mini watermelons are dense, sweet, and flavorful, with the added bonus of being seedless.
A Visit from the Forest Friends
At the start of Brazilian melon season, we had the opportunity to meet some of these furry friends. The two friends who visited were the mascots for the arara and canary melons. This visit brought a lot of joy and excitement as we marked the start of the season.
While these mascots have made melon season fun and exciting here at JVI, there is a real-life issue at hand. These mascots highlight only some endangered animals, and through being these mascots, we hope these issues can be brought to more light.
Visit the forest friend website to see how you can support the initiative and these endangered species: https://www.forestfriendscollection.com/
