In the northern Italian province of Mantua, the season for the net melon marketed under the Antonio Francescon brand has relaunched.
"We are finally ready again to market a melon that is grown according
to the tradition of our grandfather. The melon is grown in the best soils. We know the land and its characteristics very well, because we have been growing the melons here for over 50 years," said president Bruno Francescon.
"The market has been waiting for a long time for a net melon of high quality and with a guarantee of excellent taste. Thanks to good cultivation management and low rainfall, the quality of the first melons harvested in the province of Mantua is exceptional," continues sales manager Alessio Orlandi.
Within the traditional cultivation methods, there is also room for innovation, as a non-invasive technique with infrared light is used to measure the Brix value of each melon. Only the fruit with a value higher than 14 is eligible to be marketed under the premium brand. On a 4-track sorting line, the company can read up to 8 melons per second.
"Technological innovation is thus able to do what Antonio Francescon did manually every day. Innovation, by the way, also takes place in the variety field. Only the best varieties are sold under the premium brand."
"According to market analyses, consumers are looking for a traditional, high-quality net melon whose every piece of fruit is a guarantee of quality. This is why we created the Antonio Francescon project, with each melon numbered just like a bottle of quality wine. The fruit is also sold per item with a special EAN barcode, so that maximum control is possible even at the point of sale," concluded Orlandi.
For more information:
Mantuafruit 
Via Retenago 13
46040 Rodigo (MN)
+39 0376-650727
alessio.orlandi@mantuafruit.it
www.mantuafruit.it
www.antoniofrancescon.it