The New York Times reports on a new breed of mini-watermelon that is the size of a cantaloupe and now is available in 30 states. The introduction of the "seedless, five pounds, and perfectly spherical" melon - one of two such melons expected to be competing for consumers' attention - "is one of the latest efforts by food scientists to satisfy consumers who increasingly favor ready-to-go meals and less troublesome food preparation."
And it wasn't created using biotechnology, but rather the same cross-breeding processes "that over the last decade have brought orange bell peppers, golden raspberries and broccolini, a cross between Chinese kale and broccoli, to the world's produce bins."
So far, the smaller melons seems to be selling for more than conventional watermelons, and retailers told the NYT that they couldn't keep them in stock.
And it wasn't created using biotechnology, but rather the same cross-breeding processes "that over the last decade have brought orange bell peppers, golden raspberries and broccolini, a cross between Chinese kale and broccoli, to the world's produce bins."
So far, the smaller melons seems to be selling for more than conventional watermelons, and retailers told the NYT that they couldn't keep them in stock.
- KC's View:
-
Further proof that if you offer consumers something interesting and new, they'll respond.
A lesson that too many retailers and manufacturers don't seem to get.
