2 California Farmer - May 2006
California News Net
Watermelon
firms partner
to sell juice
By LEN RICHARDSON
Key Points
UNDIA Corp., San Francisco,
has forged a strategic partnership with Borders Melon Co.,
the nation’s top watermelon grower
and distributor. The agreement enables
Borders to brand their watermelons with
the Sundia trademark, assuring consumers maximum satisfaction or their
money back. It also allows Borders to
become a major source of watermelons
for Sundia’s recently launched watermelon juice that includes Sundia Fresh
Watermelon and Sundia Watermelon
Concentrate.
Borders Melon Co., the largest grower
and distributor of watermelons in North
America, has been farming watermelons
since the 1960s. With more than 7,500
acres devoted to growing watermelons,
the company begins harvesting the crop
at its southernmost farm in Guerrero,
Mexico, in mid-February, and steadily
harvests to its northern farms through
October, before moving south again.
Borders watermelons are packed in a
90,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility in Edinburg, Texas. The company
is headquartered in Hargill, Texas.
■ Sundia Corp. joins forces with Borders
Melon Co.
■ Borders is the largest watermelon
grower-distributor in North America.
■ Partnership aims to market watermelon’s
health benefits.
S
with the Sundia label to give consumers
the assurance that what they’re buying
is perfectly ripe and ready-to-eat. No
more thumping or guesswork,” says
Nowell Borders, president.
Retailers served by Borders benefit
by being able to offer an industry first:
a money-back guarantee on produce.
Additionally, retailers can offer free
Sundia Watermelon Juice for every fresh
Sundia-branded watermelon sold.
Unknown superfood
Despite industry efforts, most Americans
remain unaware of watermelon’s health
benefits. Watermelon is loaded with vitamins A, B-6, C, thiamine and lycopene,
the most powerful of the antioxidants.
Research suggests that lycopene reduces the risks of certain cancers such
as prostate as well as cardiovascular
diseases. While lycopene researchers
Melons year-round
The Sundia-Borders alliance guarantees have used tomatoes as their source,
USDA scientists have
consumers quality waterfound that a watermelon
melons year-round, whether
MELON
MAKERS:
can have as much as 40%
fresh or in the new Sundia
The
Sundia
Corp.
and
more lycopene than a
Watermelon Juice. “We will
Borders
Melon
Co.
large tomato. And unlike
trademark our watermelons
partnership is a major
tomatoes, which require
step toward increasing
heat treatment for lycoconsumer awareness
pene to be absorbed by
of watermelon’s health
the body, watermelons
benefits.
do not.
Sundia unveils new juice blends
UNDIA has announced three
iron and calnew juice blends: Watermelon
cium.
S
Pomegranate, Watermelon Blackberry
At $1.69
and Watermelon Limeade. Because of
the watermelon base, each is naturally
loaded with lycopene, the most powerful antioxidant of all. Like the original
Watermelon, all three new flavors are
made with 100% juice and contain no
preservatives or added sugar.
Watermelon Pomegranate combines two antioxidant powerhouses.
Pomegranate juice has been shown to
contain three times as much antioxidant as an equivalent amount of green
tea or red wine, while watermelon
juice is the leading source of natural
lycopene, the most potent scavenger
of oxygen radicals. Research also suggests pomegranate juice promotes a
healthy heart by preventing the hardening of arteries, reversing buildup of
plaque on artery walls and reducing
blood pressure. However, it doesn’t
have lycopene like watermelon juice.
An 8-ounce serving of Watermelon
Pomegranate delivers 340 milligrams
of potassium, 9 milligrams of lycopene, 20% of the recommended daily
value of vitamin A and 25% of vitamin
C, as well as nominal percentages of
However, many watermelon facts
such as these aren’t common knowledge; another is that the watermelon
is really a sweet vegetable. Sundia and
its grower-distributor partner hopes to
remedy this lack of information with the
Sundia trademark.
“This partnership with the Borders
Melon Co. is a major step toward increasing consumer awareness of watermelon’s health benefits,” says Brad
Oberwager, founder and CEO of Sundia
Corp. “With farms in Mexico, Texas,
Arkansas, Georgia and Florida, Borders
is a year-round supplier of fresh watermelon.” Sundia fresh watermelons are
now available in several Western states,
including California, Arizona and New
Mexico. By May, Sundia watermelons
will be available nationwide. For more
information, visit www.sundiacorp.com.
for a 12-ounce
bottle or $5.99
for 64 ounces,
it’s an inexpensive way
to enjoy these
benefits all
year long.
Because
it is better to eat a variety of fruits,
Sundia has created different combinations that deliver other fruits’
health benefits. An 8-ounce serving
of Watermelon Blackberry or
Watermelon Limeade contains 9 milligrams and 11 milligrams of lycopene,
respectively. Additionally, Watermelon
Blackberry has 340 milligrams of potassium, 20% of the recommended
daily value of vitamin A and 25% of
vitamin C.
At 30%, Watermelon Limeade
contains a slightly higher percentage
of Vitamin A in an 8-ounce serving
than the other Sundia juices.
The new juices are expected to
be on produce shelves nationwide by
Memorial Day.
Vol. 289 No. 5
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