Martori Farms Acquires Winter Melon Business from Fyffes

Martori Farms has acquired SOL Group, a melon growing and distribution business owned by tropical produce company Fyffes, according to a release from the company. The acquisition includes farms in Honduras and Guatemala, as well as a melon distribution business in Miami, Fla.

SOL is the largest supplier of winter melons to markets across North America, the release noted, while Martori is well-known for its Kandy brand melons: cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew, golden honeydew and the “innovative” Lemon Drop Melon. The company said the combination of the two businesses will create the largest year-round melon producer in the world and the leading supplier of melons to North America. Meanwhile, the deal allows Fyffes to focus its efforts on its bananas and pineapples businesses.

Since October 2021, Fyffes has transformed its melon business, investing in community welfare projects, planting indigenous trees and enhancing its labor and human rights initiatives and practices. Helge Sparsoe, CEO of Fyffes, said the company had built a business of which it was proud to own, and as it searched for a buyer, Fyffes was determined to find a company that shared the values instituted in the SOL Group.