Sol Group Marketing

What Sol Group Marketing does

Sol Group Marketing, operating under the consumer-facing brand Sol Melons (DBA), is a Florida-headquartered, privately held agricultural produce company and the largest off-shore grower and distributor of winter melons in North America. Founded in 1984/1985 by a founding family, the company owns and operates approximately 17,500 acres of farmland across Honduras and Guatemala through 7 farms, producing around 200 million melons annually. Its portfolio spans seven varieties across cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon — including Cantaloupe, Royal Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Honeydude (branded sub-line), Seedless Watermelon, Mini Watermelon, and Solito (seedless mini watermelon).

The business runs a fully vertically integrated "seed to table" supply chain: seedlings are developed in company nurseries and transplanted to fields, harvested melons move to certified packing houses with breathable-bag packaging, and finished product is shipped directly to retail stores through 9 US ports (Philadelphia, Port Everglades, Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, Hueneme) during the November-to-May winter season. Core technical infrastructure includes GFSI-certified food safety, FDA-approved testing in on-site accredited laboratories, C-TPAT supply-chain security certification, and an industry-leading farm-to-retail traceability system aligned with the Produce Traceability Initiative; Fair Trade USA certification covers over 11,000 acres, the largest such footprint in Central America.

Sol operates a pure B2B, direct-to-retailer go-to-market model, selling wholesale melon volumes through negotiated, multi-year contracts to leading US and Canadian retail grocery chains. Pricing is bespoke and not publicly disclosed. The company employs 101–250 people, was part of the Fyffes group from 2007 to 2025, and was acquired by Martori Farms in 2025; it continues operations under the Sol Melons brand with no public revenue disclosure.

Name

Sol Group Marketing

Legal name

Sol Group Marketing Company

Website

https://www.solmelons.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Sol Group Marketing (Sol Melons) is the largest off-shore melon grower and distributor in North America, producing 200 million melons annually across 17,500 acres in Honduras and Guatemala. The Florida-based company supplies winter cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon varieties directly to major US and Canadian retailers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fresh Produce / Winter Melons

NAICS

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (424480), Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (42448)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Fresh Produce Wholesale (Fruit & Vegetables) (AFAIABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fresh Produce Distribution (CRAOABAB), Fresh Fruit Wholesale (AFAIACAA)

Keywords

• Winter melon supply
• Fresh produce distribution
• Melon farming operations
• Retail grocery supplier
• Fair Trade produce

Headquarters

HQ city

Pompano Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Melon Product Sales: Sol Group Marketing generates revenue through the sale of cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon products to retailers. As the largest grower and importer of winter melons, they sell produce through a fully integrated supply chain directly to retail stores. Revenue is derived from product volume sales with seasonal pricing based on November-May growing season.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sol Group Marketing grows and distributes premium winter melons — Cantaloupe, Royal Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Honeydude, Seedless Watermelon, Mini Watermelon, and Solito — through a fully integrated farm-to-retail supply chain operating 17,500 acres across Honduras and Guatemala. The company supplies major retail grocery chains in the U.S. and Canada during the November–May winter season, producing approximately 200 million melons annually with GFSI-certified food safety, PTI-compliant traceability, and Fair Trade certification.

Product overview

Sol Group Marketing operates as a single unified product offering focused on premium melon cultivation and distribution. The company's portfolio consists of seven distinct melon varieties including Cantaloupe, Royal Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Honeydude, Seedless Watermelon, Mini Watermelon, and Solito. Sol is the No. 1 off-shore melon distributor in North America and the largest grower and importer of winter melons, with operations spanning farms in Honduras and Guatemala across 17,500 acres. The company provides a fully integrated supply chain from seed to table, delivering melons to retailers across the United States and Canada from November through May.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Honeydude: Extra sweet honeydew with extra sweet flavor, rich in fiber and potassium, full and juicy with smaller seed cavity
• Royal Cantaloupe
• Mini Watermelon
• Solito

Products and services

• Cantaloupe

Quantifiable outcome

• 200,000,000 melons grown and delivered annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Martori FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025In 2025, Martori Farms acquired Sol Group. This acquisition marks a new chapter for the company while continuing operations as Sol Melons with the same commitment to quality melons and integrated supply chain from farms in Honduras and Guatemala.
• FyffescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007In 2007, Sol joined the Fyffes family and has since acquired additional farms throughout Honduras and Guatemala. Fyffes is a global produce company and the Dublin-based parent organization. Sol's partnership with Fyffes enabled expansion from the original 1984 founding to becoming the No. 1 offshore melon distributor in North America.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mastronardi Produce: North America's largest greenhouse grower with extensive melon and specialty produce supply to US/Canadian retailers. Comparable in scale, B2B retail relationships, and branded product strategy (SUNSET, Backyard Farms).
• Oppy (The Oppenheimer Group): Leading fresh produce marketer and distributor sourcing from across the Americas and supplying major North American retailers. Comparable in multi-region produce supply, retailer relationships, and logistics capabilities relevant to Sol's melon distribution.
• Wonderful Melons (The Wonderful Company): Vertically integrated melon grower and distributor (under the POM and Halo brands) operating in the US and Mexico. Directly competes with Sol in supplying branded melons to North American retailers through owned farming operations.

Broad incumbents

• Dole Food Company: One of the world's largest fresh produce growers and distributors with a broad melon, pineapple, banana, and tropical fruit portfolio. Comparable in serving major US/Canadian retailers with vertically integrated supply chains and food-safety-certified operations.
• Martori Farms: Sol's parent company since the 2025 acquisition; a Scottsdale, AZ-based melon grower with year-round US/Arizona and Mexico supply. Directly overlaps with Sol in melons but with a counter-seasonal footprint, making it the most operationally comparable peer.
• Fresh Del Monte Produce: Vertically integrated producer, distributor, and marketer of fresh and fresh-cut fruit including melons. Comparable B2B model supplying North American grocers with branded fresh produce and rigorous food-safety protocols.
• Chiquita Brands International: Major fresh produce company with extensive Central American sourcing operations and direct retailer supply relationships. While primarily bananas, it shares the integrated-farm-to-retailer model and North American retail customer base with Sol.
• Fyffes: Dublin-based global produce company that owned Sol from 2007–2025. Operates in tropical produce (bananas, pineapples, melons) with similar B2B retail supply chain and Central American sourcing footprint. Comparable scale and customer base in North American grocery.

Emerging players

• T&G Global: New Zealand-based fresh produce company with global melon and tropical fruit operations serving Asia-Pacific and North America. Comparable in vertically integrated melon farming and international retail distribution.

Others

• C.H. Robinson: Largest third-party produce logistics and freight broker in North America, handling temperature-controlled melon and produce distribution. Relevant as a logistics intermediary that competes for distribution margins in the same retail produce supply chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/solgroupmarketing

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sol Group Marketing