Our Story

Melones started in 1994 when Alejandro Canelos Jr. and J. Fife Symington IV partnered with Alejandro Canelos Sr. to build greenhouses for raising melons, and shipped their first crop of 40,000 cartons in 1995 and 1996. The company used its unique facilities to produce specialty melons, and expanded into seedless cucumbers. The success of the cucumbers prompted the company to shift its focus to vegetables, specifically seedless cumbers, tomatoes and colored bell peppers. Melones marketed its produce through Chiquita, while growing its farming acreage annually to 500 covered acres in 2006. The demand for greenhouse produce has been steadily growing, and Melones continues to provide top products as an established greenhouse vegetable company. In 2007, Melones took the next step and created its own label, Plain Jane, while expanding its growing operation to 750 covered acres.

ABC Produce

Aristeo Canelos founded ABC Produce in Culiacan, Sinaloa with two other Greek immigrants in 1936, shipping fresh produce to the United States through the war years. ABC specialized in mature green tomatoes, bell peppers and green beans, all of which traveled on rail cars without cooling. The tomatoes were picked green and individually wrapped to encourage the ripening process. In 1962, Aristeo’s son Alejandro joined the business, followed by Alberto Maldonado, who served as head of distribution in Nogales and oversaw sales of ABC brand tomatoes for decades.

In 1969, the vine-ripened tomato (which ripens on the vine without getting soft) was introduced to Mexican growers, ushering in another period of skyrocketing growth and profitability.

Around the same time, Cuban farmers that had escaped Fidel Castro’s communist regime in the 1960s were hired by Aristeo and other Mexican growers. The Cubans taught the Mexicans how to grow cucumbers, leading to yet more exponential expansion in Mexico’s agricultural regions.

New Direction and Alliances

When Aristeo passed away in 1972, Alejandro Sr. took over the business and entered into several notable alliances and expansions. He partnered with Dole through 1980's, growing summer tomatoes in Baja California and melons in the Dominican Republic. During the 1970’s and 80’s, Alejandro Sr.’s ABC Produce company also became a major exporter of rice, corn, strawberries, eggplant and more.

In 1974, Alejandro Sr. began experimenting with greenhouses, focusing on melons in Culiacan. He maintained his small experiment for two decades before determining that it was time for a new era in Mexican agriculture.

Melones Internacional

In 1993, Alejandro Jr. and his friend J. Fife Symington IV met with Alejandro Sr. – whose business by then had joined the ranks of the largest wintertime growers of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers in North America, planting nearly 2000 acres annually and shipping nearly ten million boxes of ABC brand vegetables to the United States and Canada each year.

The duo noticed a small trial of melon varieties growing in crude, early model greenhouses. Alejandro Sr. had learned basic greenhouse melon cultivation technology from visiting Japan, and had started experimenting with popular U.S. varieties including cantaloupes and honeydews. In 1994, Alejandro Jr. and Symington agreed to partner toward raising capital for more greenhouses, and Melones Internacional was born.

In 1995, Melones harvested its first crop of melons and shipped approximately 40,000 cartons of them to the United States, sold under the “Dulce” label. These high-quality greenhouse melons possessed superior taste and consistency. As the company grew its acreage, it moved into specialty melons such as galia, juan canary and horned varieties, along with the other more well-known types. At the same time, the team planted a tiny crop of trial seedless cucumbers – a decision that would soon redefine Melones and its vision.

When the cucumber crop financially outperformed all the melons combined, the team decided to change direction and focus on greenhouse vegetables. Consumer demand in North America for perfect-looking produce continues to fuel the greenhouse farming industry. This ever-increasing demand, paired with the ideal vegetable-growing conditions of Sinaloa, Mexico, has empowered Melones to thrive as a greenhouse vegetable provider.

Chiquita Partnership

In 1996, Alejandro Sr. partnered with the internationally recognized Chiquita brand to market his produce under the hybrid Chiquita/ABC label. Melones decided to abandon its Dulce label and market its vegetables through Chiquita – including seedless cucumbers in the winter and tomatoes and colored bell peppers through both winter and spring. 

The Fresh Face of Pure Taste

In 2007, inspired by the success of their greenhouse vegetable business, Alejandro Jr. and Symington decided to take the next step and amicably split from Chiquita to create their own signature label. The “Plain Jane” brand name embodies the ideals of the Melones line of produce: pure, natural, wholesome and healthy.