It’s not a common practice to have packaging for produce, so we often receive questions about how we package our Kiss Melons and why. We want to take a moment to address your concerns.

We want to start by letting you know that Kiss Melons’ entire packaging (header/netting/clip) is 100% recyclable high-density polyethylene (HDPE) #2 plastic. High-density polyethylene is one of the most commonly used plastics in the United States. It creates no harmful emissions during its production or its use by the consumer. Nor does HDPE leak toxic chemicals into the soil or water.

Now you might ask, why do we even need packaging? Kiss Melons develops unique, Non-GMO melons that highlight flavor instead of aroma (like most melons). Because of this distinction, we find it necessary to brand Kiss Melons. We want consumers to know that our product is unique for quality, taste, and consistency in the marketplace. 

Initially, we tried using Kiss Melon stickers but encountered obstacles, such as consumers swapping them with less expensive stickers/barcodes and stickers being removed or falling off. Both of these issues contributed to store personnel’s incorrect rings at the register, which eventually led to frustrated retailers, some of whom threatened to discontinue their relationship with us. We love what we do, and we believe in our product. We didn’t want the sticker complications to affect our retail network or limit our customers’ access to Kiss Melons. The solution we eventually landed on is the current packaging. 

Over the years, we have fielded many questions about the packaging and its necessity. We promise that we take all of your questions, thoughts, and concerns to heart, and we are always looking into new ideas. 

Recently, we conducted research into biodegradable options for our packaging. We learned that biodegradable options produce significantly more fossil fuel emissions than plastic during their manufacture, resulting in a larger environmental footprint. Additionally, biodegradable alternatives are discarded with regular trash and placed in landfills more often than recyclable plastic options. Biodegradable items may not break down in landfills due to a lack of bacteria, light, and water, which are all needed to facilitate the process. Recyclable plastic used in our current netting is more likely to be placed into a specific recycling container and repurposed into new products. 

With a long history of growing and farming, we are huge advocates of the earth and honoring sustainability in everything we do. We genuinely struggle with using packaging on our melons. We are currently researching “compostable” materials for our netting, which could be placed on a compost pile or broken down naturally in the earth.

Until we find the perfect solution, we hope that this explanation will help ease your concerns and let you know that we respect the earth and our customers. We are always listening.