Melon King
The secret to the renowned Pecos cantaloupe’s success? West Texas soil
The Pecos cantaloupe is, arguably, the most famous melon to grace Texas’ produce scene. The sweet treat rose to fame in the early 1900s thanks to a farmer affectionately called the Cantaloupe King.
As the melon grew in popularity, everyone from Helen Keller to Presidents Eisenhower and Johnson ordered the sought-after cantaloupe for its succulent flesh and low seed count. The summer staple even has imposters trying to cash in on its name.
The secret behind Pecos cantaloupes? A rich history of family farming and potassium-rich, West Texas soil.
Left The Mandujano Brothers — including Tony, left, and Junior — plant more than 300 acres of cantaloupes annually.
Right Farmer Jack Williams inspects some melons in 1947.
Pecos cantaloupes trace back to M.L. Todd, the Cantaloupe King himself. In 1916, he brought
cantaloupe seeds from Rocky Ford, Colo., to plant in Pecos’ unique soil. What sprouted was an especially sweet melon he sold to the Texas and Pacific Railroad’s dining car. Only particularly fine foods were sold in the dining car, and people stopping by for a quick bite would try the melon — and not be able to get it out of their minds … or tastebuds. Back in Pecos, Todd, with the help of his children and grandchildren, hand-packed each cantaloupe and mailed them out to his loyal customers. His business- minded daughter-in-law included pictures of the grandchildren, knowing customers were interested in supporting a family-owned business.
Some customers believe the uniqueness of the melon came from the seeds used. “I’ve figured out what you’re doing,” Todd’s grandson, Ray Thompson, remembers one woman exclaiming. “You’re using a hypodermic needle to kill the seeds. I’ve been planting them in my garden and just get an ordinary cantaloupe.”
Whether it was the result of soil perfectly fit for these melons, the arid climate of Pecos or needles pushing out seeds, no one’s been able to grow cantaloupes quite like those in West Texas. And that invites impostors: some ordinary cantaloupes might claim they’re from Pecos, but one bite reveals the truth. Consumers need only look for the “Fresh from Pecos” sticker adorning each authentic cantaloupe.
But here’s a bit of a twist. After the cantaloupe industry became less profitable in the 90s — when door-to-door delivery via the railway system faded — growing Pecos cantaloupes was largely moved from Pecos to Coyonosa, in nearby Pecos County. Today, the largest grower of Pecos cantaloupes is Mandujano Brothers Produce, a farm owned by four brothers who’ve been growing the West Texas favorite for more than 30 years. One of the brothers, Beto Mandujano, says the popular cantaloupes will be available in early July — at stores both inside and outside West Texas, with H-E-B, Walmart and Albertson’s stocking up.
This summer, Pecos will host a series of events honoring the history of the little cantaloupe with the big flavor. These include the Pecos Cantaloupe Festival, recently renamed A Night in Old Pecos, which will feature, among other events, a Cantaloupe Drop, where melons are thrown out of small airplanes at a low distance. And if that seems like a waste for melons so succulent, as long as West Texas remains hot, there’ll be Pecos cantaloupes.
