Del Rio Texas - It’s Watermelon Time! Summer Melon Business Booms For Local Farmers, Vendors

It’s June in South-Central Texas, and local watermelon farmers in Quemado, a small town between Del Rio and Eagle Pass along Highway 277 and the Rio Grande, are harvesting sweet, savory melons by the ton. 
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It’s always about this time of year that local vendors park their pick-up trucks loaded with melons along the busy roadways of Del Rio.  If you’re like me, you drive past them every day and wonder who they are and how they make a living selling giant fruit on the side of the road. 

Dionisio, A Watermelon Vendor on the Highway 90 Near Del Rio Middle School in Del Rio, Texas

​Well, curiosity finally reeled me in when I was thinking of my next article to write about the unique and awesome culture of Del Rio.  I decided to interview a couple of these local vendors to get a better idea of what exactly I’ve been missing on my way home from work every day this week. 

I didn’t really need to send any formal invitation for an interview – I just happened to pull off Highway 90 near the Del Rio Middle School and end up at Dionisio’s watermelon truck.  Dionisio has lived in Del Rio since 1957, originally growing up outside of Acuña.  He sells his watermelons for anywhere between $3 and $5, depending on the size, and has been selling them for about seven years.

​Dionisio fills his truck, equipped with a camper-top, full of melons for $390 from a farm in Quemado.  When I asked him how much money he made from his sales, he replied, “Not much…but it [gives me] something to do”.  Although not a man of many words, Dionisio explained that weekdays are not as good for business as weekends are.  “If they stop [to purchase a melon], they stop.  Otherwise they keep going,” he remarked as we watched rush hour resume on the highway, closing in on 5:00 PM.

Jose's Seafood Stand "It's my wife's," he added. Across Veteran's Blvd from the Civic Center in Del Rio, Texas

​After purchasing a melon from Dionisio, I started making my way home in Alta Vista when I noticed another watermelon stand across the street from the Civic Center. I had to flip a u-turn at Cantu Road and swing back around south on Veteran’s Boulevard – and met Jose and Vicente at their shrimp cocktail stand and watermelon truck (quite the combination!).

Like Dionisio, Jose has lived in Del Rio for the vast majority of his life.  Vicente, his nephew, helps him with the watermelon business.  Jose and Vicente also purchase their melons from Quemado – a load costing about $180 to $200 – and roughly half the size of Dionisio’s produce selection.  Jose has been selling melons in Del Rio for about six years, and says that he only sells in town for a few weeks, then heads west to Odessa, Texas and other cities in New Mexico to ensure he catches the start of the produce vending business in that direction. 
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Similar to Dionisio’s watermelon business, Jose said that weekends were better for business – and that it wasn’t uncommon to sell his entire truck-load on a Saturday and profit about $200 or more – selling small melons at 2 for $5 and large melons for $5.

Despite slower business during the week, he said that sometimes on weekends he could sell his entire truck of about 175-200 melons out.  At an average of about $4 a melon, that’s somewhere between $600 and $800 per load – or a profit of about $200-$400.  For kicking back under a tree enjoying the outdoors – I’d say that’s worth it, too. 
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Of course, melons are only in-season for a short time each year, so Dionisio only vends for about five weeks each year.  “I’m retired”, he said, having worked construction and on farms most of his life.  I did get to see a sparkle in his eye when I asked about his wife. “She’s still kicking!” he chuckled, “we’ve been married since 1960.”

Jose and Vicente's Watermelon Truck, Across Veteran's Blvd from the Civic Center in Del Rio, Texas

All-in-all, I ended up with two watermelons to bring home to my wife and baby daughter (who recently decided she loves watermelons – just in time!). 
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So, hurry up and grab yourself a locally grown watermelon the next time you drive past a roadside stand and support these local vendors!

​- Dan Schreiber