The Melon 1 Story Melon 1 is one of the country’s oldest and largest watermelon growers and shippers, yet we’re still a family business at heart. Our Story Awards and Associations Our People Behind the Scenes Our company was founded when two third-generation watermelon companies joined forces to better serve customers. F. H. Dicks of South Carolina combined his growing, harvesting and shipping experience with the distribution, packaging and sales capabilities of Lawrence Lapide of New York to create a rapidly growing company. In 1999, Richard Chastain rounded out our year-round growing capabilities, and the rest, as they say, is history. We’ve come a long way since 1935; today, we ship nationwide from distribution points across the U.S. and Central America, using cutting-edge technology to meet food safety and traceability standards and provide our customers with the freshest, highest quality product possible. Some things haven’t changed a bit, however. We’ll always owe our success and our strength to our farmers. We are beyond proud to represent some of the best and most committed watermelon growers in the world, with relationships dating back decades. Their growing expertise and attention to quality is essential to our success and ultimately, to our customers’ satisfaction. Our People John Lapide OWNER Rich Chastain OWNER Hamilton Dicks OWNER Trey Miller CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Rachel Syngo NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Katelyn Miller FOOD SAFETY MANAGER Kyler Bishop FARM OPERATIONS MANAGER Behind the Scenes Who’s Growing your Watermelon? Get the dirt on the melon farm life: bees, busses, and everything in between. How Do we Pack all Those Watermelons? See the process behind our hand-planted, hand-harvested, hand-packed goodness. Featured Farmer Bob Stewart, GID Farms IMMOKALEE, FL Bob Stewart has been farming since 1998. He began growing watermelon in Immokalee, FL in 2009. Bob enjoys bringing his sons Boone and Bryson to the field and teaching them the difference between pollinators (seeded) and seedless watermelon. MEET MORE FARMERS We want to hear from you! Send us a quick message and we’ll be in touch right away. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Home About Quality and Sustainability Meet Our Farmers Crisp and Fresh Pick the Perfect Watermelon Contact Transportation Follow Us CALL NOW 1.800.494.3505 2021 Melon 1. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy Website Design & Development by Muletown Digital