The watermelon campaign started in April in Almeria for Anecoop, which is currently in the transition from greenhouse watermelons to open ground ones in the north of Almeria and south of Murcia. So far, watermelon sales have not been easy due to bad weather conditions in most of the export markets where the cooperative works, although the situation has improved recently.
The cooperative has gone from selling 130,000 tons last year to a harvest forecast of 150,000 tons this year, and sales continue to grow in the Spanish market, where they have doubled since 2015.
"Watermelon consumption depends a lot on the temperatures recorded. There are weeks when you can have a lot of stock, and others where it is hard to meet the demand. This year, in the first month and a half of the season, temperatures have been lower than normal, and we have really noticed this in the demand, which has been very low up to now. This has led to the average price at origin falling to the lowest levels of the past four years in Almeria," says Carlos Nemesio, head of the Anecoop watermelon program. "Fortunately, about fifteen days ago, the demand was reactivated thanks to the rise in temperatures in Germany and France," he said.
Until the end of May, AlmerÃa's watermelons have been relatively alone in the European markets. "In June, watermelons from other origins have started arriving in Spain, and since there is a greater supply, prices have tended to fall. Fortunately, given the good reputation in the markets of our Bouquet brand, the demand for our watermelons has remained stable, and this has made it possible to keep the final prices even above average."
The biggest market for Anecoop is still France, followed by Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom. Among the Nordic countries, Norway takes the lead.
"Bouquet watermelons serve all channels and categories"
"With the launch in the European market of the Bouquet seedless watermelon 27 years ago, we managed to add value to a product that had hitherto faced a lot of rejection. In fact, the success of watermelons has given a boost to other products marketed under the Bouquet brand. Our watermelon is demanded both by high-end supermarket chains and by discounters, for fresh consumption and for fresh cut and ready to eat presentations, both by brand-oriented wholesale markets and by large distributors, for their use in store brands.
Mini watermelon market has become very competitive
Seedless mini watermelons account for around 10% of Anecoop's watermelon sales (a segment with high competition). "We first bet on seedless mini watermelons in 2004, becoming pioneers in this segment. I would say that of the whole range of watermelons that we offer, it is the best and most reliable in terms of taste qualities; however, competition has grown a lot over the the past few years, given the success of the seedless mini watermelons. In fact, other operators have developed mini watermelon lines with microseeds for their discount range, making competition tougher in this segment.
"Consumers increasingly demanding"
The consumer is increasingly demanding and more "unfaithful" to brands, especially in the most mature markets. They don't hesitate to switch to a different "supplier" if better quality and prices are offered. I believe that the new developments in watermelon cultivation will be very focused on flavor in order not to disappoint the consumers and help in building their loyalty, helping us also stand out more from other origins in markets where there is not yet much presence of Spanish watermelons.