Anecoop has met in Almería with its watermelon‑producing partners from the different Spanish growing areas to define the strategic lines for the 2026 campaign, both in production and in marketing and promotion. Quality, flavour and diversity define the offer of this seasonal fruit, grown 100% in Spain, which has consolidated the fruit and vegetable cooperative as a sales leader in the European market for more than three decades under its Bouquet brand.
Marketing volume: 120,000 tonnes
As every year, its production calendar begins in Almería in April and extends through Murcia, Alicante, Valencia, Castellón and Seville, finishing between August and September in Ciudad Real.
In 2026, the campaign has started with strong demand and initial forecasts pointing to a marketing volume of around 120,000 tonnes. The first harvests show a higher proportion of medium and small calibres, with excellent quality and flavour.
Anecoop is approaching the current watermelon campaign with a planting level very similar to that of the previous season, in a context marked by a reduction in acreage in Spain as a consequence of the results recorded in July and August 2025. According to Ángel Cebriá, the commercial manager for this category, “this is extremely positive for Anecoop, because it shows that producers continue to trust a programme that was born in the early 1990s and has evolved to adapt to production characteristics and market needs.”
New developments within the Bouquet range: orange‑fleshed watermelon and specific varieties for fresh‑cut processing
If in 1992 Anecoop revolutionised the European market with the launch of the seedless watermelon, in 2026 it once again positions itself as an innovation benchmark with its commitment to the Orange Glow orange‑fleshed watermelon. This new product begins its commercial rollout this year, after confirming the strong interest generated in the market during last season’s commercial trial. It joins the cooperative’s offer, which also includes the growing “ultra‑firm” watermelon segment, aimed at the fresh‑cut industry.
It is worth recalling that the Bouquet watermelon range is the most complete on the market. In addition to these new references, it includes red‑fleshed, striped‑rind watermelons in standard and mini formats; yellow‑fleshed watermelons; and red‑fleshed watermelons with dark‑green to black rind, all available in both conventional and organic production under the Bio Bouquet brand.
Strategic promotion plan: Raciones de Vida para el Campo
During this morning’s meeting, the 2026 promotional campaign was presented. With a budget exceeding 600,000 euros, it will be deployed in three countries: Spain, France and the Czech Republic, the main destination markets for Bouquet watermelons alongside Germany. The actions in France and the Czech Republic will be coordinated with Anecoop Group subsidiaries in those countries.
The proposal for the Spanish market maintains the intensity of previous years, with a multichannel campaign including free‑to‑air and cable television, radio, specialised and general press, consumer magazines, cinemas, train stations and social media—a channel that is gaining increasing prominence within the media plan, as it allows the brand to connect with a segment of the population that uses these platforms as a primary source of information. In France, the campaign will focus mainly on television advertising and social media actions, while in the Czech Republic it will also be multichannel, with a strong emphasis on cultural and sporting events featuring direct consumer tastings.
Raciones de Vida para el Campo is renewed as the communication axis of this promotional campaign in Spain, reinforcing for the third consecutive year the claim “Cada cosa a su tiempo” (“Everything in its own time”). A message that highlights the seasonality of Bouquet watermelons, which begin to reach store shelves in April with the first harvests from Almería.
According to Piedad Coscollá, head of Marketing and Corporate Image at Anecoop, “With this campaign we connect emotionally with a consumer who is increasingly aware and committed to local products. By choosing our Bouquet watermelons, they help bring life to the countryside, preventing rural abandonment, fostering generational renewal, supporting our thousands of farmers, the economy and the sustainability of rural areas.”
