New additions to the Bouquet range include an orange-fleshed watermelon and “ultra-firm” varieties bred specifically for the fresh-cut segment
Anecoop has kicked off its 2026 Bouquet watermelon campaign with forecasts pointing to a crop of 120,000 tonnes – similar to last year’s sales volume. Initial volumes are reportedly predominantly medium and small in size, with “excellent quality and flavour”.
Planted area will also be similar to 2025 levels, despite an overall decrease in plantings across Spain. Ángel Cebriá, the company’s watermelon sales manager commented: “This is extremely positive news for Anecoop, because it demonstrates that producers continue to trust in a programme that began in the early 1990s and has evolved to adapt to production characteristics and markets”.
The production calendar begins in Almería in April and extends to Murcia, Alicante, Valencia, Castellón, and Seville, concluding between August and September in Ciudad Real.
New additions to the Bouquet range include the Orange Glow orange-fleshed watermelon, and “ultra-firm” varieties bred specifically for the fresh-cut segment.
According to Anecoop, its Bouquet watermelon range is the most comprehensive on the market. In addition to these new varieties, it includes red-fleshed, striped-rind watermelons in standard or mini sizes; yellow-fleshed watermelons; and red watermelons with dark green-black rind, all available in both conventional and organic varieties under the Bio Bouquet brand.
At a meeting held to present the season forecasts, Anecoop also unveiled its 2026 promotional campaign. With a budget exceeding €600,000, it will be rolled out in three countries: Spain, France, and the Czech Republic, the main export markets for Bouquet watermelons, as well as Germany. The French and Czech campaigns will be managed jointly with the Anecoop Group’s subsidiaries in these countries.
The company said its marketing campaign in Spain will maintain the intensity of previous years, with a multi-channel approach that includes a presence on free-to-air and cable television, radio, specialised and general-interest newspapers, consumer magazines, cinemas, train stations, and social media. This last channel is playing an increasingly important role in Anecoop’s media plan, as it allows connection with a segment of the population that uses it as its primary source of information.
In France, the campaign will rely primarily on television advertising and social media activities, while in the Czech Republic, the campaign will also be multi-channel, but will focus its efforts on cultural and sporting events with direct-to-consumer tastings.
‘Raciones de Vida para el Campo’ (Portions of Life for the Countryside) is renewed as the central communication theme of this promotional campaign in Spain, reinforcing the slogan ‘Everything in its own time’ for the third consecutive year. The message seeks to highlight the seasonality of Bouquet watermelons.
Piedad Coscollá, Anecoop’s head of marketing and corporate image, said: “With this campaign, we want to connect emotionally with a consumer who is increasingly aware of and committed to local products. By choosing our Bouquet watermelons, you contribute to revitalising the countryside, preventing its abandonment, promoting generational renewal, supporting our thousands of farmers, the economy, and the sustainability of rural areas”.
Anecoop marketed around 110,000 tonnes of watermelons in 2024/25, against a pre-season estimate of 130,000 tonnes.
