Around 8,100 hectares of watermelons have been planted in Almeria this spring, almost triple the 3,000 hectares devoted to melons. Watermelon production is growing every year in the province at the expense of melons, although the latter remains an important crop. In any case, watermelon consumption trends in Europe have been changing dramatically over the last decade.
FreshPlaza visited the facilities of Agroponiente, in El Ejido, partner of Grupo Fashion (AGF), to interview David Romera, a member of the sales department, who reveals the keys to the success of Almeria's watermelon, which last year generated more than 124 million Euro in profit for the province.
Watermelons, from near extinction to the top
"About fifteen years ago, both growers and consumers seemed to have lost their trust in the watermelon industry. On the one hand, producers were guilty of harvesting unripe fruit prematurely, looking to obtain the high prices that characterise the early stages of the campaign. Watermelon consumption is highly seasonal, even more so than that of melons, as sales volume concentrate between May and September. If in May the consumer has a bad experience, he/she most likely won't buy watermelons for the rest of the season. Nowadays, quality controls have become stricter and there's a great focus on harvesting when the fruit reaches its optimum ripeness. At Agroponiente, for example, this process is fully regulated and professionalised," he explains.
"Moreover, we had few traditional varieties that were uniform in terms of flavour, with a short shelf life and very large calibres. Many thought watermelon consumption could even stop altogether; however, the last twelve years have brought changes that have boosted consumption for this summer fruit."
According to David Romera, the key lies in the introduction of seedless varieties (or with microseeds) and mini (or baby) watermelons, and their improvement in recent years. "Now watermelons are seedless and therefore are easier to eat; they are crunchy, have a much longer shelf life, smaller sizes, thinner skin and even a much higher Brix level than the old varieties with seeds," he affirms.
"We can mention leading brands such as Fashion, of Grupo AGF, for example. Since these seedless varieties were launched, Europe and Scandinavia have been consuming more and more watermelons. Now supermarkets, and of course consumers, demand only these brands, because they know that in 98% of cases they will take home a good taste experience. They like it and come back for more. I think that eating watermelons will become even more popular over the next five years. You can already see how the popularity of melons in the months of July and August is waning because watermelons have become more appealing and are cheaper," he points out.
Competition from Greece and Hungary?
In early August, Greece and Hungary start harvesting their watermelons, which they sell at very cheap prices.
"While Greece and Hungary are the main competitors for Spanish watermelons, our main threat remains the weather," he jokes. "At the moment, these two countries produce mainly for their domestic markets, with a production consisting mainly of varieties with seeds, with very large calibres and packaging with very little added value. Moreover, Spain is a few steps ahead in terms of certificates, both in terms of quality and environmental and social responsibility, which ultimately results in a more interesting product for large retail chains," explains David.
Mini-watermelons to dominate in the future
Mini-watermelons were launched to meet the needs of small households or people living alone, who cannot afford to purchase a large watermelon and risk having to waste some of it.
But, according to David Romera, they were initially not very successful. "At first, mini-watermelons were not considered tasty by consumers or productive by growers because there were no varieties that had been especially developed to become mini. Producers simply harvested the fruit when it had not yet fully formed. Now, with unique mini-watermelon varieties, not only have they improved when it comes to organoleptic qualities, but yields of around 8 kilos per square metre can also be obtained."
These changes are causing consumption to skyrocket. "Today, not only does the watermelon-melon consumption ratio in Scandinavian countries stand at 80-20% in favour of watermelons, but about 65% of the watermelons sold are mini varieties," states Romera. "I think this is only a prelude, since in just four years we could see similar statistics in the rest of northern and central Europe."
Almeria's Melons, however, are under pressure from competition
There is tough competition from Galia or Cantaloupe melons from Morocco, a producer historically linked with France, one of the largest consumers of these melon varieties.
"The truth is that Morocco is doing great work. They plant the varieties that are most demanded by retail chains and harvest the fruit when it reaches its optimum ripeness. They are currently the 'kings of Cantaloupe and Charentais' in France. However, in the UK they have more trouble with certification issues, which is why they prefer our melons," assures Romera.
When it comes to Piel de Sapo melons, the Spanish variety par excellence, consumption is expected to gradually increase outside its borders through promotions in supermarkets. "In Denmark, there is great work being done with premium Piel de Sapo brands and packaging with high added value, presented as 'the melon eaten by Spaniards', in order to encourage new consumption habits. With the launch of new varieties and the focus on presentations we strive to achieve the same goal as with Fashion in the watermelon market: to have a melon brand that is recognised for guaranteeing a consistent quality throughout the season."
In this sense, Agroponiente markets its Piel de Sapo melons under the brand Bombón de Agroponiente (Agroponiente Bonbon), with a commitment to both the domestic and the export market.
