Both companies tested the new product at Fruit Attraction. The plan is to start selling the juice in early 2019 and to introduce it in supermarkets, the food service and the catering industry. Under the name "Corazón de sandía Fashion" (The heart of Fashion watermelon), the product will be marketed by Cool Vega in co-branding with Vibs.
The juice is sold in 33 cl bottles and the goal is to expand the range in the future. With this new juice, Grupo AGF aims to supply a convenience product that will be available in Spain all year round. Fashion will thus be the first watermelon brand to be available every month of the year.
The project is also aligned with the strategy of Grupo AGF to profile itself as a brand that stands for health; a strategy that the company's R&D department has been developing over the years. This is reflected, for example, in the agreement that Grupo AGF has had in place with the Spanish Heart Foundation (FEC) since 2010, and which has recently been renewed. Also, in a research study that the company has carried out together with the Technical University of Cartagena, which has served to provide scientific evidence of the healthy properties of Fashion watermelons. The results of this research were published in 2017 in the prestigious magazine Food & Nutrition Research.
This research shows that consuming Fashion watermelon is beneficial for those practising sports. This is due to the high content of active ingredients, such as citrulline (a bioactive ingredient recommended for athletes for rapid muscle recovery after intensive exercise) and lycopene (a strong antioxidant).
Grupo AGF, formed by 16 partners, marketed 75,000 tons of watermelons in 2017, and prospects point to 80,000 tons being reached in 2018 (+7%), as stated in the "2018 Report of the Melon Sector in Spain".
