Highlights from the Global Melon & Watermelon Event 2026

09 July 2026, Spain: Over two weeks, Rijk Zwaan’s CED La Palma demonstration centre in Cartagena (Spain) welcomed nearly 300 professionals from across the value chain to discover the latest melon and watermelon solutions and explore new opportunities to drive category growth.

Rijk Zwaan has held a new edition of its Global Melon & Watermelon Event, an international meeting for professionals involved in the production, marketing and retailing of melons and watermelons. The event took place over two weeks. The edition aimed at the Spanish market was held from 22 to 26 June, followed by the international week from 29 June to 2 July.

Under the theme Shaping value growth in the M&W category, the 2026 edition focused on solutions capable of generating value throughout the entire chain, from crop security and production efficiency to quality, shelf life, flavour, differentiation and new consumer experiences.

“The Global Melon & Watermelon Event enables us to connect the needs of growers, marketers and retailers with our development programmes. This interaction is essential for identifying opportunities and continuing to build a category with greater value, differentiation and growth potential,” commented Bernardo Cuenca, Melon and Watermelon Crop Coordinator at Rijk Zwaan.

Greater freshness, flavour and crop security in melon

One of the main highlights of this edition was Galuna™, Rijk Zwaan’s Galia melon range. Its comprehensive portfolio combines long-lasting freshness, high Brix levels and a visual harvest indicator that makes it easier to identify the optimum harvesting time and helps deliver consistent quality throughout the supply chain.

Within the Galuna™ range, Rijk Zwaan presented new varieties incorporating Px Defense™, its resistance solution against powdery mildew in melon. Px Defense includes resistance to races 1, 2, 3, 3.5 and 5, as well as resistance to the new Px races 6 and 7.

This expanded resistance package provides growers with new tools to manage disease pressure, strengthen crop security and support more stable production.

The melon offering was completed by Mellissimo, Rijk Zwaan’s mini Piel de Sapo melon concept for export markets, developed to deliver quality and continuity throughout the entire growing cycle. Within this range, Minijack RZ stood out as one of the main new varieties presented during the event, expanding the portfolio with a proposition tailored to current market needs.

“In melon, we demonstrated the strength of a portfolio that combines product quality, continuity and crop security. The development of Galuna, the progress of Px Defense against the new powdery mildew races and the expansion of Mellissimo with Minijack RZ generated considerable interest among attendees”, highlighted Bernardo Cuenca.

New flavours, colours and segments for watermelon

In watermelon, Rijk Zwaan presented a range of concepts and varieties designed to segment the offering, enhance the consumer experience and create new commercial opportunities.

Candy Ball™, Rijk Zwaan’s mini watermelon concept, continues to evolve with Vaiana RZ, a variety that stands out for its yield, post-harvest performance and distinctive quality within the segment. The introduction of new sizes and skin colours also complements the concept and broadens its market potential.

Within Sandissima, the focus was on Cherrinho RZ, a watermelon that minimises the impact of the seeds to provide a more enjoyable eating experience. Its dual-purpose characteristics also offer greater versatility for production and marketing.

In the seedless watermelon segment, Ganimedes RZ stood out for its exceptional flavour, while Winslet RZ attracted attention for its uniformity, yield and firmness in medium sizes.

Another major focus of this edition was Tropical™, Rijk Zwaan’s seedless yellow-flesh watermelon concept. Within this range, Tropical Honey RZ stands out for its flavour and for offering a distinctive visual and eating experience.

The portfolio was completed by Orange Sunglow™, the orange-flesh watermelon concept that brings colour, differentiation and a unique consumer experience, further expanding the possibilities for category segmentation.

“Watermelon offers considerable potential for further growth through segmentation. Different sizes, flesh colours, skin types and flavour profiles enable us to create more attractive propositions and respond to new consumption occasions. Concepts such as Candy Ball, Sandissima, Tropical and Orange Sunglow clearly reflect this evolution”, explained Alberto Cuadrado, Client Manager Chain at Rijk Zwaan.

A platform to experience, share and move forward together

The Global Melon & Watermelon Event combined a range of activities designed to help visitors discover and assess the innovations presented. Attendees took part in personalized visits to the demonstration fields, product tastings, presentations in the retail area, concept displays and meetings with Rijk Zwaan’s specialist teams, among other activities.

The international week opened with the Welcome Evening, a networking event that encouraged interaction between attendees and marked the beginning of several days dedicated to sharing knowledge, experiences and perspectives on the future of the category.

This format allowed attendees to see first-hand how the varieties performed in the field, assess their quality and commercial potential, and exchange experiences regarding the main challenges and opportunities facing the sector.

Rijk Zwaan looks back on this edition with a highly positive assessment and valuable feedback from visitors. These insights will support the continued development of solutions for every link in the value chain.

Through the Global Melon & Watermelon Event, Rijk Zwaan reaffirms its commitment to developing improved varieties that address cultivation challenges, bring differentiation to the market and create new growth opportunities for the melon and watermelon category.

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