Stories - 16-07-2026
Yellow watermelon boosts the category
Thanks to hot summers, demand for watermelons is growing steadily. With the yellow varieties from Rijk Zwaan’s seedless Tropical® range, retailers can add a surprising twist to this category and drive further growth. “Consumers are enthusiastic about our yellow watermelon,” notes Marketing Specialist Heleen van Rijn-Wassenaar.
Delicious flavour
The Tropical range not only has a summery colour, but also an excellent flavour. “At Fruit Logistica in Berlin, we served visitors our yellow watermelons on a stick, just like an ice lolly. ‘Wow, this is delicious!’ was the most common reaction,” says Heleen. The exceptional flavour has been confirmed by the International Taste & Quality Institute (ITQI) in Brussels, which awarded the Tropical range the highest possible rating of three stars.
Delivery reliability
The two varieties in the Tropical range offer many other advantages. For instance, both Tropical Sunshine and Tropical Honey achieve dependable and uniform production, supporting delivery reliability. Moreover, consumers really like the fact that they are seedless.
Heleen explains the differences between the two varieties: “Tropical Sunshine has an average fruit weight of between 5 and 6 kilos and a dark green ‘sugar baby’ rind. Tropical Honey weighs between 3 and 5 kilos – depending on the cultivation method – and has a tiger stripe-patterned rind. This enables retailers to choose a yellow watermelon that stands out from their standard red watermelons in terms of size and/or appearance, so that consumers can tell them apart easily in stores.”
Adding colour to the category
Various retailers have already embraced this niche product. “Our yellow watermelons are already adding a splash of colour to the category in North America, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia. Supermarkets have been able to boost this category by surprising shoppers,” states Heleen.
Marketing support
Rijk Zwaan is happy to connect retailers who wish to list this new product with watermelon growers. Heleen: “We have strong links with producers on every continent. We can also support retailers with marketing and promotion – such as by providing professional product photos, and raising awareness via our consumer platform, Veggies First.”