As consumers prepare for Fourth of July celebrations, Melon 1 is helping retailers showcase one of summer's most iconic fruits through an expanded U.S.-themed merchandising program designed to drive excitement in the produce department and celebrate the American family farmer.

The watermelon category surpassed 3.5 billion pounds at retail in 2025, and new research from the National Watermelon Promotion Board delivers a clear roadmap for sustained growth. NWPB released its 2025 State of the Category Marketing Guide, equipping retailers, marketers and category managers with fact-based insights to drive year-round watermelon sales. The new research highlights how whole and cut watermelon play distinct, but complementary roles throughout the year.

The findings point to three clear opportunities for the industry to maximize retail sales:

The National Watermelon Promotion Board’s mission centers on a single, industry-wide objective: increasing consumer demand for watermelon. 

As the watermelon industry gets set to gather for its annual convention Feb. 19-22 in St. Pete Beach, FL, NWPB continues its year-round work to support this industry by strengthening watermelon’s relevance, visibility and value in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

As the National Watermelon Association prepares to host its 111th annual convention, Executive Director George Szczepanski reflected on some of the challenges and successes the watermelon industry experienced in 2025.

“This past season was marked by uncertainty and market bottlenecks that affected many segments of the industry,” said Szczepanski. “Those challenges reinforced the importance of strong advocacy and adaptable business practices.”

The watermelon category has added 7 million new purchasing households since 2021, with watermelon now in 75 percent of all U.S. households. These new buyers helped generate $782 million in incremental purchases, pushing total category purchases to $3.2 billion — a 33 percent increase over the period. 

Few things taste better after 26.2 miles than ice-cold watermelon. That’s why the National Watermelon Promotion Board was proud to be back at the Marine Corps Marathon Finish Festival, giving away 10 pallets of fresh watermelon to thousands of runners from all 50 states and internationally.