BEJO’S ORGANIC BUSINESS UNIT CONTINUES TO DRIVE INNOVATION
PIONEERING SINCE THE 1990S SEED DISINFECTION WITHOUT CHEMICALS. ONIONS THAT ARE RESISTANT TO DOWNY MILDEW. THESE ACHIEVEMENTS MAY BE OLD NEWS AT BEJO TODAY, BUT 30 YEARS AGO THEY WOULD HAVE SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE. HISTORY SHOWS THAT OUR ORGANIC ACTIVITIES HAVE ALWAYS DRIVEN INNOVATION. AND THEY CONTINUE TO DO SO TODAY, AS CONVENTIONAL FARMING STARTS LOOKING MORE AND MORE LIKE ORGANIC.
Bejo first got involved in organic agriculture back in the 1990s. In the previous decade, the world had started to wake up to the importance of sustainability. People had become more aware of the environmental effects of pesticides and fertilizers. Against this backdrop, the market for organic and biodynamic vegetables had cautiously developed. The first growers were small, and their goods reached consumers mainly through natural food stores, farm sales and farmers’ markets. In the 1990s, it became clear that organic was going to outgrow this niche. Some growers decided to scale up their production. Consumers were becoming more familiar with organic products, and mainstream supermarkets began to see value in organic ranges.
Bejo gets in early “Ger Beemsterboer, the managing director at the time, was convinced that the trend would continue,” says Dick van der Zeijden, then Sales Support Manager. “He said, ‘Growers are going to need organic seed, and we need to make sure we’re able to provide it.’” Van der Zeijden was involved in Bejo’s organic activities from the beginning. He retired years ago but continues to serve as an advisor for the company.
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BEJO ORGANIC MAGAZINE
