Rijk Zwaan Company magazine

Rijk Zwaan in Company

Daily working on new vegetables Creating added value in the entire chain Innovating using natural diversity Strict checks offer certainty Reaping success together with partners

Seeds & Services

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The management team: Marco van Leeuwen, Ben Tax, Kees Reinink

As the management of Rijk Zwaan we would like to state the primary objective of Rijk Zwaan: to offer our employees an enjoyable and lasting job with good terms of employment.

An enjoyable job requires a

openness and honesty;

pleasant, motivating environment.

respect for other people; a

That is one of the reasons

team spirit and high moral

why we feel that our company

norms and values.

culture is so very important.

It is characterised by especially

And what do those who are

the following elements:

involved externally with

• Reliability.

Rijk Zwaan notice of these

• An entrepreneurial spirit, with

objectives? Well, the trust

inexhaustible. At Rijk Zwaan we

plenty of room for creativity

that we give our employees

are acutely aware of this. We want

and innovation.

is rewarded with loyalty, high

Nature is abundant but not

to develop the very best vegetable varieties and seed while not upsetting the balance in Nature. After

• Business ethics of the highest order.

motivation, enormous dedication and close involvement. Our

all, we aim to go on creating new

• A pleasant atmosphere,

employees regard Rijk Zwaan

top varieties in the future as well.

achieved in particular by

in fact as their own business.

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Our values

Rijk Zwaan: daily working on new and healthy vegetables Facts and figures

employees handle our customers,

Rijk Zwaan focuses on the

Range: 25 vegetable crops;

suppliers, the authorities and

development and sales of

approx. 850 varieties

all other business partners.

high-quality vegetable varieties

Annual turnover: approx.

They can count on a top product

and seed for professional

â‚Ź 200 million

and a high level of service.

growers in food-producing

Sales: in more than

They can also experience that

horticulture, be that in glass-

100 countries

Rijk Zwaan is a reliable partner.

houses or outdoors.

Subsidiaries: 25

Apart from our commercial

The company belongs to the

Employees: approx. 1,600

activities, we also know our

top 5 largest vegetable

Head ofďŹ ce:

social responsibilities: as in

breeding companies in the

De Lier, the Netherlands

setting up Afrisem, for example,

world.

where we transfer our specific knowledge in the areas of plant breeding and growing vegetables to the local population. In this way we can be more than just another profit-making company.

Seeds & Services

And we see that in the way our

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Research

We use the rich, genetic diversity in Nature as the basis for our breeding work and link it with our topical and high-quality knowledge of plants and seeds.

Innovation found in Nature

over the world. Together with

limits. And our creative

varieties. And without new

three other international

breeders eventually translate

varieties no progress in the

vegetable-breeding companies,

this knowledge and technique

cultivation, trade and sales of

Rijk Zwaan is a shareholder in

into new vegetable varieties.

vegetables. That is why

biotech company KeyGene in

That is how problems at the

fundamental research forms

Wageningen. The fundamental

germination stage are solved

the essential basis at Rijk Zwaan

research we carry out serves

and new plant diseases are

for all further processes.

to improve and accelerate our

quickly picked up and linked

Rijk Zwaan has at its disposal

breeding processes. For each

with a resistance. Flavour and phytochemicals are analysed

High-level research in physiology, breeding techniques and seed technology.

and built into new varieties.

In this way we can continuously supply our customers with the

highly specialised laboratories

crop, around 30,000 different

in the areas of biochemistry,

genes and their interaction on

cell biology and molecular

the one hand and hundreds of

biology, phytopathology and

desired variety traits on the

seed technology. Our breeders

other, play a role. Passionate

maintain close contact with

researchers are forever

renowned plant-scientific

re-defining the boundaries of

institutes and universities all

what is possible within natural

most up-to-date products.

Seeds & Services

Without innovation no new

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Breeding

Creating added value with our knowledge and genetics As breeders of vegetables we continuously create new, unique combinations of traits to create successful business further up the chain.

Vegetables are grown, traded

holds just the right genetic

know what traits are desired,

and eaten everywhere on earth.

information. A plant, crop or

now and, more particularly, in

But climates differ, growing

product with this new, improved

the future, we regularly carry

methods evolve and tastes

combination of traits sub-

out market research and we

change. And, with them, the

sequently leads to a higher

talk daily with our customers.

demands made of vegetables

return for our partners. For

Whether it be the beginning or

also change. A still higher

example, these varieties would

the end of the chain, wherever

production, extra resistance,

enable growers to reduce

in the world: Rijk Zwaan’s knowledge and genetics

Our varieties can reduce costs, increase production and give differentiation on the shop shelves.

provide the optimal starting position for doing successful business.

an efficient shape, a perfect

costs or increase production.

flavour. Rijk Zwaan ensures

Having a unique product can

that all these traits come toge-

also create differentiation on

ther in one tiny seed, which

the shop shelves. In order to

Seeds & Services

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Logistics

Fast, accurate and efficient means profit for our customers.

High demands and stringent checks offer certainty Modern checking techniques, combined

and an eye for detail from our

with a high degree of skill and commitment

employees, Rijk Zwaan

add a unique quality guarantee to our

distinguishes itself with its high-quality vegetable seed.

products.

Each lot of seed is given a unique barcode and each stage and packing the seed no

between harvest and delivery

form of seed. But not just the

mistakes are allowed, either.

is painstakingly recorded.

genetics are pure Nature, so

Daily supplying sufficient

This allows us to always be

is our seed. That is why their

vegetable seed of the best

able to tell our customers in

production takes place in the

quality, at the right time – in

detail about the origins of the

most ideal conditions and in

the desired form and of the

seed supplied. From product development to delivery,

Every single action between harvest and delivery is painstakingly recorded.

Rijk Zwaan works fast, accurately and efficiently.

After all, any improvement in

accordance with the most

right variety – and all that

production or quality control

stringent phytosanitary rules

worldwide. That demands

can only be of benefit not just

and regulations: because a

tight planning and the most

to Rijk Zwaan, but also to all

perfect start is the best

stringent quality checks.

our customers.

guarantee for the desired end

By means of accurate tracking

quality. But between harvesting

and tracing, clever sampling

Seeds & Services

We sell our genetics in the

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Partnership

Together with our partners we reap success Our involvement does not stop once we have sold our seed. Together with our business partners we work on new possibilities in the cultivation, trade, sales and consumption of vegetables all over the world.

Rijk Zwaan is where our

assess how it is doing but we

level with growers, merchants

customers are: all over

are also on the shop floor to

and supermarkets, varieties,

the world.

see how our varieties perform

crops and concepts can be

That is how we know the local

on the shelves. With our

harmonised. All this is done

situation: the climate, the crop,

specialist knowledge and our

with the objective of getting

the harvest, sales.

worldwide network we can

as much value from the chain with our genetics as possible,

We are not just to be found among crops, but on the shop floor as well.

for all our partners. Innovating is something we do together, we carry out our ideas together

And that is also how we

provide the growers of our

and, ultimately, we all reap the

can make progress in our

varieties with crop information

successes together. That’s

business, together with our

and tips at crucial moments

what we are partners for.

partners. After all, we are

during the growing season.

right at the heart of a crop to

By collaborating at international

Seeds & Services

Rijk Zwaan Group De Lier | The Netherlands www.rijkzwaan.com