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
• • • • •
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.
[
]
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
[
]
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
[
]
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
[
]
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
[
]
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