Rijk Zwaan: focus on chain cooperation

“There is no better way of getting a fresh product to the right shop and on the consumers’ plates every day than by chain cooperation,” affirms Rijk Zwaan. Jan Doldersum, manager of marketing and business development. He explains, “We offer a very cooperative model for chain collaboration and strive to develop long term relationships with our customers. We work with chain managers to achieve this goal. “Rijk Zwaan is a Dutch-based company that develops vegetable varieties and sells the seeds produced from them. The final products are sold to the trade, retail and processing industry. Although Rijk Zwaan is noticing that customers’ needs have changed considerably over the past 10 years, they aim to stay close to the market and devise solutions that benefit the whole chain. Jan Doldersum: “We map the needs in the market and translate them to breeding criteria. With our different product lines, we respond to demand and offer our customers a broad assortment.” There is Sensational Flavours for varieties with exceptional flavour, Sensational Ingredients to highlight varieties with enriched ingredients like betanin in beetroot and lycopene in tomato; Sensational Snacks to respond to demand for healthy snacks; Convenience and Industry for processing clients; and Organic. Jan Doldersum: “The demand for organic varieties is on the rise and we see growth in our activities, particularly in Southern Europe, South America, China and Turkey.