Dark-green Faiza RZ bean surprises German consumers

Greentense is one of Rijk Zwaan’s newest concepts. It is based on Faiza RZ, an innovative variety of pole-slicing bean with an attractive dark-green colour and intense flavour. Various customers are already growing Faiza RZ and experiencing the benefits of Greentense for themselves. One such customer is Hans Hornig, a vegetable producer from Heidelberg, Germany.

“Our family-owned company employs 13 people and is based in southern Germany, where the climate is mild. The field crops we produce are cauliflower, corn salad, kohlrabi, various types of lettuce, tomatoes and pole-slicing beans. Some of our crops are grown in tunnels so that we can bring the start of the season forward. We sell our products through the OGA growers’ cooperative; I’m a member of the board. OGA supplies fresh fruit and vegetables to supermarkets throughout the entire southern German region of Baden-Württemberg on a daily basis.”

Striking dark-green colour

“We grow some of our pole-slicing beans in tunnels so that we can start supplying them from May onwards. The open-field production then continues until October. That aligns well with the season in Morocco, which runs from October until May, so we’re able to offer consumers continuity all year round. In 2015 we started trials with Faiza RZ, in close consultation with Rijk Zwaan. We have strong ties with them because I often test their new varieties. This pole-slicing bean caught our attention early on, during tunnel production, thanks to its attractive dark-green colour. In open-field production it has proven to be a strong variety under various weather conditions, such as a hot summer. Its ease of harvesting, good yield and fresh appearance are big advantages.”

Offering something new

“That’s why we switched to Faiza RZ in 2016. This Greentense variety by Rijk Zwaan enables us to offer consumers something new. The appealing colour of this pole-slicing bean is particularly eye-catching. Besides that, another major benefit is of course the fact that the variety is virtually stringless, which makes it very easy to prepare. The intense flavour ensures that consumers will choose to buy this variety time and time again. This striking pole-slicing bean enables us to really surprise our customers.”