News

Today’s consumers are increasingly demanding sustainable options. For example, they expect retailers to minimise food waste by looking into alternatives to plastic packaging. This inspired Liquidseal and Rijk Zwaan to join forces to help the value chain solve this issue. Their partnership has resulted in the introduction of an edible coating on snack cucumbers. This innovative solution offers a great opportunity to meet consumer expectations by improving the sustainability of the fresh produce category.

The growing world population and the intensification of both agriculture and horticulture are inextricably linked, creating major challenges for growers. Not only do they need to manage the increasing demand for high-quality and sustainable produce, but they are also responsible for limiting the frequency and intensity of plant disease. With the Defense label, Rijk Zwaan offers growers worldwide a solution that combines healthy produce with peace of mind. This is yet another example of how Rijk Zwaan works with the industry to tackle challenges together, as partners.

Continually breeding healthy and strong vegetable varieties is Rijk Zwaan’s core business. Each year, the company reinvests a substantial part of its turnover into R&D in order to continuously develop new and improved varieties for its chain partners. Sweet Palermo sweet pointed pepper varieties are a good example of these development activities.

Food retailers and processing companies are continuously looking for innovation. In that context, Rijk Zwaan has combined the best of two globally popular lettuce types into one single exciting lettuce: Crunchy Lettuce. Mixing the sweet elongated leaves of cos with the crunch and juiciness of iceberg, all members of the Crunchy Lettuce family offer consumers a unique taste experience!

As in previous years, Rijk Zwaan’s Hydro Demo in Fijnaart is on the agenda again this year, running from 31 January to 11 February 2022. This demo will showcase the company’s wide choice of innovative and colourful lettuce varieties that have been specifically bred for hydroponic cultivation systems. From the eye-catching Salatrio and Salanova® Teenleaf concepts to crispy, juicy Crunchy Lettuce, the range caters to all tastes.

Colourful vegetables capture attention and pull people to the shelf. Vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan is highlighting its colourful palette of bright, healthy, and inspiring vegetables; encouraging retailers, traders and other chain partners to bring more colour to the fresh produce category. Connect with us during our international events this February. Join us in-person or online via live studio meetings to find out more.

Most European consumers would not dream of trying to cook cucumbers in a wok. Whereas cucumbers are widely stir-fried in Asia, in Western cuisine they are usually eaten raw. The difference lies in their texture; traditional cucumbers have a high moisture content, making them less suitable for use in stir-fry dishes. With Wokcue, Rijk Zwaan has now introduced a unique cucumber variety that is ideal for the wok, bringing a taste of modern Asian cuisine to the Western wold. As a brand-new product, it enables retailers to diversify and simultaneously set themselves apart with their cucumber category.

Vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan generated a net turnover of €498 million in its 2020/2021 financial year, equating to 4% growth compared with the previous year.

Volunteer organisation PUM Netherlands senior experts and vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan are cooperating to support agricultural small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries and emerging markets. PUM's 1600 expert volunteers work together with entrepreneurs in 42 different sectors and 34 countries worldwide.

The fresh produce business is changing rapidly – not only in Asia, but also worldwide – and the coronavirus outbreak has further accelerated the changes. On 28 September, Jan Doldersum, Chain and Retail Manager at Rijk Zwaan, will participate in a panel discussion with two other experts. They will talk about the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the fresh produce business as well as the longer-term impacts and opportunities.