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Rijk Zwaan has a clear long-term goal: a healthy future. To achieve maximum impact in the chain, the vegetable breeding company based in the Dutch town of De Lier is a strong advocate of working in close collaboration with partners. The company has therefore chosen ‘Stronger together’ as the theme for its stand at Fruit Logistica 2020 – the major international fresh produce trade show which will take place from 5 to 7 February in Berlin.

The concept has clearly hit the right spot… the small, organic vegetables sold loose under the catchy name of ‘Little & Fresh’ have proved so popular with consumers in an initial pilot by Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo that the retailer will be rolling out the pilot to 15 of its stores in 2020. In particular the open and transparent collaboration between all the chain partners has been hugely inspiring, according to Harm-Jan Eikelenboom, Marketing Manager at The Greenery, and Peter Polak, Purchasing Manager at Naturelle. This collaboration underlines Rijk Zwaan’s theme for the Fruit Logistica (5-7 February) in Berlin: ‘Stronger together’.

Lettuce is one of the most widely eaten vegetables in the world. It is in the top 10 in the USA, and even holds the number-one spot in a number of countries in northern Europe. Lettuce is so versatile that its use is definitely not limited to salads. It is also an unmissable ingredient in hamburgers, sandwiches and convenience concepts, for example. With the right type of lettuce including extended shelf-life, you’re assured of success every time. But how can you choose the perfect lettuce? Rijk Zwaan’s lettuce specialists can help.

“I was really blown away a couple of times today. Wow – I didn’t realise things were already so advanced!” said Jim Stolze, tech entrepreneur on Saturday 2 November. He was chair of the one-day TechnoHouse event – the leading in-house technology festival organised by vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan.

“Rijk Zwaan’s R&D train continues to hurtle down the tracks because the growing world population is in urgent need of new varieties, new seeds and even better products. It is undeniably a world-class Dutch company,” states the Hillenraad jury report. Rijk Zwaan has secured the number-one spot in this year’s Hillenraad500+ ranking of leading Dutch companies in the horticultural sector. Marco van Leeuwen, one of Rijk Zwaan’s directors, accepted the prestigious prize during the Hortigala event held at the Ridderzaal in the Hague on Friday, 1 November.

Rijk Zwaan, a family-owned company that breeds and supplies vegetable seeds worldwide, generated a record annual turnover of €440 million in its 2018/2019 financial year. This is a new milestone, representing more than 6% growth over the previous year.

The organic vegetable market continues to show robust growth worldwide. Vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan is responding to that growth with new disease-resistant varieties that offer harvest reliability. Lettuce Breeder Johan Schut: “We listen closely to the entire fresh produce chain’s needs, and those needs are focused on what consumers of organic products want: high-quality, chemical-free vegetables that are also affordable.”

On 10 October 2019, Rijk Zwaan organised a customer event especially for cucumber growers from northern Europe. As the name of the event suggests, ‘All about Cucumbers’ was designed to update cucumber growers on the latest developments in terms of cucumber breeding, production and market trends, and to help them capitalise on new opportunities.

On Wednesday, 9 October 2019, Rijk Zwaan held an interesting day to present an exclusive preview of the latest trends in the global market for healthy food, which is currently booming. The day, which highlighted various unique and innovative, health-related concepts, included a special contribution from Fernando Botella, CEO from Think&Action. Rijk Zwaan will be exhibiting at Fruit Attraction 2019-Ifema (Pavilion 9 Stand 9D12) later this month.

Everyone’s heard of Caesar salad – it is one of the most widely eaten salads in the world, whether at home, as a ‘salad to go’ or at fast-food outlets. Foodservice companies in particular find it challenging to keep Caesar salad looking fresh, because the key ingredient – cos lettuce, or romaine lettuce as it is also known – tends to turn pink around the edges after cutting. Vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan, which is the market leader in leafy crops, has the solution.