Chainmail RZ

Foodbloggers event hits the right spot

The rise of urban farming and plant factories

Rijk Zwaan helps to dress up the humble burger

Rijk Zwaan magazine for all chain partners | August 2016

Up on the roof in The HagueUF002 De Schilde, the name of the production company in The Hague belonging to the Swiss firm Urban Farmers, uses aquaponic production methods. The system extracts nutrients from the excrement of the tilapia fish and these nutrients are then used as feed for the plants in the rooftop greenhouse. The plants purify the water, which then goes back into the fish tanks. Recycling in this way means that much less water is required than for traditional cultivation. Furthermore, the semi-closed system and optimal production conditions eliminate the need for pesticides or antibiotics.www.urbanfarmers.nl

2 The rise of urban farming and plant factories

4 Living lettuce event for food bloggers hits the right spot

6 Australians embrace the sweet piel de sapo melon

Wassana Farm supports Thai launch of Golden Emerald melon

7 Growth of high-density Salanova® in the US market

Lettuce from paradise

8 Rijk Zwaan helps to dress up the humble burger

Collaboration improves service to QSRs in India

9 Knox lettuce varieties offer new opportunities for fresh cut Cos lettuce

10 Ecoveg gets off to a great start in Tanzania with support from Rijk Zwaan

New Sicilian trial station stimulates chain collaboration

11 Introducing snack cucumbers to Brazilian consumers

12 Internal Red maximises on-shelf impact at Migros

13 Thai vegetable company sets itself apart with peppers

14 Responding to consumer needs around the world

When we meet with Marc Celis, Rijk Zwaan’s Crop Specialist Lettuce, he has just returned from a brainstorming session for ESA’s Mars project. The idea of growing vegetables on another planet may sound like science fiction, but for Celis it’s only logical to look further ahead. “We’re constantly involved in thinking about new production methods for the future, plus how we can support them with our breeding activities.”Although space-based cultivation may still be some way off, urban farming is already a reality – such as in North America, for example. “Things are much more spread out on that continent, so urban farming is essential to bring food production closer to consumers. The company Gotham Greens, based in Chicago and New York, is doing so very professionally: it produces numerous types of lettuce hydroponically on the rooftops of buildings. Most of the crop production in Europe is urban farming because the distances from production to sales markets are much smaller. Where in the USA the main production area for lettuce is in California, 3000 miles to New York ”

Suitable varieties for projects Nevertheless, since 1 March 2016 a large-scale urban farming project has been up and running in the Netherlands too: UF002 De Schilde (see box). Rijk Zwaan supplies the company with suitable varieties and provides advice on the best approach. And the project has a good chance of success, according to Bauke van Lenteren,

Passing trend or future?

The rise of urban farming and plant factoriesVegetables are grown indoors and outdoors. Currently we see an increase in indoor protected production. There are a growing number of initiatives with ‘media-friendly’ names such as urban farming, city farming, vertical farming and plant factories. Some of them are aimed at bringing consumers and food production closer together, while other projects stem from food safety issues or a lack of water. Rijk Zwaan regularly contributes its expertise to such initiatives.

Photo-credit: Martijn Zegwaard, UF002 De Schilde

The magazine Chainmail RZ is published in English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese and German by Rijk Zwaan Distribution B.V. It is distributed to chain partners worldwide and has a circulation of 8,000.

Text and editorial team: Rijk Zwaan Photography: Rijk Zwaan, Tjipke MeijerLay-out: Drukkerij Van DeventerPrinting: Drukkerij Van DeventerReproduction stating source is allowed.

Chainmail RZ has been created with the utmost care. Nevertheless no liability can or will be accepted for any incorrect information.

Rijk Zwaan Distribution B.V.Burgemeester Crezéelaan 40P.O. Box 40, 2678 ZG De LierThe NetherlandsT +31 (0)174 53 23 00F +31 (0)174 53 21 63E chainmanagement@rijkzwaan.nlwww.rijkzwaan.com

Contents

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Marketing Specialist Leafies at Rijk Zwaan: “At De Schilde they organise a lot of guided tours which generate revenue and help to keep the company profitable. Consumers and companies are very interested in visiting.”

Sense of freshness up closeApart from this expansive urban farm there are lots of small-scale initiatives that bring people and food closer together. Allotments, urban gardens and school gardens are hugely popular, for example, and restaurants that use ingredients picked from their own greenhouse or garden are increasingly common. When Dutch retail chain Albert Heijn ran a loyalty campaign giving away free pots of seeds for vegetable gardens, it saw a considerable rise in sales.“Have you seen the mini greenhouses sold by IKEA? They’re really popular and come complete with granulate and seeds. People like seeing how vegetables grow, and the consumer seed market is growing in line with this trend. Rijk Zwaan supplies many of those seeds via intermediaries,” says Van Lenteren.German retailer Metro has responded to this trend by installing a small greenhouse inside one of its stores (see box). “It brings the sense of freshness right up close. To me, that’s just great marketing. Rijk Zwaan is happy to support initiatives of this kind if they help to make vegetables more accessible for everyone.”

Clean, eco-friendly and disease-freeIn addition to urban farms of all sizes,

another development is the rising number of plant factories worldwide. These are windowless, multi-layered facilities where vegetables are cultivated under artificial light. The idea of factory-made vegetables evokes a reaction that is very different from the nostalgia associated with those grown in an urban garden. Van Lenteren: “I expected consumers to regard it as too artificial, yet it actually appeals to them because it’s a clean, eco-friendly, efficient and disease-free production method.”There are various reasons for establishing a plant factory. Green Sense Farms (see box) did it to shorten the fresh produce chain. In Japan, this method of production meets the need for safe food, which is a logical consequence of the Fukushima disaster. Marc Celis gives examples of other reasons: “Hong Kong has high humidity and therefore

incidences of plant disease. In Dubai, water is scarce and the climate is hot. You can regulate the temperature, CO2 level, humidity and artificial light inside the facilities even better than inside greenhouses. Furthermore, plant factories are not climate-dependent and they take up less space.”

Suitability for artificial lightBut not all varieties thrive under artificial light and some are more suitable than others for multi-layer cultivation, such as leafies. Celis helps plant factories around the world to make the right decisions. “At the moment it’s still a matter of growing existing varieties in a certain way, but our breeders are working hard to develop varieties that deliver optimal performance under artificial light. We’re focusing on tomorrow’s vegetable production – here on Earth, and perhaps even in space.” 

Fresh herbs grown in store in BerlinShoppers at the German grocery chain Metro in Berlin have been privileged to a ‘first’ since March 2016, when a four-square-metre greenhouse was installed in the store to grow vegetables and herbs. The greenhouse was designed by the company Infarm, which is convinced that the future lies in vertical farming on a micro scale.www.infarm.de

American Green Sense Farms: towards a faster chainThe North-American company Green Sense Farms cultivates leafy vegetables in five plant factories in densely populated areas. It has ambitious growth plans for China and Canada. The aim is to achieve clean, sustainable production of leafies that can be supplied to consumers faster. Whereas in the ‘normal’ American fresh produce chain it takes 72 to 120 hours before the vegetables arrive in stores, Green Sense Farms is reducing that down to 24 hours. Rijk Zwaan is one of the company’s innovation partners. www.greensensefarms.com

Passing trend or future?

The rise of urban farming and plant factories

Keen to know more about plant factories?Rijk Zwaan has established a closed online platform

called Green Box where experts from Rijk Zwaan share their knowledge about hydroponics, plant factories and everything in between. Interested? Send an email to

greenbox@rijkzwaan.nl. Rijk Zwaan is also a member of the Association for Vertical Farming. See vertical-farming.net.

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Hundreds of posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and other social media; eight blogs, complete with inspiring photos, tasty recipes and upbeat stories (e.g. blog by De groene meisjes [‘The Green Girls’]); over 5,000 views on Facebook and 700 on YouTube for the event’s ‘after-movie’ – these are just some of the results from the afternoon of inspiration, where food bloggers heard all about ‘living lettuce’: lettuce sold with its root ball still attached. The event was organised by Rijk Zwaan

and its chain partner Staay Food Group but branded as Love my Salad. “We purposefully chose to keep our companies in the background. It revolved around living lettuce: Salanova®, Salatrio and the many other variations,” explains Van der Leeden.

Marvelling at production methodsThe afternoon included a visit to lettuce producer Boer den Hoedt in Ridderkerk. The mode of transport was an old school bus. “It was great to

see the bloggers marvel at how root ball lettuce is produced on water and the fact that it’s a very clean and eco-friendly product. The supermarkets don’t always get that message across,” comments Annelies Blaauwkamer, Community Manager at Rijk Zwaan and organiser of the event. Upon their arrival back in Rotterdam, the bloggers themselves got hands on with preparing and photographing food. “That’s what they love doing the most, of course, and we ended up with some fantastic photos and delicious food.”

Passion for healthy eatingMost food bloggers have a passion for food that not only tastes great but is healthy too. And that’s precisely what ties them to Love my Salad, Rijk Zwaan’s online platform that aims to inspire people with recipes, tips and facts about vegetables every day. Blaauwkamer: “We can’t do it alone, however. That’s why we’re so happy about the rising popularity of food bloggers. We all share the same ambition, but each blogger has their own target group. One might be more

Hundreds of positive posts, likes, comments, blogs and tweets

Living lettuce event for food bloggers hits the right spotEuropean food bloggers have hundreds of thousands of followers, making them an interesting new target group. On 22 April 2016, Rijk Zwaan’s online platform called Love my Salad invited high-profile food bloggers from the Netherlands and Belgium to the fashionable Fenix Food Factory venue in Rotterdam. It was the first event of its kind and it immediately hit the right spot. “All 24 food bloggers were enthusiastic, which was a very nice surprise. This concept could work well in other countries too,” says Maarten van der Leeden, Account Manager Retail.

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Hundreds of positive posts, likes, comments, blogs and tweets

Living lettuce event for food bloggers hits the right spot

focused on health, another on sport and nutrition and a third on vegetarian or vegan recipes, for example. So we can reach countless different consumers through them.”

Powerful mediumThe numerous posts, likes, comments, blogs and tweets prove that the message is getting through. Van der Leeden: “Our objective was to find new target groups. We wanted to give bloggers inspiration for new content, and we succeeded. This is the first time we’ve done anything like this but it definitely won’t be the last. Food blogs are a very

powerful medium. We’re seeing that retailers monitor them closely, so having bloggers

cover our product can in turn strengthen our position on supermarket shelves.

That’s why we’ll definitely be following up on this event.”

A vegetable box every monthRijk Zwaan is doing so by sending

each food blogger a vegetable box

every month for the next six months. The boxes will contain various lettuce types but also other products. Blaauwkamer: “We’ve now connected with the bloggers, so the next step is to build on that.”And there are more ideas for further rolling out the concept. Van der Leeden: “A similar concept could work with food vloggers, other chain partners, other products and in other countries. There are lots of food bloggers in the UK and Germany, for example, and those countries are also important sales markets for our products. So we can see plenty of opportunities.” 

Marianne Lock – blogger and illustrator – captured the essence of the afternoon in this cheerful drawing which was of course subsequently shared generously on social media.

De groene meisjes wrote the following blog about the eventReach: 150,000 followers

[…] Later that afternoon I attended another event: the Living Lettuce Bloggers Event organised by Love my Salad. And wow, the people behind that really know their stuff. The decor (of the workshop area at the Fenix Food Factory) was perfect, a school bus had been arranged to take us to visit a lettuce grower and they’d literally thought of everything: food, drink, scented candles, fresh flowers… yes, that’s the way to win me over.We learnt all kinds of things about different types of lettuce, how to make fabulous dishes using lettuce and then how to take great photos of them. Pretty smart, because every blogger is interested in that. It was a fun afternoon and I’m now looking forward to the spring and summer even more than before because now I know for sure that I’m going to eat lots and lots of salads.

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Three years ago, most Australians were unaware of the deliciously sweet and refreshing flavour offered by the piel de sapo melon. Then Rijk Zwaan, together with a number of visionary growers, introduced its new variety, Ricura RZ: a smaller, more convenient and sweeter version of the traditional types.

In close collaboration with Wassana Farm, Rijk Zwaan is rolling out the new Golden Emerald melon 34-248 RZ in Thailand and elsewhere in South-east Asia. This product creates a new segment in the regional market and paves the way for more new product launches in the future.

Wassana Farm supports Thai launch of Golden Emerald melon

satisfy Australian consumers’ ever-increasing appetite for new flavours, concepts and multicultural ideas in fresh produce. It is now available in supermarkets and specialised stores and demand is increasing steadily as consumers discover this new sweet melon.

“Nevertheless, we still have to educate consumers more about the melon’s attributes and how they can select and enjoy a good melon,” comments Maurice. “Ricura RZ melons are not aromatic so there’s no point in smelling them before purchase or tapping them to listen for a ‘hollow’ sound. The secret to picking a good piel de sapo melon is to select a fairly firm, yellowing olive-coloured melon with ample ‘netting’ or ‘cracking’ lines on the skin. This indicates that the melon has been harvested at its peak so its pale green-coloured flesh is sweet and ready to eat.” 

Mrs. Wassana Sukping, Wassana Farm is one of the best melon farms in Thailand. It is investing in new technology as it increasingly shifts towards greenhouse cultivation. The company is characterised by its willingness to collaborate and share knowledge with chain partners. Supported by Rijk Zwaan, Wassana Farm now grows Golden Emerald and sells it through supermarkets including Big C, Tops and Tesco Lotus. Wassana Farm plans to build on this success with the launch of other new Rijk Zwaan melon products in the future. 

In the Northern Hemisphere, the piel de sapo melon is commonly known as a ‘Santa Claus’ or ‘Christmas’ melon. Its longer shelf life traditionally meant that the melons harvested in October could be consumed around Christmas time. “Nowadays, however, consumers have the luxury of enjoying these melons at their best almost every day of the year. They are grown in various production regions, enabling a year-round supply. You can’t beat that!” says Maurice Schiavon, Rijk Zwaan Australia’s melon expert.

Ricura RZ was originally produced in Australia specifically for the Asian export market. However, three years ago one of Rijk Zwaan’s trade partners introduced it to the domestic retail market to

in Thailand to convince all stakeholders in the chain, from seed to shelf, of the variety’s unique selling points (USPs).First introduced in 2013, 34-248 RZ was trialled extensively in local growing conditions and has now been developed as a high-quality variety for greenhouse cultivation. The 34-248 RZ is also performing well for open field growing. The variety is highly tolerant to powdery mildew, has a good size under dry season productions as well as less cracking compared with local standards. With a team of 50 highly professional employees led by Managing Director

Australians embrace the sweet piel de sapo melon

The recent development of the 34-248 RZ melon represents opportunities for new market segmentation in Thailand and other South-east Asia countries, where the current standard melons are green with netting. However, this also makes its introduction a challenge. Rijk Zwaan has worked closely with Wassana Farm

Rijk Zwaan has been working with key customers in creating and expanding the possibilities for mechanically harvesting Salanova® in a high-density scenario.

Paul Singleton and Geoff Haines founded Pacific Produce in 1997 and now grow about 7 hectares of hydroponic lettuce outdoors. Rijk Zwaan lettuce varieties are an important part of their programme, including several Salanova® types, butter lettuce Adantia RZ and romaine types such as Requena RZ. Pacific Produce employs 22 full-time workers and distributes its fresh whole heads of lettuce to high-end restaurants, hotel resorts and retail stores in Hawaii.

The farm is situated near the town of Kula, at about 1,000 metres above sea level along the west side of the dormant volcano Haleakala. At that altitude, daytime temperatures are consistently in the 20-21° Celsius range and average rainfall is close to 600mm per year, which ensures an

ample supply of pure mountain water for the nutrient film technique (NFT) outdoor growing systems.

The wild pheasant population represents a major pest, so each row is covered in bird netting. The most important challenge, however, is downy mildew (Bremia). Paul Singleton attributes some of Pacific Produce’s success to Rijk Zwaan’s mildew-resistant varieties, commenting: “With help from RZ staff, we have transitioned most our varieties to the very latest Bremia resistance. We also switched from older romaine varieties to Requena RZ, which has very high yield potential as well as great colour, leaf shape and appearance. The chefs love it!” 

Paul Singleton en Geoff Haines

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The processing sector is a very mature segment in the US. The traditional lettuce types used are cos, iceberg, butter head, baby leaf, and batavia. However, Rijk Zwaan quickly realised that Salanova varieties offer a possibility to expand this segment with types that do not require so many cutting and processing applications and hence offer efficiency gains for processors. Furthermore, Salanova can be grown at high density (60,000 seeds per acre, equivalent to 45 seeds/m2) and harvested mechanically. This enables growers to supply processors with the full amount of lettuce needed for their production activities for sale to retail and/or foodservice clients.

“The main reasons that customers choose high density over growing traditional baby leaf, are to achieve extra yield and a longer shelf life, or because of the nice bite of certain varieties,” says Braden Hoover, Crop Specialist Lettuce for Rijk Zwaan USA. “Within the Salanova line used for high density, the most

Growth of high-density Salanova® in the US market

popular varieties are the sweet crisp/incised types: Wintex RZ, Telex RZ, Exponent RZ, Exfiles RZ, Expertise RZ and Stefano RZ.”

Faced with rising labour costs and also labour shortages, the US produce industry is looking for options to improve efficiency at every stage of the chain. “With the combination of types that are suitable for mechanical harvesting, we can change the way our customers grow and process their products,” concludes Braden.  

With its warm sandy beaches, deep blue oceans and palm trees, Hawaii is a tropical paradise. However, thanks to collaboration between Rijk Zwaan USA and local company Pacific Produce, the volcanic island of Maui is also a production region for high-quality lettuce.

Lettuce from paradise

Grower Peter Muscat harvesting Othilie RZ for, Neil Perry’s “The Burger Project”]

8 Rijk Zwaan | Chainmail

Neil Perry, chef and owner of the Burger Project food service concept in Australia, was keen to connect with growers in the search for fresh produce that ‘fits’ with the company’s provenance-based approach and to share the story behind the specially selected ingredients on his menus. By working closely with local growers, Rijk Zwaan Australia was able to help select the right lettuce variety that would add vibrancy, contrasting colours and additional textures and flavours to chef Perry’s hamburger creations. Othilie RZ, the chosen variety, ultimately provides a better leaf for everybody in the chain – including, of course, consumers.

In a recent survey, 84 percent of Australian consumers indicated that they are more likely to buy from a business they feel connected to (CommBank’s Retail Therapy research, 2016). This type of connectivity is creating opportunities for vegetable growers. Restaurateurs are hungry for inspiration and food knowledge so they can help customers make informed, confident choices by

providing personalised and relevant information about where their food has come from. And with its ‘Sharing a healthy future’ approach, as well as initiatives such as Love my Salad, Rijk Zwaan is in an excellent position to provide support. 

The increasing demand for trendy, health-conscious meals is a key factor influencing consumers’ choices. By working closely with chefs and growers, Rijk Zwaan was able to help Australia’s Burger Project restaurant group select fancy lettuce variety Othilie RZ to dress up its burgers.

Collaboration improves service to QSRs in India

Rijk Zwaan helps to dress up the humble burger

In a combined effort, Vista Processed Foods and Rijk Zwaan are working

together to ensure that leading quick service restaurants (QSRs) and food chains in India receive

a more reliable supply of hygienic fresh vegetables for use in their end

products.

Mr Nanja Reddy is manager of Vista Processed Foods Pvt. Ltd., a processing

company that supplies lettuce, red cabbage, sweet pepper, carrot and tomato as fresh cut (chilled) vegetables to the QSR segment in southern India.

Vista’s customers include global customers such as McDonald’s,

Papa John’s and Dunkin Donuts.

Vista holds international accreditations like SQMS and ISO 20000, and its cultivation activities comply with Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). The firm operates an end-to-end cold chain; immediately after being harvested, the crops are first pre-cooled at the farm then transferred to temperature-controlled reefer trucks for delivery to the processing unit.

Rijk Zwaan has played an important role in enabling Vista to meet its customers’ needs. “Rijk Zwaan is the only company in India that helps growers from seed to harvest,” comments Mr Reddy. “The Rijk Zwaan sales team is always available to advise and guide growers, helping them to expand their own cultivation expertise. And the chain team keeps growers continuously informed on the supply and demand situation to keep things running smoothly.”

Vista is now exploring future opportunities including hydroponics, pre-packed salads and possibilities to tie up with high-end QSR chains. 

Bakkavor’s ambition is to offer convenience, quality and enjoyment to the consumer through fresh prepared foods. To grow their business, produce technologist Lorraine Shaw is always looking for innovation in products and technology. One recent innovation of interest is Knox™. “We were impressed by the results of the first factory trials.”

Bakkavor considers many product attributes when developing new leaf varieties. They not only look for improvements in colour, shape and shelf life, but also believe that agronomical aspects and factory process efficiency are equally important. “We use market trends and inspiration from across the chain to guide our product selections”, says Lorraine Shaw. “We listen to feedback from our customers and consumers, we have experienced marketing and development teams, and, of course, we use the knowledge of our suppliers. This includes our growers and seed companies.”

Close cooperationBakkavor’s close working relationship with Rijk Zwaan is established and successful: Bakkavor was one of the first companies to introduce Rijk Zwaan’s Salanova® lettuce to the UK bagged-salad market. “When we select new development material from Rijk Zwaan trials, we work in cooperation with our growers and with Rijk Zwaan. This triangle works really well. Other Rijk Zwaan colleagues may also be involved, depending on the development phase. We can review early material directly with the breeders and share ideas about market and sales opportunities with their marketing and convenience specialists. We really appreciate the close working relationship that we have with Rijk Zwaan”.

lettuce varieties offer new opportunities for fresh cut Cos lettuce

Lorraine Shaw, Produce Technologist

Lorraine Shaw is specialized in leafy vegetables and herbs. The lettuce assortment is very extensive and still widening, but still no other lettuce type can match the texture and sweetness of Cos lettuce. “Unfortunately, this type of leaf suffers most from cut surface discolouration, otherwise known as pinking, which may partly explain the decline in sales of Cos lettuce bags that we have seen over the past couple of years. This is why we were very interested when Rijk Zwaan told us that they had been working on a natural solution to combat pinking on fresh cut lettuce, which is marketed by Rijk Zwaan under the trademark Knox™.”

Large factory trialsWhilst Bakkavor usually starts with field trials followed up by small scale factory trials, they started trialling Knox™ lettuce varieties by assessing relatively large amounts of bagged material. “We gathered an extensive amount of data from the trials, which indicated that the Knox™ lettuce varieties could extend shelf life of the lettuce by at least two days. We still need to gather more data, particularly on agronomical aspects, but this initial result is very encouraging.” “In the first place we see this trait as an opportunity to improve the efficiency of our processes and the reliability of our product. As cos shelf life becomes more consistent, , we can increase our focus on other aspects such as colour, shape and taste. A further step could even be to extend the bag life of products containing cos - that would be fantastic.” 

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Ecoveg Ltd. was set up by a group of entrepreneurs; they started with fisheries in Lake Victoria and later

with poultry. Recently they saw the big business opportunity for vegetables and started vegetable production in greenhouses. Today it has more than doubled its production capacity, owns a 1-hectare Irrico greenhouse, employs 30 people and is a producer, processor and exporter of a wide range of crops, including broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, leeks, beef tomatoes (Valouro RZ), cherry tomatoes (Fortesa RZ), sweet melons (Amaral RZ, Caribbean Gold RZ, Natal RZ), English Cucumbers (Bologna RZ), Hot peppers (Boomer RZ, Mextizo RZ and Habib RZ), Beetroots (Larka RZ), and sweet peppers (Ilanga RZ, Pasarella RZ, Boogie RZ). To reduce the soil borne

disease attacks especially by Bacterial and Fusarium wilt, Ecoveg Ltd under supervision by George Upina, has started a trial of grafted tomatoes by using RZ rootstock (Shelter RZ) with plan to do grafting in all tomatoes in next growing seasons.

Ecoveg Ltd. sells its products to hotels as well as wholesalers and supermarkets in eastern Africa, including the Mwanza Rock City Mall. It grows some of the products itself and sources others from small-scale local greenhouse farmers and smallholder open-field farmers. It has already become one of Rijk Zwaan’s most important customers in Tanzania’s Lake Zone district but still has plenty of growth ambitions. Hussein Alloo, Director of Ecoveg Ltd., comments: “We will soon be adding a 1-hectare Astor greenhouse

and a 5,000 m2 shade net house. We have benefited a lot from our very good relationship with George Upina, Product Development Specialist at Rijk Zwaan on technical support and guidance as well as in the field of growing technique and greenhouse construction.”

Tanzania has a growing middle class that is increasingly buying fresh products in supermarkets. This opens up excellent opportunities for entrepreneurial producers such as Ecoveg Ltd. who, thanks to Rijk Zwaan’s high-quality varieties, can command very lucrative farm-gate prices. 

Rijk Zwaan often provides technical support to start-up companies in Tanzania. Ecoveg is a prime example of such a company, which has evolved into a high-quality producer and supplier of peppers to the Mwanza Rock City Mall.

Rijk Zwaan has invested in a new trial station on the Italian island of Sicily. Enabling trials of crops including tomato, pepper, aubergine and cucumber, this high-tech facility is another step in opening up new opportunities for collaboration with chain partners at home and abroad.

New Sicilian trial station stimulates chain collaboration

Ecoveg gets off to a great start in Tanzania with support from Rijk Zwaan

Rijk Zwaan Brazil has developed the Snackpep brand for mini cucumbers to help growers and retailers introduce snack cucumbers in the Brazilian market. Snackpep is being positioned as a high-quality healthy snack alternative.

Ubiraci Fernandes, founder and director of Cia do Produtor

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New Sicilian trial station stimulates chain collaboration The new 19,000-square-metre trial station, which is located in Sicily’s most favourable region for vegetable production, includes greenhouses for tomato, pepper, aubergine, cucumber and other crops. This investment will provide an extra base for Rijk Zwaan’s continuous breeding activities, which in addition to studying varieties also deal with bioinformatics, molecular biology and biochemistry.

Including state-of-the-art greenhouses, this facility for exploring the innovative visual and production-related traits of such a wide range of products will open up interesting opportunities for closer collaboration with chain partners – both in Italy and internationally. The trial station will become an important meeting point for growers, traders and retailers

alike. Companies from all stages of the fresh chain can share their insights and ideas about changes in consumption trends and consumer wants and needs, especially when it comes to flavour, as the basis for developing innovative solutions together.

This is the latest step in further reinforcing Italy’s position in the global vegetable breeding industry. In addition to another trial station that was recently opened near Latina (Lazio), Rijk Zwaan is planning major investment in two further facilities, one in the north of Italy and the other in the south, as part of a large-scale project that underlines the country’s growth potential. 

growers and Rijk Zwaan to achieve the best possible quality in terms of production, packaging, transport and hence shelf life. When we presented Snackpep at a recent event everyone loved it, especially its surprisingly crunchy bite, colour and convenience.”

Alex Lee from Fazenda Rio Bonito, adds: “Being the first to introduce snack cucumbers is a big challenge but also rewarding. Although this is a new concept for Brazil, the market is hungry for innovations. We also know that healthy snacking is a clear trend with significant growth potential. We hope we can help consumers to eat more healthily.” 

The aim of the Snackpep brand is to boost consumer awareness by increasing the recognisability of snack cucumbers, which are a new concept in Brazil. Rijk Zwaan is collaborating with well-established companies to safeguard quality and build the brand together. Its first partners are the companies Fazenda Rio Bonito, an organic producer from São Paulo, and Cia do Produtor, a production company from Rio de Janeiro.

Snackpep is already being sold through a number of supermarkets based on a network of approved growers. Rijk Zwaan’s partners monitor the product quality and work together with Rijk Zwaan to ensure that these growers receive all the technical and marketing

support they need.

Ubiraci Fernandes, founder and director of Cia do Produtor, comments: “We’ve been involved

in the Snackpep project right from the start. We work closely with the

Introducing snack cucumbers to Brazilian consumers

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Internal Red maximises on-shelf impact at Migros

Jaquenoud’s latest showpiece is the Rosso tomato

tomato ideal for use in cold and warm dishes alike. “We always enjoy working with Rijk Zwaan because

of its extensive range of varieties. Furthermore, the crop specialists give us good technical advice and we have complete faith in the reliability of the information we receive,” states Alban Jaquenoud, Managing Director. “We’re looking forward to adding other flavoursome and high-yielding Rijk Zwaan varieties in the future.” The Internal Red Rosso tomato is already available in almost all of Migros Zürich’s stores. 

Swiss company Jaquenoud was founded in the 1930s and has been producing fruit and vegetables ever since. Nowadays, the firm employs 65 people and is specialised in tomatoes and aubergines, including Aromatico (Brioso RZ), which it supplies to food retail chain Migros in Zurich. Jaquenoud’s latest showpiece is the Rosso tomato based on Rijk Zwaan’s Senserno RZ, one of the Internal Red

varieties. A special, contemporary and environmentally friendly packaging

concept has been designed for this product, but that’s not

the only reason it stands out. Grown in Lully, one

of Switzerland’s major agricultural production regions, it is the most flavour-intensive truss tomato in Migros Zürich’s

range. Internal Red has been specially developed for

its bright red flesh and intense aroma. It is also the only truss

The Jaquenoud family, which has been cultivating fruit and vegetables in Switzerland since the 1930s, recently introduced the innovative ‘Internal Red’ truss variety with its retail client Migros. Internal Red varieties Senserno RZ and 72-720 RZ, have a distinctively bold red colour and an intense flavour, and are presented in specially designed packaging for extra on-shelf impact.

Alban Jaquenoud, Managing Director

PDS Foods in Chiangmai, Thailand, has found the perfect solution for the pepper segment in collaboration with Rijk Zwaan. Thanks to the Masillia RZ and Sven RZ varieties, the company produces the fresh ingredients needed by its own processing facility. The tasty red and yellow peppers are ideal for chopping, portioning and freezing for export by PDF Foods to countries such as Japan and processing companies in Thailand.

Owner Khun Dumrongchai Rattanaamornpin made a complete switch a few years ago and now works only with Rijk Zwaan varieties. Following disappointing production levels and crops that were susceptible to disease, he decided to put quality first. Not coming from a horticultural background himself but having a modern greenhouse at his disposal, he made grateful use of the knowledge and expertise provided by Rijk Zwaan. “The company is a true partner for me. I’ve known the company for a very long time now and our relationship is based on mutual trust. This has created a win-win situation for us both. I benefit from the best varieties and relevant technical advice and support, while Rijk Zwaan can trial new varieties at my facility.”

Production, processing and marketingPDS Foods is much more than just a grower. The company has its own nursery, cultivates the peppers, then processes them in-house and markets its

frozen end products in countries including Japan. It also sells its peppers locally. Dumrongchai supplies part of the harvest to major supermarket chains such as Tops, Tesco Lotus and Big C Superstore via traders. Dealers also take care of some of the sales activities. So PDS Foods is a sizeable supplier that is dependent on producing sufficient volume in a consistently high quality. Rijk Zwaan helps Dumrongchai to achieve that objective. “The highly productive Masillia and Sven are a good fit with our production system and those nice blocky peppers enable me to provide the best possible quality to all our business units and our customers alike.”

Always at the front of the queue“A partnership like ours isn’t formed overnight. We’ve been in contact with the people at Rijk Zwaan throughout several generations. We’ve also seen various peppers come and go. Whenever there’s a new and interesting variety, Rijk Zwaan always comes to trial it with us. Thanks to these trials and the intensive support, we’re always at the front of the queue. For example, Masillia is an even better successor of Zamboni RZ and Sven is the logical follow-up to Bachata RZ. In illustration of just how important our partnership with Rijk Zwaan is, we were happy to provide our very best peppers to decorate its stand at Horti Asia 2014-2015.” 

Thai vegetable company sets itself apart with peppers

Khun Dumrongchai Rattanaamornpin

August | 2016 13

Caribbean Sunsweet RZ Melon

41-655 RZ Crunchy lettuce

Rijk Zwaan | Chainmail14

Promising as a loose leaf

Outstanding sweetness invites repeat purchase

Harry Turna, Crop coordinator lettuce

Vincent van Wolferen, Marketing specialist Melon & Watermelon

Caribbean Sunsweet RZ (part of the Caribbean Oro concept) is a golden harper melon with orange flesh. Its unusual golden-yellow exterior colour gives the melon an enticing, ‘ready to eat’ appearance. It not only looks delicious but also tastes delightful thanks to its wonderful sweetness. With an average brix score of 14.5, the variety is rated very highly on flavour and this taste experience guarantees repeat purchases. Consumer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, not least because the distinctive appearance of Caribbean Sunsweet RZ makes it

easy to spot in in-store displays. This melon variety has a long shelf life and a complete package of resistances. 

Australian growers have been impressed with the results from trials of 41-655 RZ; it has given consistently high quality results across a range of conditions and uses. The 41-655 RZ shows promise as a loose leaf either pillow packed for the retail market, or supplied into the food service sector in bulk boxes. Currently some growers are also assessing the performance of

pre-packing 3 – 4 hearts and the early results are very exciting. 

Responding to consumer needs around the world

74-124 RZ Tomato

August | 2016 15

Cherry tomato is the most important tomato type in Italy. Rijk Zwaan introduces with 74-124 RZ a new variety with perfectly round and shiny red fruits. A traditional taste that they can savour, the 74-124 RZ cherry tomato is a firm favourite among consumers. It is ideal for the gourmet market, both for domestic sales and export. 74-124 RZ comes with a complete package of resistances that adds value for growers, including TYLCV resistance and cracking resistance, which also enables it to

be produced in the challenging Sicilian climate. 74-124 RZ is a double-purpose variety that is suitable for loose and truss harvesting. 

Reliable kohlrabi varieties all year round

Massimo Perboni, Crop specialist tomato

Michael Kreitz, Crop coordinator kohlrabi

Following three years of intensive testing, the new Savio RZ kohlrabi variety has been developed specifically for indoor winter production in Italy. It is recommended for transplants from early November to early December in the Latina area of Italy. Savio RZ is an early, upright variety with a good balance of leaves and leaf stem. The stems are flexible for easy handling and the bulb is flat, round and smooth. Savio RZ produces a uniform harvest with a good post-harvest attitude. Together with Morre RZ, Volturno RZ and Siret RZ, Savio RZ now enables

Rijk Zwaan to offer the entire chain reliable and stable kohlrabi varieties all year round. 

Savio RZ Kohlrabi

Also suitable for Sicily

Responding to consumer needs around the world

Rijk Zwaan Distribution B.V. | Postbus 40 | 2678 ZG De Lier | The Netherlands | www.rijkzwaan.com

“A further step could even be to extend the bag life of products

containing cos - that would be fantastic.”

Lorraine Shaw,produce technologist,

Bakkavor

If you have any questions, please contact your local Rijk Zwaan representative or send an email to chainmanagement@rijkzwaan.nl. For a current list of all Rijk Zwaan events, go to www.rijkzwaan.com/events or scan the QR code.