“We want everybody in the chain to be happy”

Dutch seed company Rijk Zwaan has increasingly immersed itself in ways to open up channels to the consumer. After successfully introducing the Love My Salad-concept on social media the breeder is now exploring the consumer market even further. “The salad project gave us much inside info on consumer wishes,” says Marcel Barten of Rijk Zwaan. “We have learned to anticipate trends, wishes and demands.”

“To explore further, we can now depend on our chain team. All it does is analyse the market. It enables us to design campaign strategies and develop products catered to people’s needs. Not just the consumers, but people that inhabit all stages of the chain.”

To support the development of new varieties Rijk Zwaan recently launched the concept of Marketing @ Work. "Within this concept we are launching new products that have emerged from our selection program," says Marcel. "We start by bringing these products to the attention of the retail and hospitality sector. If a product works on a small scale, then obviously we investigate whether there is enough support in the market. In the long run, the product should be profitable. To make that happen, we must ensure that the entire chain is happy! "