From one store to the whole world

Rijk Zwaan was still there during the move to De Lier. But the new building at that time later made way for De Zwaan, so he would no longer recognise it. The store where it all started, in Zwaanshals in Rotterdam, also disappeared almost fifty years ago. And the extensive locations in De Lier, Fijnaart and Dinteloord and the addition of all the locations spread across the world? Rijk just caught a glimpse of those. When Rijk passed away in 1977, Rijk Zwaan Welver had already been our foothold for Germany and the surrounding countries for thirteen years. But we only founded the next foreign subsidiary, Rijk Zwaan France, in 1982. From there, growth happened faster than Rijk could have imagined. Perhaps faster than anyone could have imagined.

Rijk Zwaan (middle, with hat and stick) with representatives on the fields in Bergschenhoek

Quality sells

Fortunately, Rijk had no shortage of willpower and vision. Five years after the company was founded, it had already grown significantly thanks to his hard work and determination. To prevent the store from bursting at the seams, Rijk had rented an office and a warehouse around the corner. He had also bought a plot of land just outside Rotterdam, in Bergschenhoek, so that he could conduct selection tests .

In Dutch horticulture in the 1920s, only a few people were using the insights of scientists Darwin and Mendel, gained in their work with line and family selection and targeted cross-breeding. Rijk belonged to that select group of pioneers. Rijk was one of the first to use pedigree selection as his main breeding method. He spent hours out in his selection field. It’s funny that after one hundred years you also find that same dedication – which is inherent in an owner – in the company’s employees. Rijk was convinced that all this work produced better seeds. It was only twenty years later that this vision became generally accepted. And by then Rijk Zwaan’s reputation had already been established for quite some time.

Rijk would be pleased to see that his approach hasn’t changed: lots of innovation to create better varieties. Rijk’s idea still holds true: quality sells .

Rijk Zwaan spent a lot of time improving his varieties

Good advice

What’s more, Rijk Zwaan was invested so strongly in growers getting a good yield from his seeds that he constantly gave them good advice. That too hasn’t changed in a hundred years. We still provide growers with recommendations on the best growing methods. During Rijk's time he advised people verbally and on paper. New options have now been added such as apps and online courses, videos and webinars. This enables customers to view and listen to the advice when and where they want. And in this way we reach more people, even in areas where we do not have much physical presence.

And what is also new is that we are involved in the process after the grower. We offer service to retailers and discuss what they find important in our crops, from shelf life to taste or price level.

Rijk Zwaan addresses the colleagues at the annual party in 1950

Investing in research

Perhaps Rijk and his wife Mina went together to the new Pschorr dance hall or one of the ten cinemas on Rotterdam’s Hoogstraat. Or they shopped in the department stores that were emerging at the time. It was the optimistic roaring twenties, they were a young couple and Rijk had an exuberant side to his character. So why not?

ut whether or not Rijk enjoyed the cosmopolitan life, what is certain is that he invested a great deal in the company and particularly in research and breeding. He will certainly recognise that urge to reinvest the money earned back into the business. After all, today’s Rijk Zwaan invests thirty percent of its turnover in research and development. And this is why it still leads the way in the vegetable breeding world. Even now, when breeding techniques are much more expensive and complicated than when Rijk started using them. It is telling that we had our first computer as early as 1973.

Rijk came from a family of breeders. His father, his uncle, some of his brothers and he himself all made their mark in improving vegetables. But Rijk couldn’t have imagined that the company with their family name would one day supply ten percent of the global turnover in vegetable seeds thanks to its focus on research and development.

The first computer, in the Finance department

Optimist

It has been said that Rijk was stubborn and led the company hierarchically, that he was the boss and he alone made the decisions. It was his son Jaap who, in the 1970s, introduced the horizontal structure in the company that we still have today: a maximum of three management layers and a great deal of attention, responsibility and freedom for the employees. Yet from the very beginning, Rijk gave his accountant Arie Vijn free rein, and Arie represented Rijk Zwaan at important horticultural meetings. Rijk also gave his son-in-law Willem Tintel complete freedom to solve personnel problems in a sympathetic way. That is exactly the same as the approach that Rijk Zwaan still uses.

Above all, Rijk Zwaan was tenacious and an optimist. When the economy was going badly in the 1930s, he bought – against the advice of Arie Vijn, of course – a new suit and a new Chevrolet. He wanted to show that quality ensures continuity. ‘Undeterred ahead,’ was Rijk’s motto. And we still use that motto today