100 Years of Seed Innovation Celebrated by Rijk Zwaan

Posted by Growing Produce Staff|July 9, 2024

Rijk Zwaan, an international fruit and vegetable breeding company, is celebrating its first centenary. The Centenary Celebrations kicked off on 1 July, the exact date that the company was originally founded. During the festivities, the King’s Commissioner announced that Rijk Zwaan has been granted the Dutch honorary royal title ‘Koninklijk’ (Royal).

“After 100 years of entrepreneurship and innovation, one can say that Rijk Zwaan is of great importance for the future of humanity”, says Jaap Smit, the King’s Commissioner, during the festive kick-off of the breeding company’s Centenary Celebration.

Ben Tax, one of Rijk Zwaan’s board members, commented: “We are delighted to receive this title. It is a symbol of societal appreciation and underlines the longevity of our company. This is the ultimate recognition of the efforts of everyone involved. Because, above all, people are the heart and soul of Rijk Zwaan.”

The company began when the founder, Rijk Zwaan himself, opened a seed shop in Rotterdam in 1924. His focus on quality and innovation proved to be a recipe for success. For the first four decades, the emphasis was on the horticultural market in the Netherlands, but exports to neighboring countries gradually increased. In 1964, the first subsidiary was opened in Germany. This was followed by Rijk Zwaan France in 1982. From the 1990s onwards, the company expanded faster than anyone anticipated.

Today, Rijk Zwaan employs 4,000 people. The Netherlands-based company is represented in more thank 100 countries through more than 30 subsidiaries in all four corners of the globe.