Rijk Zwaan invests heavily in seed processing capacity and R&D

Highlights from 2023/2024

• The net sales increased by 6% to €627 million; this increase occurred in almost all active regions and across all crops. The company’s global market share is approximately 10%.
• The fruit and vegetable breeding company invested €143 million in new seed processing facilities as well as in research and product development.
• The net profit was €80 million (compared with €60 million in 2022/2023).

Ben Tax, one of the company’s directors, states: “In the 2023/2024 financial year, Rijk Zwaan increased its sales by 6% to €627 million. This growth is spread across all the markets and crops in which our company is active. Thanks to the revenue growth and increase in net profit, we are able to continue investing in the future.”

Expanding production capacity

The breeding company has invested more than ever before in 2023/2024. “Over the past financial year, we dedicated €143 million to new facilities. A large part of this investment went towards our new Seed Connect Centre, which is located at our headquarters and will officially open in spring 2025. This facility will expand our capacity for seed cleaning, processing and packaging, enabling us to keep pace with the growing demand for high-quality seeds.”

Under construction: the Seed Connect Centre in De Lier, the Netherlands

Investing in innovation

The investments in research and development amounted to €191 million in 2023/2024. “Every year, we invest approximately 30% of our sales back into R&D. The official opening of our new breeding facility for the development of strawberries, blackberries and raspberries was one notable milestone over the past year. This facility enables us to accelerate our new breeding programme for berries.”

A strawberry trial in Rijk Zwaan’s new breeding greenhouse in Dinteloord, the Netherlands

100 years of Rijk Zwaan

In another special milestone in the family-owned company’s history, Rijk Zwaan celebrated its centenary on 1 July. To mark this occasion, the King’s commissioner granted Rijk Zwaan the designation ‘Royal’. Ben Tax comments: “We feel hugely honoured to receive this royal seal of approval. It’s a symbol of societal appreciation and underlines the durability of our company. The designation ‘Royal’ is a crowning achievement of the work of all our employees – in the present, in the past and in the future. Because, above all, it’s our 4,000 people who form the heart and soul of Rijk Zwaan.”

On 1 July, Rijk Zwaan was granted the designation ‘Royal’ at the start of the company’s centenary celebrations.

Looking ahead

“Looking ahead to the coming years, we will stay true to our goal of offering growers, chain partners and consumers worldwide a broad range of high-quality fruit and vegetable varieties. Our growth is stable and we are very confident about the future – our next century!” concludes Ben Tax.

* The Rijk Zwaan annual accounts were filed with the Chamber of Commerce on 30 October 2024.