Who we are
We are Rijk Zwaan. A fruit and vegetable breeding company. Every day, millions of people eat fruit and vegetables grown from our seeds.
Rijk Zwaan at a glance
4,000+ employees
in over 30+ countries
30% to R&D
of our annual turnover
30+ crops
over more than 1800 fruit and vegetable varieties
People first
At Rijk Zwaan, we believe in putting people first.Ourcompany culture plays a key role in everything we do. For us, this means prioritising the well-being and satisfaction of employees, customers, and stakeholders. By creating a supportive and inclusive culture, we aim to foster long-term success and positive societal impact.
Rijk Zwaan Australia
Founded in Daylesford, Victoria, in 1987, Rijk Zwaan Australia (pronounced ‘rake zwarn’) employs approximately 80 staff, working across three primary areas:
- Vegetable seed sales
- Research and development
- Seed production
Working with growers, retailers and processing companies, we continually exchange ideas to drive the development of vegetables, product lines and concepts aligned to market needs. In addition, we closely collaborate with research institutes and universities.
Bringing vegetables to life
Not many people can say they’ve had a connection to vegetables their entire life. For Frances Tolson growing up on the family’s vegetable farm means that growing, harvesting, learning about vegetables and educating others is second nature to her. As part of the international chain management team based in Australia, Frances, a self-confessed Vegetable Enthusiast, has been sharing her passion for vegetables. Continuous innovation
Rijk Zwaan is a family-owned international fruit and vegetable breeding company supplying seeds to growers in more than 100 countries.
Research is at our core. We breed future-proof varieties in anticipation of climate change and ever-changing market demands. To accelerate the breeding process and ensure high-quality seeds, we utilise modern technologies such as artificial intelligence, digital phenotyping, and data-driven breeding. This enables us to breed better, more sustainable varieties with higher yields and natural resistances to plant diseases for growers and chain partners all over the world.
Seeds at the start of the food chain
Rijk Zwaan develops high-quality fruit and vegetable varieties for the professional agri-food sector. As an independent family-owned company, we operate globally in over 100 countries. With more than 30 different crops and over 1,800 varieties, we provide high-quality seeds to growers worldwide. Our aim is to offer a wide range of fruit and vegetable varieties, whether for high-tech greenhouse, protected cultivation or open-field farming.
Investing in seed quality
Breeding for sustainability is at the heart of Rijk Zwaan’s approach to developing new and improved vegetable seeds. Seeds are at the beginning of the food chain and we recognise our contribution towards ensuring global food security. However, the importance of seed quality is often underestimated. Get to know us
Seed assortment
Our seeds form the basis for healthy and appealing vegetables. The world population continues to grow and the demands on food are increasing. That’s why our crop specialists and marketing specialists are in close contact with the entire vegetable chain. We discuss market developments, consumer trends and demographic shifts to identify the right priorities for our breeding programmes. This enables us to launch varieties that offer solutions to various societal challenges.
News
News overview of Rijk Zwaan including events, stories and knowledge sharing.
Solutions
Rijk Zwaan believes that to achieve the best results, using suitable vegetable varieties and mastering technical knowledge is absolutely necessary. So, our work does not stop at providing the best quality seeds, but also transfers to our partners and farmers specialist technical knowledge, the latest developments of Rijk Zwaan or agricultural market trends. In particular, we always strive to accompany our partners on the journey to bring products to farmers and end consumers across the country.