“Vegetables with reliable flavour result in explosive rise in turnover”

Improved predictions of the quality of fresh vegetables could probably allow Dutch producers, traders and retailers to double their turnover within the product group, as well as resulting in an increase in the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables. This is the view presented in the jubilee book “Feeding the success of breeding” published by the 60-year-old breeder and producer De Ruiter Seeds in Bergschenhoek. The book has been published in order to provide an impression of the worldwide innovations within the horticultural sector.

In the book, De Ruiter Seeds describes a model developed at Wageningen University linking product properties such as flavour at the moment of harvesting or supply to the shop shelves with the behaviour of consumers. The Wageningen-based professor of Horticultural Production Chains, Olaf van Kooten, had this to say at the book launch: “Those using the models will be able to tailor their product much more precisely to the demands of the consumer. The consumer gets a product that tastes great every time, for example.” Van Kooten considers this to be an important gain, as flavour is currently an unreliable quality aspect, and consequently repeat purchases are not made.

The success of the working method is demonstrated by the sales of mangos at Albert Heijn supermarkets, which set to work using Van Kooten’s models. “The ready-to-eat mangos arrive on the shelves precisely when their flavour is at its best. They are 50% more expensive than standard mangos, and sales have exploded.” According to Van Kooten, horticultural producers can learn to work with the model in the space of one year. In this way, they can make the transition from “large quantities for a low price” to “much less for a much higher price”.

In ”Feeding the success of breeding”, retail specialist Jan-Willem Grievink advises companies in the food horticulture sector to stop overproduction. “The excess supply and low levels of innovation mean that fresh vegetables rapidly degrade into a commodity, allowing retailers to distribute as they please and thus to control the market. Increases in scale – which keep the margin intact - or new products for top retailers are tried and tested responses. “New products and concepts in the fresh-produce segment constitute the building blocks for their formulae. Those who are able to offer this can actually control the chain.”

Henk Volberda, professor in Strategic Enterprise Policy at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, also spoke at the book launch. In the book, he argues that insufficient use is often made of technological innovations. The success of an innovation is largely due to the business culture, the internal collaboration, and the use of knowledge. On average, businesses that structurally invest in knowledge have a 21 per cent higher yield, according to Volberda. “Through social innovation, individual businesses can make better use of innovations and respond more effectively to market requirements. That reinforces their competitiveness and benefits their profitability” says Henk Volberda in conclusion.

“Feeding the success of breeding” includes the views of successful horticultural producers from the Netherlands, the UK, Poland, Spain, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Canada and the United States, as well as breeders, scientists and other specialists. Together, they explore important developments within the sector on the basis of the concepts of “horticulture, seed improvement, nutrition, and innovation.”

De Ruiter Seeds breeds, develops, produces and sells hybrid vegetable seeds for top-quality products in tomatoes, cucumbers, aubergines, sweet peppers, melons and rootstocks. The family company, which started out in 1945, has grown rapidly over the last ten years and is characterised by innovation and increasing internationalisation. More than 700 people work at the various branches in the Netherlands (Bergschenhoek), elsewhere in Europe, Mexico, Guatemala, the United States, Israel, Turkey and Japan.

Individuals interested in acquiring this book may contact sales@deruiterseeds.com