PopFest

A backpack full of fresh solutions

Since October 1, Pop Vriend Seeds has officially changed its name to KWS Vegetables Netherlands B.V. We followed the “Fresh Trail” in Andijk and took a look around at the first KWS PopFest in the new design.

All in one basket: Field crops and fruity crops make up our vegetable portfolio.

Matthias Rabbethge and Popke Vriend founded their companies exactly 100 years apart (in 1856 and 1956, respectively). The former began with sugarbeet and expanded into sunflowers and cereals, while the latter started as a bean breeder in the Netherlands before adding spinach, Swiss chard and red beet. What connects the two? A fresh approach to pioneering work in their own field, as well as the courage and creativity to follow their own ideas. Both companies have pursued this path since the acquisition of Pop Vriend Seeds (PV) in 2019 and are doing so now under a common company name.

And the change is already visible: The first KWS PopFest is resplendent in orange, yet has not lost any of PV’s wit and spirit. “Follow the Fresh Trail” is written in large letters on the fields around the greenhouse – a new joint journey.

In keeping with the ethos of their founding pioneers, PV and KWS have grown in recent years and now intend to stick resolutely to the “Fresh Trail” and become a leading supplier of vegetable seed. That requires both companies to pool their forces when it comes to equipping the “Freshplorer.” “Freshplorers” have the concentrated power of vegetable seed in their backpack: innovative solutions and offerings which provide answers to vital questions that are on the minds of our customers in the vegetable value chain - for example, “How do I keep the bean processing plant working at capacity in the harvesting season while it’spouring with rain, like it was over the past months?” Changing climatic conditions, such as extreme precipitation, make the tasks breeders face more and more challenging. So delve into the backpack and, hey presto, we have the “Steady Sevens” – bean varieties that produce very reliable yields in any weather. And there is more to discover: With the new “Knowledge Sessions,” PopFest is developing into a platform for Freshplorers, where they can learn about the latest varieties as well as network with peers and find fresh perspectives on vital questions.

New design: The first KWS PopFest unites both companies.

Growing together – a big opportunity

The fruity crops, i.e. watermelons, melons, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, have been added in recent years. Comprehensive solutions, such as the right seed treatment, must also be developed for them. In order to achieve that for all types of crops, Anita van Nieuwenhoven’s team has grown steadily over the past years and is not only responsible for treating seed, but also for its preparation (seed priming) or disinfection. “Our growing together is a great opportunity,” says Anita, Manager Seed Applied Solutions Vegetables. “Our colleagues who breed red beet are already using the breeding stations in Italy and Spain for trials, for example. I’d like to use this option more and more in the future so as to have everything in one place and obtain a better overview.” If you want to be inspired by Anita’s work at PopFest, you can learn more about INITIO, for example, KWS’ process for supporting crops in their early growth phase – once again something that belongs in the Freshplorer backpack.

“It was time for us to grow together under one name.”

Anita van Nieuwenhoven,
Manager Seed Applied Solutions Vegetables

With the backpack on your shoulders, it’s off to the field – where the “open field crops” can be found, i.e. spinach, beans, Swiss chard and red beet. There are many synergies between the latter and sugarbeet. The dialogue between Einbeck and Andijk is therefore particularly close, not only in relation to R&D, but also in the supply chain, for example. “We’re not only growing as regards the crops we offer, but we’re also coming together as colleagues worldwide,” says Niek Rood, Supply Planner Redbeet and Swiss Chard. “But our culture and spirit remain the same: open, transparent and with the freedom to make our own decisions. I like that a lot.”

Visitors can talk with colleagues at the PopFest.

Anita van Nieuwenhoven is looking forward to new projects.

And also taste our vegetables fresh from the field.

Close contact

Niek uses the R&D laboratories in Einbeck for chard and red beet and often sends samples there for more detailed X-ray analysis. “These are opportunities that we couldn't leverage before joining KWS, but which now aid us enormously.” As the vegetable division grows, so does Niek’s task area: He advises on processes in the fruity crops supply chain, for example to optimize seed processing in Andijk with full traceability. There are close contacts everywhere. Despite the growing number of employees, everyone tries to keep lines of communication short and personal. Niek meets virtually with colleagues from Italy once a week, and next year he will get to know them in person at their production and processing station. For new Freshplorers, he is working with IT in Einbeck on a crop calendar that will list which step each department has to take and when in the supply chain – “so that we’re ideally prepared.”

Anyone wishing to test whether we are on the right “Fresh Trail” just needs to reach into the refrigerator at PopFest and drink a spinach or red beet smoothie or enjoy a fresh salad. The freshness, color and flavor prove our vision is right. “It was time for us to grow together under one name,” says Anita. “We’re one company with a clear ambition – and now that’s visible to the outside world. |

This article is from insideKWS, the employee magazine of KWS. If you are an employee of our company, you have access to all other articles and previous issues. |

Dieser Artikel stammt aus der KWSintern, dem Mitarbeitermagazin der KWS. Wenn Sie Mitarbeiterin oder Mitarbeiter unseres Unternehmens sind, haben Sie Zugriff auf alle weiteren Artikel und auf frühere Ausgaben. |