Vegetables
Precious like gold
The varieties of our youngest business unit, Vegetables, show themselves quite clearly to the end consumer.
The route to the customer
Vegetables are often the end product that customers buy and consume. Unlike cereals - with peppers or melons, for example - the customer sees directly the end result of cultivation. Therefore, characteristics such as color, feel, smell, shape, size and taste of the vegetables are decisive.
Vegetables are grown in different climates and systems: outdoors, under film or under glass. The life cycle is short, and several generations can be grown per year - in some countries sometimes up to four.
With growing health awareness and a growing population - vegetable consumption is increasing around the world. KWS entered the vegetable business in 2019 and, with the acquisition of Pop Vriend Seeds, can offer high-quality varieties for spinach, red beet, Swiss chard, and beans.
The focus is also on the world's five most important vegetable crops - tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, watermelons and melons.
Insider knowledge
The vegetable seed market is the third largest commercial seed market in the world. And: it is growing by six percent a year. Also interesting: potatoes and tomatoes are related, tomato plants can grow up to thirteen meters in height, a kilogram of tomato seed can cost more than a kilogram of gold, and KWS is one of the market leaders in spinach seeds.
Key figures
- In the KWS portfolio since: 2019
- Varieties worldwide: Spinach, red beet, swiss chard, beans, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, watermelons, melons
- Share of KWS' net sales: 3.5% (fiscal 2021/2022)
© KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA 2024
