On 4 and 5 October, Rijk Zwaan held its first ever Leafy Event. Business partners from all corners of the world travelled to The Netherlands to share thoughts and ideas on the future of leafy crops.

The Leafy Event is the successor to the company’s Salanova Days which have been held a total of four times over the years in several different countries. In recognition of the many innovations also taking place in other leafy vegetables, Rijk Zwaan decided to extend the scope of that event this year. Some 250 innovative and pioneering chain players from 34 different countries came together to discuss cultivation, processing and sales of Salanova® and other types of lettuce as well as spinach, endive, babyleaf and other ‘leafies’.

International top speakers
A key element of the Leafy Event was the congress, which attracted a number of international top speakers who shared their visions on the future of leafy crops. The Japanese professor Dr. Hideo Ikeda spoke about the emergence of modern ‘plant factories’, for instance, and leading Dutch futurologist Adjiedj Bakasen held an inspiring presentation on the future of food production. The event also featured a series of workshops which were organised at locations throughout the country, covering a variety of topics including mechanisation, convenience and consumer insights.

The demo field in Fijnaart also played a significant role during the Leafy Event, providing the ideal opportunity to view Rijk Zwaan’s wide range of leafy vegetables in optimum surroundings. In addition to seeing the current top varieties and latest commercial launches, visitors also caught a unique glimpse of the novel varieties that are still in the very earliest stages of selection. Meanwhile Rijk Zwaan breeders, who were present to answer any questions, gained valuable insights into market requirements from visitors’ first-hand reactions.

Considerable inspiration
Rijk Zwaan’s Marketing Manager Auke Ferwerda looks back with satisfaction on a successful event. “Since there is so much going on in the world of leafy vegetables at the moment, we can still learn a lot from one another by sharing knowledge internationally. The past two days provided an effective platform for doing so. For both Rijk Zwaan and our partners, the Leafy Event has been the source of considerable inspiration.”