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Who could have ever imagined that 'De Enkhuizer Zaadhandel', owned by grandfather Jacob Mazereeuw, would become the world market leader in vegetable breeding: Enza Zaden? The company has been growing and flourishing for three generations. And even though the scale has changed, the focus and love for the profession are still exactly the same as that of the founder.
As a family business, we think in generations, not in quarterly figures.” – Jaap Mazereeuw.
Family ties are our strongest asset. Because we are independent, we can steer our own course, make sustainable choices, respond quickly to developments in the market and continue to invest in innovation and people. “They are the most important thing at Enza Zaden,” says general manager Jaap Mazereeuw. “We now have 2,000 employees and we want everyone to feel part of the family.” You can take that quite literally, because those ties are not reserved to management alone. Even among the employees, families have sometimes been connected to the company for generations.
Growers, retailers and trading partners are also an important part of the Enza Zaden family, because without chain partners we are nothing. Jaap: “Breeding is a matter of patience. Developing a new vegetable variety can take up to 12 years and we work closely together in international teams. Successfully marketing a new variety is really only possible if you do it together.” And the collaboration doesn't stop there. Universities and knowledge institutes all over the world are also more than welcome at the family table.
With a steady growth of 8% per year, we can continue to invest heavily in the future. No less than a third of the turnover goes to research and development and on average we bring two new vegetables per week to the world market. And that is exactly what we have been all about for three generations: healthy and varied vegetables on everyone's plate, no matter where you live. We love vegetables, fascinating vitamin bombs that they are and wish for everyone to have them as often as possible. So that’s what we are all too happy to commit to, every day.
Thanks to grandpa Jacob.