Growers’ organization FreshValley, based in the Dutch town of Sevenum, only started producing snack cucumber Quantario RZ in 2024 – and it is already a success. Sales Manager Teun van Roosmalen is proud of the partnership with Rijk Zwaan. “Together, we can get more and more European supermarkets interested. This healthy snack enables them to make their very youngest customers happy.”
Packaged to order
Making life easier for supermarket chains throughout Europe: that’s the promise FreshValley delivers on every day. According FreshPlaza, from six production locations, amounting to 30 hectares in total, the growers’ organization supplies strawberries, cherry tomatoes on the vine, long cucumbers, and mini cucumbers – packaged to order, and delivered on schedule. At the beginning of 2024, snack cucumbers were added to the portfolio. Measuring 8 to 12cm, they are somewhat smaller than mini cucumbers. “When grower Ad Verhoeven wound up his business, he was keen to help us take over his cultivation activities. Specialties suit us well, so we were happy to move into that gap,” says Teun.
The tastiest snack cucumber
They chose to grow the new high-mildew-resistant variety Quantario RZ – the successor to Qwerty RZ. “Personally, I think this is the tastiest snack cucumber on the market. Thanks to the mildew resistance, we don’t need so many pest management interventions. And production-wise, the variety is performing really well. In the meantime, we’re continuing to test new Rijk Zwaan varieties and share crop-related knowledge.”
Cultivation challenges
The crop is not without its challenges, according to Teun. It demands not only precision but also a lot of time because of the intensive crop maintenance and harvesting process. Moreover, labor planning and logistics planning must be perfectly aligned. “Snack cucumbers require a lot of attention, from when they are sown right through to harvest. We must maintain a continuously high level of product quality, while also being able to respond flexibly to market demand. We try to reach clear agreements with customers in advance,” Teun explains.
Read also: Breton mini-vegetables are back after a break of several months
Growing the market together
FreshValley not only works closely with Rijk Zwaan in relation to the crop but also to further develop the market. Teun places a high value on their partnership. “We regularly exchange ideas about market opportunities with Chain Manager Maarten van der Leeden. After all, Rijk Zwaan has connections with retailers all over Europe. We want to grow the market together by finding new customers for our snack cucumbers.”
Great market potential
Teun is optimistic about the future. “We’ve only just started. We believe the snack cucumber has great market potential, especially in our neighboring countries. Along with Rijk Zwaan, we will continue working on that. I believe in chain-wide collaboration, from breeder to retailer. That’s how we create new opportunities and are able to celebrate successes.”
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