RZ-100-wt4-E-flipbook-240702 - Flipbook - Page 121
Employee participation:
from dream to reality
14 per cent of the shares are offered to employees
Employee participation: from dream to reality
the tax authorities. All employees of Rijk Zwaan are
At the first stage of the management buyout in
given the opportunity to buy the certificates every
1989, Maarten, Anton and Ben already believe
year and in that way can become co-owners of
that they should not be the only people to
Rijk Zwaan and benefit from the company’s
benefit from the expected future increase in the
increase in value.
in the form of certificates, after consultation with
20
03
Platinas RZ
Iceberg lettuce
Resistant to
tip burning.
Very harvest-secure.
Nice round shape.
company’s value. They dream of sharing
Rijk Zwaan’s success with the employees who
So many people are interested that there is a
make it possible. However, the arrangements with
danger there won’t be enough certificates to go
Cebeco are predominantly based on the 70/30
round. So it is decided later to give employees the
share ratio. Employee participation was there-
opportunity to purchase once every three years
fore not yet possible in 1989. Nevertheless, the
instead of every year.
Board is not abandoning its dream of employee
Around 1,000 employees are now certificate
participation, and it aims to make it a reality in the
holders. Employee participation creates a
future, whenever possible.
special bond between employees to the
With the corporatisation of Rijk Zwaan in 2002, that
company and enables employees to actually
moment has arrived. In 2003, almost immediately
say about the company they work for every day:
after corporatisation, the dream becomes a reality.
‘That’s a part of me!’
20
03
Burgos RZ
Cucumber
First long
winter variety with
CVYV resistance.
20
04
Cartagenas RZ
Iceberg lettuce
Resistant to
tip burning.
NAS-resistant.
Very stable.
The
corporatisation
of
Grow Group
Since buying the Grow Group, which
Moreover, they are two very different
consists of two plant nurseries, in 1990,
companies: a plant nursery such as the
Rijk Zwaan has been selling plants in
Grow Group is a production company,
addition to seeds. This puts Rijk Zwaan
while Rijk Zwaan is an R&D company.
in contact with market gardeners who
The Rijk Zwaan Board therefore concludes
do not yet grow Rijk Zwaan varieties and
that it would be better to corporatise the
allows it to influence their variety choices.
Grow Group again. In close consultation
Although this model works well for some
with previous owner Grootscholten and
years and provides revenue growth for
his son Hans, who has since taken over
both Rijk Zwaan and the Grow Group,
from his father as managing director, the
after a few years the market changes.
Grow Group shares are sold back to the
The influence of plant breeders on the
Grootscholten family in 2007.
choice of variety is decreasing, while the
The excellent cooperation will still
influence of other links in the chain, such
continue for years to come. In 2019, the
as supermarkets and food processing
Grow Group merges with two other plant
companies, is becoming more important.
growers to form Plantise. In 2023, as a
The benefits of owning the Grow Group
result of rising energy prices, the company
are therefore diminishing.
unfortunately has to close down.
20
04
Amoroso RZ
Tomato
Particularly tasty
cocktail tomato.
20
03
Launch of
Q-Sem
(Tanzania)
2003-2004
Left: the signing of the separation between Rijk Zwaan and Grow Group.
2000-2014 | Chain activities and the growing position in society
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