RZ-100-wt4-E-flipbook-240702 - Flipbook - Page 26
1932: The carrot affair
In the same year, he also opens a new branch
in Venlo on Kleine Kerkstraat, which his brother
Nicolaas will run.
But things are not going smoothly for him. The
The so-called ‘carrot affair’ is almost
After germination in spring, the extent
breeding nursery is a long-term activity and
disastrous for Rijk Zwaan. He is
of the damage becomes apparent. In
requires a lot of money. Money that still has to be
constantly hammering on about trust
these already difficult times, dozens of
earned from the seed trade.
and quality in his catalogues. When
market gardeners have, in Rijk Zwaan’s
growers choose to work with him, they
own words, been ‘tremendously duped’.
know what they are getting. After all, he
It is clear that these people must be
‘tests’ all his seed deliveries in advance.
compensated. Rijk Zwaan not just
In small experimental gardens, he
honours his price guarantee, which
grows the seed consignments and then
was printed in his catalogues from the
inspects them. In this way, he can be
start, but he also arrives at a mutually
sure of the quality of all his stock.
totally satisfactory agreement with the
relevant growers. He reimburses the
But things do go wrong once: after
income the seed would have earned
Rijk Zwaan ‘tests’ a small batch of
if grown in ‘open air’. This whole affair
‘Amsterdammer Bak’ carrot seed in a
incurs a loss of 6,500 guilders, while
small test garden in 1932, he orders
the sale value of the carrot seed is just
more seed from the same batch
750 guilders. However, the compensa-
because his own crop doesn’t yield
tion for damages can be paid in seed,
enough. However, there is no time
which explains part of the one-off 1932
to sow that new seed and test the
turnover increase. The whole affair has
Advertisement in the
quality – even though this is something
hurt Rijk Zwaan, although he does try
Nieuwe Venlosche Courant by
that he always insists on. He buys the
to resolve the matter in the best way
Nicolaas Zwaan, who apparently
seed in good faith. And this is a big
possible. On top of that, the entire
also ran a housing agency.
mistake. One of the growers of the seed
horticulture sector continues to go
consignment appears to have added
downhill. These factors combined cause
another variety to the carrots that isn’t
Rijk Zwaan’s turnover to plummet by
suitable for growing in containers.
around 30 per cent.
Seed cleaning in
Bergschenhoek, 1939
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Rijk Zwaan | Moving forward together
