Chris Groot explained, from his point of view as a Produce Chain Manager, that it is really a team effort to introduce the right product innovations into the international fresh produce chain. Groot: “As well as internally, with our worldwide Enza Zaden colleagues, as externally with all of our chain partners, teamwork is the key to success. Post-harvest research contributes to help our customers and chain partners to serve and please their customers even better.”
Data to improve products
Anne Marie Schoevaars showed how and why she’s continuously working on collecting data.
Schoevaars: “We analyse and test the full grown product. This data gives us good insights in the characteristics of our products. We use this information for the positioning and improvement of our varieties. It also helps customers to choose the right variety for their market. With the information we get from post-harvest research we can even better attune our products to the end-consumers' needs.”
Anne Marie Schoevaars: “We’ve got a lot of positive feedback and various questions from the audience. Moreover, for some of the people it was an eye-opener that post-harvest research could bring them so much added value.”
The take away message of the presentation was that teamwork, innovation, differentiation and excellent quality are critical to meet the consumer's expectations. This is valid for both the conventional and the organic market.