From Trial Field To Trusted Variety; The Rijk Zwaan Spinach Journey.

14 January 2026, Netherlands: Downy mildew and climate change – these are just two of the challenges facing spinach growers worldwide. As a market leader in spinach varieties, Rijk Zwaan feels it has a responsibility to offer growers solutions in all segments. Wim in ’t Groen, Crop Coordinator Spinach, is confident that the fruit and vegetable breeding company will succeed in this. “Our past performance has proven that customers can count on us.”

Tried, tested and trusted spinach

Rijk Zwaan has been investing in spinach breeding for more than three decades. The company introduced its first varieties for industrial processing in the 1990s, says Johan Decroos, who has been the face of Rijk Zwaan in the spinach processing market for 30 years. “60% of all vegetable processing companies in Europe are located in and around Belgium. Success depended – and still depends – on good contact with them. We conducted real-life trials with industry players so that our breeders knew exactly what kinds of varieties they were looking for. Avanti RZ, the variety that we introduced in 1996, met all the criteria. It was vigorous, mildew resistant and strong against bolting.”

Fresh spinach, built to perform

The next turning point, specifically in the fresh market, came with the launch of the fresh spinach variety Whale RZ. Crop Coordinator Wim in ’t Groen remembers it well. “As a young sales representative in 1999, I saw that Whale was the only variety still standing in the trial field when customers had major problems with bottom rot. Thanks to its robustness and strength against bolting, Whale had a long season: from late spring to late summer. That also helped this variety to gain a foothold in the UK and USA as babyleaf.”

One portfolio. All your spinach needs.

Thanks to its breeding team, which developed a complete range of industrial, babyleaf and oriental varieties with the right resistances, Rijk Zwaan became the market leader. “Our team also has a large number of new varieties in the pipeline – including with new resistances against downy mildew, the primary threat worldwide,” says Breeder David Courand.

According to Wim, this large, international breeding team is the cornerstone of the company’s future success. “They work very closely with our local crop specialists in 30 countries. Together, they are extremely committed to supporting spinach growers worldwide.”

Hydroponic cultivation on the rise

Although Wim doesn’t have a crystal ball, he is confident that spinach will remain important – both for growers, retailers and Rijk Zwaan. “Climate change is a big topic, however. We will have to adapt. As a breeding company, we will focus on varieties that are even more robust under all conditions. I also expect hydroponic cultivation of spinach to become more important in certain markets to reduce growers’ dependence on weather conditions. We see this method becoming more popular on the east coast of the USA, and also worldwide. It’s not without challenges, of course, but we’re addressing them too with our varieties.”

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