Growth. That is our drive. We aim to ensure that more people across the world, use our varieties. Why? Because we want to contribute to the world's food supply and we are certain that this is feasible with our potato varieties. Every day we work tirelessly to realise our goal.

In order to achieve this growth, we invest in the future. We invest in the market, technology and knowledge transfer. We visit areas and countries where the potato could make a world of difference in terms of a sustainable, healthy food supply. New breeding techniques allow us to more effectively anticipate the consequences of climate change and the increasing demand for food as a result of population growth.

We cannot realise growth on our own. So, we work with our growers and partners in the chain; we share expertise and develop new products and techniques. We also ensure we apply the four values that permeate the company. HZPC employees think in terms of solutions and opportunities, not in terms of problems and limitations. They are creative and inventive. This is expressed in new markets and innovative techniques, applications and services. Our own expertise and development also play a huge part in this context and this is strengthened thanks to the training options offered by HZPC Academy.

Our growers can also relate to the four core values. On a global level, almost 1,200 growers produce around 100 varieties of potato on approximately 23,000 hectares. This financial year (both sales and license), this resulted in almost 900,000 tons of seed potatoes which were sold in diverse markets and various sales channels around the world.

Across the world, 17.6 million hectares of potatoes are grown. Our 900,000 tons of seed potatoes equates to around 3% of this total. So there are masses of opportunities out there. Our aim is to expand the market share of our varieties across the world. We are looking at sales in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, but also new markets in: Asia, Central Africa and South America.

When it comes to potato breeding, trade and product concept development, the market still has plenty to offer. This is all part of our profession as plant breeders, but it takes time, effort, expertise and patience. But also vision and determination. These qualities have brought us to where we are today.

Our story began over 120 years ago in 1898 with the creation of the Hettema trading house. A few decades later, in 1919, the ZPC cooperative was founded. ZPC acquired STET in 1997. Hettema and ZPC merged to become HZPC in 1999. In the past twenty years, HZPC has developed into the world-leader in seed potatoes, with total sales of 361 million euro and locations in 16 countries.

Our drive is growth. But not to the detriment of everything else. In everything we do, we look to the future and ensure that the generation that comes after us can benefit from our ambitions too. We take care of the environment and the people around us. Sustainability is the ongoing theme that is part of all our considerations and actions. In line with this, we develop robust varieties that are resistant to diseases and which grow well under various conditions. This could be a salty soil, a tropical climate, or even drought. Being good for the environment means that we are constantly assessing our transport kilometres and packaging materials. Sustainable production applies not just to us, but also to our partners in the chain. We provide further, more in-depth information in our new sustainability report.

Keeps you growing, that’s what HZPC is all about. In the HR department, we translate this into our personnel policy. In this context, sharing expertise and partnerships are essential elements. But, what does this mean for the people who work here? What type of culture would you like to create in the organisation in order to implement the strategy? I find this type of topic extremely interesting. For example, it can be quite a challenge to ensure that the vast expertise within the organisation is utilised and shared as effectively as possible, both within the company, but also with our partners.

HZPC is a growing business and that has consequences for the people who work here, some of whom have been with us over thirty years. One of the great things about HZPC is that you can grow with the company. We encourage everybody to continually develop and to stay curious. We call this ‘transparent curiosity’. It’s not about focussing solely on your own work and department but also monitoring your colleagues and other departments, and continuously asking how you could make connections and share your expertise.

HZPC employees all share a driving force: contributing to the world’s food supplies. That applies to me too. We are an innovative and international company but we retain a ‘northern’ down-to-earth approach and mentality. This can create areas of tension at times. But when you look at HZPC’s global position, we should feel a genuine sense of pride and, every now and then, should be prepared to ‘blow our own trumpet’.