Sweet Palermo peppers mixed colours

Vegetable seed company Rijk Zwaan has highlighted how it is staying in close contact with its partners during the pandemic through initiatives such as studio-based meetings.

According to the group, these have ensured it can exchange knowledge and provide growers with new market insights into current and future needs, while continuing to develop brands like Sweet Palermo.

Rijk Zwaan said that it recently held a series of studio meetings with its Sweet Palermo partners in Israel and the Netherlands, with Germany and Poland the next countries on the agenda. The meetings were described as 'perfect examples of brand-enhancing collaboration'.

'Thanks to our intensive breeding programme at Rijk Zwaan, we are able to continuously develop new high-quality Sweet Palermo varieties,' the group stated. 'However, successful breeding is only one step in the process of building a strong brand, close collaboration with our partners is equally important.

'Together, by sharing insights into market trends and consumer behaviour, we can define the right strategy and create effective campaigns.'

Having conducted intensive research into both the retail market and consumer trends, Rijk Zwaan uses the studio meetings to share its findings with growers, while simultaneously hearing about their experiences of cultivating Sweet Palermo varieties.

'As a result, retailers and consumers ultimately benefit from these meetings too, as they lead to products that are better aligned with their expectations and preferences,' the group explained.

Rijk Zwaan confirmed that it would continue to organise brand-enhancing meetings with its Sweet Palermo partners worldwide to support brand development activities.