For this blog, we interviewed Ir. Anja de Feijter, Head of Global Sales at Bakker Brothers. Anja has been working with Bakker Brothers for 1.5years. In her role, she leads the company’s commercial activities across Africa, Asia, and the Americas, while overseeing the Customer Service, Sales, Marketing & Communication, and Product Development teams. In her role, she connects market needs with innovation, helping growers gain access to high-quality vegetable varieties that contribute to sustainable food systems and profitable horticulture worldwide.

What motivates her most is the connection between people, innovation, and impact. She enjoys working closely with customers and translating their needs into new products that address the challenges of diverse markets across Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Equally rewarding is seeing young colleagues and entrepreneurs develop and thrive, particularly in Africa, where talent and ambition can drive meaningful change. Above all, she finds great fulfillment in knowing that her work contributes to improving the livelihoods of vegetable growers, strengthening local food systems, and creating opportunities for communities to prosper.

Get to know more about Bakker Brothers

Bakker Brothers is an international vegetable seed company with a long history in the breeding, production and supply of high-quality vegetable seeds. Working across nine vegetable crops, the company focuses particularly on Sub-Saharan and North Africa, South and East Asia, the Americas and Europe. 

Bakker Brothers combines innovative hybrid breeding with a strong commitment to improving open-pollinated varieties (OPVs). With a strong focus on breeding and seed quality, the company develops and supplies varieties adapted to local growing conditions and needs.

What Bakker Brothers specialises in and what what makes the company different.

Bakker Brothers specializes in vegetable seed breeding and production, with a portfolio that includes both hybrid and open-pollinated varieties (OPVs). Something that distinguishes their approach is that they do not focus exclusively on hybrids. Through careful parent-line selection and continued breeding efforts in OPVs, the company works to improve varieties that remain relevant to growers in its target markets.

Their contribution to improved grower livelihoods, food security and nutrition

“Everything starts with a quality seed”. When growers have access to improved varieties, they also have access to higher yields and more reliable harvests, which can directly improve their income and livelihoods.

This impact has been seen firsthand in countries where growers have switched from saved onion seeds to improved open-pollinated varieties or even hybrids. Improved varieties can significantly increase productivity and profitability for growers, helping farming families improve their livelihoods. A successful season with improved varieties can have a transformational impact on household income.

Yet the impact goes beyond horticulture. Better performing vegetable varieties help build sustainable businesses, but also healthier communities. 

A milestone Bakker Brothers is proud of!

“Every time a new variety is born in a company, it is a milestone.” But rather than pointing to one particular achievement, they are especially proud of the broader impact they have built over time.

Looking at what has been achieved over decades through programmes and partnerships, they have introduced many varieties and helped develop better markets. Just as important are the networks and trusted relationships built with distributors, companies, NGOs and growers themselves, as well as close relationships with organisations such as FAO and the Red Cross.

Beyond seed production: building long-term trust

Looking back, one of the people who laid the foundation for a building trust approach was Ed Swiers, a pioneer at Bakker Brothers who opened markets where other seed companies had not yet shown interest, particularly with open-pollinated varieties. Having been one of his customers long before joining the company, Anja remembers him as a people person who was very good at studying countries and understanding the people behind the markets.

That approach remains an important part of the organisation today. “You can only do business if you understand someone’s culture, and respecting those differences has helped make the company stronger in emerging markets”. It also means having a listening ear: understanding the challenges growers face and looking at what can be done to solve them.

The foundation is still there. There is a genuine interest in solving growers’ challenges, and trust is something that needs to be earned continuously. Every culture requires a different approach, whether working with distributors, growers or navigating challenges together. It is through that understanding, respect and willingness to listen that lasting relationships are built.

Bakker Brothers and seed sector development

What makes the Dutch seed sector special, and the role Bakker Brothers plays. 

Next to improved vegetable genetics, the Dutch seed sector also contributes to strengthening local seed systems. Through initiatives together with SeedNL and other partners, Bakker Brothers brings knowledge, breeding expertise and practical private-sector experience to support local seed sector development.

They seek to contribute not only to better varieties, but also to the development of stronger local seed systems.

Contributing to seed sector development beyond seed production

Strong seed systems are fundamental to making a difference in seed sector development. Quality seed of improved varieties and hybrids is important, but growers also need access to knowledge, training, finance, reliable distribution channels and supportive policies.

“We bring decades of experience in vegetable seed in international markets, with a particular focus outside Europe”. Its combination of hybrids and open-pollinated varieties is an important part of this approach, as both have a role to play in serving growers across different markets. Beyond seed production, the company contributes through training and partnerships with local stakeholders, helping to strengthen the systems around growers.

This is also where partnerships such as SeedNL play an important role. “We appreciate SeedNL’s ability to bring together the public and private sectors, research and development, and companies around common goals.” For smaller companies, this creates opportunities to connect with international partners and contribute to practical action that benefits both the company and the wider seed system. Without that support, such connections would be more difficult to establish.

Working with SeedNL and the power of Partnerships

The power of Partnerships for Seed Sector development

“It’s not easy to build a strong seed system if you are alone. We need many different actors, with different expertise, different resources. Working together you can destroy barriers and create solutions.” 

SeedNL contributing to seed sector development

“SeedNL is a connector, creating opportunities for different organisations to come together. Each brings different strengths and perspectives, and SeedNL helps bring these together around a common goal: working towards stronger seed systems”

Through facilitating dialogue, capacity building and knowledge exchange, SeedNL creates opportunities for organisations to learn from one another and work together. This is something the company has experienced repeatedly over the past two years, through activities in different countries and, most recently, at SeedNL’s annual event. Bringing people together and facilitating that dialogue is an important part of SeedNL’s contribution to seed sector development!

The value in working together, not just beneficial, but essential

The biggest value of working together is the impact that can be made collectively. As a single company, achievements are much smaller, but when organisations work together, they can see much greater results.

Ethiopia is a nice example of what can be achieved through collaboration. With support from SeedNL, different partners worked together towards a better variety release system, benefiting all breeding companies rather than just one.

The same applies to the broader challenges that are faced, from food security and nutrition to climate change. These challenges require collective action. Working together is therefore not only beneficial, but essential.