125 years
Where some see a potato, we see a world of possibilities. And we’ve been doing so for over 125 years. Though we started in a small village in Friesland, we’ve grown into an international market leader in potato breeding, seed potato trading and concept development.
This is the story of HZPC.
Our founders
The story of HZPC is also the story of Hettema and ZPC. Two organisations that were active in the same period, under the same circumstances. Please let us introduce the founding fathers of HZPC: Hette Hettema and Jakob Wiersma.
Hette Hettema
Founder of Hettema trading house
Hette was son of a gardener with cattle. His father was not particularly successful. Hette had no intention of accepting the same fate. He wanted to follow the entrepreneurial path of his grandfather, after whom he is named.
Hette has been trading in small livestock, vegetables and potatoes since his early childhood. Later, as a gardener, he grew the crops he traded. In the years leading up to his 35th birthday, he mainly built a good reputation with his seed potatoes.
Jakob Wiersma
Founder of ZPC
Jakob was the son of a farm worker. His childhood was characterised by lack of money and poverty. But Jakob was determined to do better.
Jakob was aware of the wealth possessed by arable farmers and merchants. But he couldn't become a farmer. He didn't have the money for that. So he tried his hand at trade. He went to work for a grain merchant. First in bookkeeping and later as a merchant.
Logo's throughout the years
Hettema's first logo
ZPC's first logo
Hettema's second logo
HZPC's first logo
HZPC's third logo
Current Royal HZPC Group logo
The journey
1898
It's 27 February 1898. Coffee and orange cake await Hette Tjitzes Hettema (1863 - 1947) and Anne Fokkes van der Meer (1865 - 1926) at their home on Alddyk in Bitgum. Hette turns 35 today. And they celebrate this lavishly, because in addition to his birthday, the couple is marking another happy event. Hettema's trading company was established.
Anne Fokkes van der Meer
Anne is Hette Hettema's wife. And it was in fact she, that saw opportunities abroad and decided that her husband needed to take his seed potatoes to Germany. In addition to her steadfast belief in him, Anne gives Hette 100 guilders and sends him away with a suitcase full of seed potatoes. The starting capital of what would later grow into a multinational company.
1919
Director Jakob Wiersma thinks growers are operating too independently, which is not in the common interest. He proposes converting the agency into an association with members. Therefore ZPC was established on 23 April 1919. To tell the full story of ZPC, we need to go back to 1903 when the first seed to the founding of ZPC was planted.
ZPC’s first export not paid
It is the autumn of 1920. The fledgling association ZPC is exporting its first seed and seed potatoes: three train wagons of Eigenheimers (seed potatoes) and a wagon of seed oats. The destination is Belgium. But no payment is made...
Deputy director Johannes Bekius asks director Jakob Wiersma for permission to travel to Belgium by bicycle. There he meets the treasurer for the farmers to whom ZPC has delivered the seed potatoes. She breathes a sigh of relief and whips out a tin box with Belgian Francs. The treasurer simply had no idea of how to get the money to ZPC in the Netherlands.
1937
Employee Daan Groen of ZPC is a valued worker. He stands out due to his level of commitment. In winter, he works in the seed warehouse. But in summer he has little to do. To prevent him from leaving, director Johannes Bekius figures that Daan Groen could help with the breeding activities. Soon after, they purchase land in Ried for their own breeding field. ZPC's breeding activities did not lead to the development of new varieties in the first few years, but the foundation for the Béa variety was laid here. Which in turn was later the basis for the potato variety Spunta, introduced by Hettema.
The bridge in ZPC's logo
ZPC does not have a logo until 1931. This changes when the Agricultural Export Act comes into force in this year. As a result, the Dutch General Inspection Service for agricultural seeds and seed potatoes (NAK) performs the inspections as of 1932. This is a government-appointed foundation.
From then on, ZPC stops carrying out inspections and focuses entirely on trade. The cooperative aims to be the figurative bridge between the producer and the user. Graphically, this is depicted with a logo. The bridge that ZPC aspires to be has its name on it, but the train riding across the bridge becomes the most recognisable symbol. Thus, in some countries, ZPC is known as the “Marque du train”, the train brand.
1952
In the free market, seed potato prices are under pressure. Growers suffer as a result. Hettema Zonen wants to counter this by breeding its own varieties. The aim is to create a better position in the market while improving growers' returns. The Amaryl variety - also known in Friesland as 'Hettema's - is the first success.
The Amaryl is the first variety in the variety list with resistance to the dreaded potato fatigue pathotype A. The, at the time, mandatory first letters of AMaryl refer to the Dutch name for Potato Fatigue, Aardappel Moeheid.
Led by Herman Hettema (son of Tjitze Hettema), the breeding company, together with its affiliated growers, is able to market successful varieties such as Draga, Liseta, Mondial and Spunta.
The king of potatoes
"Every potato variety in existence has been in the feed trough (for cattle) at one time or another.” A statement that refers to Bintje – which was later reinvented – but certainly also applies to the Spunta. This “king of potatoes” is grown in Drenthe, at grower J. Oldenburger's farm and enters the variety list in 1969. Breeders initially saw little value in Spunta, but little did we know...
1965
Flags, flowers, balloons and lots of people. There's a celebration in Metslawier. Because the new breeding company Ropta (today known as HZPC Research) was opened by Princess Margriet.
How potato variety Irene got its name
A story by Johannes Dirk Bekius - former director of ZPC
“One day, Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard came on a working visit to Friesland. ZPC was also invited to show a presentation of its work. My father (Johannes Bekius) asked them if the newly grown potato, ZPC 43855, a promising variety, could be named after the queen’s then youngest daughter, Irene. Of course, to do this, they had to follow official protocol and submit a request. The paperwork was filed, but the Queen decided against it. ZPC, not wanting to back down, wrote a polite letter back saying that they respected the decision and that the management had now decided to name this promising potato after the Greek goddess of peace: Irene”.
1999
Everyone agreed. A marriage between Hettema and ZPC could be a dream marriage. The seed potato trading companies complement each other. Directors at the time, Jasper Knoester (Hettema), Lykele Aardema (ZPC) and the leaders of both grower groups did a lot of work behind the scenes to make the merger happen.
A new name: HZPC
The merger has been clinched. For now, the new company operates under the name Hettema and ZPC. To come up with a new name, a competition is held among staff members. One condition is that the new name may not be an abbreviation.
Nevertheless, former Hettema director Dirk Jan Meijer came up with the winning suggestion: Hettema Zonen's 'HZ' combined with ZPC's 'PC'. A name that conveyed equality and was ultimately the obvious choice: HZPC.
2001
HZPC is big in the Netherlands, but small in the world. With the arrival of new managing director Gerard Backx, a different way of thinking is emerging. The drive arises to see what is happening in the rest of the world. No longer thinking as a Dutch exporter, but as a global player active in seed potatoes. With growers all over the world.
HZPC establishes branches from 2001 onwards in important seed potato production countries and would also grow and sell HZPC varieties from these countries a while later. In 2008 HZPC is the world's largest company active in the export of seed potatoes.
Looking at licence farming differently
HZPC has a vision that goes beyond thinking and acting from the perspective of Dutch or European seed potato cultivation. It goes beyond exports. It is Gerard Backx in particular who insists that a tonne of licensed cultivation is just as important as a tonne of sales. HZPC invests a lot in developing good varieties. The idea is that these varieties add value. Economic value as well as value in terms of food security. It doesn’t matter whether varieties are grown with imported seed potatoes or via a licence.
From then on, HZPC takes a leading role in licensed cultivation. In 2023, licensees grow HZPC varieties on all continents. In addition to the 600,000 seed potatoes that HZPC trades annually, 300,000 tonnes of licensed seed potatoes can be added to this. The USA, China and South Africa are the main licensing areas at that time.
2023
2023 marks 125 years since Hette Hettema and Anne Fokkes van der Meer celebrated the founding of the trading company Hettema on Hette's birthday. It is also over 100 years since Jakob Wiersma ensured the establishment of an organisation to promote seed and seed potatoes grown by its members: ZPC.
And in the meantime, there have been so many more developments, companies, growers and colleagues that have all contributed to the place that HZPC holds today. HZPC may be celebrating the moment of its founding today, but actually this day belongs to everyone who cares about HZPC.
Congratulations!
Recent projects
As we look to the future, we remain committed to the principles that have made HZPC successful for 125 years. We will continue to innovate and invest in new technologies that will enable us to meet the ever-changing needs of our customers.
We have been working hard over the last years, delivering a range of innovative and impactful projects. From cutting-edge technology solutions to sustainable development initiatives, these projects showcase our expertise and commitment to finding creative solutions to complex challenges. Below you can find a selection of our current projects.
Increasing food security in areas that are hard to access. This is one of the ideas behind an important potato innovation by HZPC: hybrid potato breeding. This innovation has been under development for many years. We expect to introduce our first hybrid potato varieties in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia from 2025 onwards.
In 2020, HZPC Americas launched the multi-year project ‘Potato Glory’ together with the University of Massachusetts Dining Program (UMass) for the purpose of conducting research and to provide students and employees with information on potatoes. This kills two birds with one stone: UMass learns more about potatoes and HZPC gains more insight into opinions and behaviour in relation to potato consumption.
China is a country that is growing rapidly in several areas. It is the largest potato producer in the world. The rise of fast-food chains in the late 1990s also increased demand for other types of potatoes. HZPC became the first foreign breeder to invest in China, intending to grow with the country through the licensing model.