Fresh Forward is one of Northern Europe's top fruit breeders, specialising in apples and strawberries.

We cooperate with Wageningen University & Research, as well as Fragaria Holland and TreeQuattro, partnerships of leading plant propagators and tree growers. This gives Fresh Forward access to both fundamental and practical knowledge of trees and plant distribution, which benefits the grower, wholesaler, retailer and consumer. The result is a wide range of high-quality strawberry and apple varieties tailored to specific needs - including strawberry varieties such as Sonata, Rumba and Calinda and apple varieties such as Wellant®, SQ159 Magic Star® and Natyra®.

Fresh Forward also manages licences for other fruit varieties, besides strawberries and apples.



Read more about the Fresh Forward team below.

Team Fresh Forward

Management

Teunis Sikma
Teunis Sikma
Managing Director

Teunis heads the dedicated team of Fresh Forward. This in close cooperation with the shareholders. He has spent a lifetime in the fruit sector and feels at home interfacing with agriculturists and scientists, with retailers and customers.

Bert Meulenbroek
Bert Meulenbroek
Manager Breeding

Bert is responsible for developing varieties required by worldwide markets. His breeding team is tasked with conducting fundamental and applied research, independently or in collaboration with academic partners.

Concepts

Stephan Geerlings
Stephan Geerlings
Marketing Manager

Stephan is responsible for the worldwide marketing of the apple varieties of the Wageningen University (WUR) apple breeding programme.

Peter-Jan van Ingen
Peter-Jan van Ingen
Marketing Apple

Peter-Jan is responsible for the marketing of apples in China and assisting of marketing in other countries world wide for the formerly Wageningen University and Research apple breeding program, as well as the binding link between marketing and tree production.

Jan Wouter van Eck
Jan Wouter van Eck
Intellectual Property Strategist

Jan Wouter looks after intellectual property rights, licenses and contracts, and is the link between the commercial and administrative departments.

Ronnie Kersten
Ronnie Kersten
Concept & Commercial manager

Concept & Commercial manager

Joanna Pabiniak
Joanna Pabiniak
IP and Legal Manager

Joanna is responsible for the drafting and finalizing of all our contracts and license agreements for Apple as well as Strawberry varieties. In addition she takes care of several Intellectual Property Rights tasks for all countries world wide.

Ingrid van der Bogt
Ingrid van der Bogt
License & Marketing

Ingrid is a regular contact for our licensees. She ensures contracts are validated and archived, and processes the propagation statements provided by licensees. She is also involved in marketing activities

Carina van der Lippe
Carina van der Lippe
HR & organization

Carina supports the management. She is responsible for HR tasks and issues. Carina is HR point of contact for employees and management.

Lucie Bartels
Lucie Bartels
Financial Administrator

Lucie is responsible for handling the financial administration. She is the most regular contact for our debtors and creditors.

Breeding

Nick Howard
Nick Howard
Molecular Breeder apple

Nick is the molecular breeder in the apple breeding program. In that role he designs crosses, selection strategies, and research projects.

Evert Walraven
Evert Walraven
Breeder apple

Evert organizes the practical breeding and directs the people for the garden and the nursery, and judges the seedlings and selections. Looking for a new variety. With disease resistances.

Thijs van Dijk
Thijs van Dijk
Molecular Breeder

Thijs is the molecular breeder of the breeding team and focuses on designing and executing pre-breeding programmes.

Rob d'Hont
Rob d'Hont
Breeder

Rob organises and plans the nursery and breeding activities and contributes to fundamental and applied research projects.

Johan Willemsen
Johan Willemsen
Bioinformatician

Johan is the bioinformatician and supports the breeding team by performing data analysis. In addition he is responsible for the design and analysis of molecular markers.

Tim Koorevaar
Tim Koorevaar
Junior Molecular Breeder

Tim is part of the molecular breeding team and focuses on marker development by performing research projects and marker design.

Marina Goméz-Caro
Marina Goméz-Caro
Assistant Breeder

Marina organises and plans the nursery and breeding activities and contributes to applied research projects. She supports the marketing team with practical knowledge about the new low-chill material. She is also coordinating the introduction of the new lines in the certification process.

Ruxin He
Ruxin He
Assistant Breeder
Rian Peters
Rian Peters
Phytopathologist

As a phytopathologist, Rian arranges disease testing in strawberry and apple. In addition, Rian can often be found in the lab for molecular research such as marker screening of our seedlings.

Ruud Venner
Ruud Venner
Product Developer

Ruud keeps track of Fresh Forward’s high-chill strawberry selections in internal and external trials. He also focuses on the design of variety specific growth concepts.

Saskia van Vulpen
Saskia van Vulpen
Breeding assistent

Saskia assists with breeding activities and growth processes.

Imke van den Hoven
Imke van den Hoven
Breeding Assistent

Imke assists the breeders with selecting and reviewing new selections. She also assists in testing advanced selections and assists garden staff with work.

Kees van Miltenburg
Kees van Miltenburg
Farm Manager

Kees is in charge of all growing processes and facilities. Additionally, he and his team support the breeding team.

Stanley van Kuilenburg
Stanley van Kuilenburg
Head of Cultivation

Stanley is responsible for directing staff for all cultivation activities. In doing so, he is the connecting link between management and output.

Jack de Raadt
Jack de Raadt
Senior field Employee

Jack carries out all activities related to both culture and controlled growth. He also maintains our equipment and facilities.

Jan van Loenen
Jan van Loenen
Field Employee
Barry de Vries
Barry de Vries
Field Employee
Janneke Goets
Janneke Goets
Field Employee

Janneke supports the apple breeding program with breeding work and orchard maintenance.

Bob Sanders
Bob Sanders
Field Employee

Bob is mainly involved in a number of nursery processes. Additionally, he helps to maintain our equipment and facilities.

Antonino Vázquez
Antonino Vázquez
Manager Fresh Forward España

Antonino lives in Spain (Andalusia) and is the manager of Fresh Forward España. He also is the technical advisor for Fresh Forward's low chill varieties.

Gema Díaz Garrido
Gema Díaz Garrido
Breeding assistent Spain

Gema assists with breeding activities and growth processes at our location in Spain

Carmen Lopez Sanchez
Carmen Lopez Sanchez
Breeding assistent Spain
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