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Bejo successfully implemented Mercado worldwide and within a short time frame to optimize their trial management and product information management. The key to this successful implementation? A clear implementation plan, direct communication, a dedicated team, and a user-friendly tool that provided insights from day one.
Bejo is a leading, international family-owned company and a global player in vegetable seeds. With operations in over 30 countries and 2,200 dedicated employees, Bejo works on developing vegetable varieties for today and the future. Over the course of one year, Mercado – software for product and trial management – was successfully implemented and rolled out. Staff were trained, and active use gradually increased as the added value became clear in day-to-day operations. This led to more data-driven decisions and greater insights than ever before.
For this case, we spoke with Mike Barten, who was Technical Commercial Assistant (Crop Support) at Bejo at the time. His motto encapsulates the strength of this implementation:
“Keep it practical, but use Mercado for additional insight and better decisions.”
Bejo collects extensive data from experimental trials — information that is essential for multiple departments. However, their internal system no longer met the growing demands for transparent data sharing and informed decision-making.
This need became even more urgent during the COVID-19 pandemic. With global travel restrictions in place, the ability to quickly visualize trial data from around the world became critical.
At the same time, the lockdown offered a moment to reflect and reassess internal processes. This led to the search for an intuitive trial management tool — one that could offer global data insights while supporting regional workflows.
Bejo had previously been looking for new software for breeding and had chosen E-Brida. During this process, they discovered that AIP also offers Mercado, for both (pre-commercial) trial management and product information management.
At the same time, Bejo was undergoing internal restructuring and setting up multidisciplinary teams. This increased the need for uniform trial management and insight into trial data and information sharing.
Mercado was first implemented as a trial management tool. Shortly afterward, the need arose to not only evaluate variety performance and observations but also to uniformly record and globally share product information for consistent communication about the product. The Mercado Variety Trials and Mercado Variety File modules made it possible to combine observations and product information and easily share them.
Mercado contributed to the need for good trial management and better insight, but Bejo was aware from day one that the solution also lay with the people in the field responsible for entering the data.
Within Bejo, Mike Barten, then Technical Commercial Assistant Crop Support, became the driving force behind the implementation. He recognized the challenge and knew that good execution would be key to success. Together with Mark de Langen (consultant and product owner Mercado at AIP), he developed an implementation plan.
Key success factors:
Bejo was granted access to a test environment where Mike and his team could experience how Mercado would support their own workflows. With relatively simple crops and short turnaround times, data was quickly collected. The immediate effect and recognition of their own processes sparked visible enthusiasm – a crucial factor for the follow-up phase.
During a kick-off with Bejo IT, BI, Sales, and AIP, a clear implementation plan was established. Mark de Langen (AIP) became the primary point of contact from AIP and worked closely with Mike, who led the training, dashboard development, and alignment between breeding and sales at Bejo. In total, Mercado was rolled out in 32 countries, with 60 key users designated as local points of contact. Short communication lines were essential: everyone knew who to reach out to for support or questions.
From day one, the focus was on benefits for the end-users. A first version of the PowerBI dashboard – thanks to the Mercado Data Warehouse – was quickly developed. Users gained direct access to real-time data, accelerating adoption and boosting enthusiasm. AIP provided advice on data structures; the Bejo Intelligence team built upon this and developed a scalable dashboard that was useful for both operational teams and strategic decision-making.
The pilot with the test environment not only provided insights and enthusiasm but also a solid foundation for training. Mike developed the training materials himself and trained all 32 countries within a year. Each region had an English-speaking key user familiar with the local language, processes, and challenges. In small online sessions (1–5 people), these ambassadors were trained and prepared for their role as points of contact. Questions that Mike couldn’t immediately answer were resolved quickly with Mark – although this was soon no longer needed.
User-friendly app for field observations
Thanks to the intuitive app, team members and external employees (members) could easily and uniformly record observations. With minimal training, members quickly became proficient with the app. Through the dashboard, real-time data on incoming observations was visible, further boosting enthusiasm.
The implementation gained momentum thanks to a driven lead within Bejo, who set clear goals from the beginning and fully committed to the execution. In close collaboration with AIP, a realistic yet ambitious plan was developed. The combination of ownership, involvement, and results-oriented approach provided a solid foundation for the project.
Thanks to the structured approach and the enthusiasm of Mike and his team, Bejo was able to successfully implement Mercado within one year.
With Mercado, Bejo now has:
A single flexible tool for efficient global trial management.
Always insight into uniform trials and observations.
Integrated product information in one central location.
More data-driven decisions and transparent internal communication.
“Data is never leading but supports discussions.”
Better collaboration between departments, with a harmonious relationship between Breeding and Sales. The recording of properties in Mercado led to valuable discussions about uniform naming, with breeding taking the lead, contributing to improved collaboration.
Exploring nature never stops – In a constantly changing world that brings new challenges, recording, collecting, analyzing, and sharing data should never be an obstacle. Efficient processes and reliable data are essential. Without the right tools, you risk losing valuable time and insights. Through a deep understanding of the supply chain and different workflows, Bejo found a reliable long-term partner in AIP.
Mike looks back on the collaboration with Mark and Ad with great satisfaction. According to Mike, the warm contact with AIP, their flexible attitude, the short communication lines, and excellent aftersales were invaluable.
“Because you understand how the business works, you can act quickly and with empathy.”
To continue sharing user experiences and optimizing the software, Bejo has now appointed an application manager.
The implementation of Mercado at Bejo is an example of how a well-thought-out plan, dedicated employees, and a scalable tool can lead to successful global deployment.
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