Organic farmers and food processors need plant varieties that are adapted to their crop husbandry and
processing practices. Such varieties are scarce as the mainstream breeding sector focuses on developing
varieties for the conventional product chain that has different goals and practices. In this paper we study
the case of the Dutch bread production chain to assess options that might enhance the availability of
varieties suitable for the organic sector. The researchinvolves ananalysis of organic cropmanagement and
food processing practices and associated variety requirements. The research shows that several variety
traits prioritized by the organic sector are not adequately addressed by conventional plant breeders: high
baking quality, weed suppressiveness and tolerance to harrowing. Some of the interviewed conventional
breeders are willing to consider technical adjustments to their breeding programmes. However, seed
legislation and company economics limit the space to implement such modifications. We conclude that
developing spring wheat varieties for the organic bread production chain requires breeders to prioritize
selection for high baking quality genotypes that tolerate an organic weed management regime. This
would require a concerted initiative of all actors in the organic bread production chain that includes
establishing new socio-economic partnerships to overcome current economic and legal barriers.