What Stender does

Stender GmbH is a German specialty manufacturer of horticultural substrates and growing media, founded in 1984 and headquartered in Schermbeck, Germany. The company produces two main product lines: Profisubstrate (professional-grade substrates sold B2B to commercial growers, tree nurseries, and ornamental plant producers) and Verkaufserden (consumer/hobby soils distributed through garden centers and DIY stores under the Gärtner and EUFLOR zero! brands). A sister company, EUFLOR, focuses on the consumer segment and achieved 100% peat-free status across all products in 2022.

The company's core technology is custom substrate formulation and mixing, with products tailored to specific crops, growing conditions, and irrigation systems (e.g., ebb-and-flood, misting). A key proprietary component is easyBASE, a peat substitute developed through years of R&D that combines wood fibers and green waste compost via a 4-week aerobic ripening process. Stender operates under the 'Mission Torffrei 2028' corporate strategy, committing to 100% peat-free production by 2028, with intermediate milestones at 75% reduction by 2025. The Papenburg production site is being de-prioritized as the company restructures capacity toward peat-free alternatives.

Stender's business model is B2B sales-led for the professional segment, with a dedicated field sales team of approximately 10 regional representatives covering Germany, the Netherlands, and Austria, plus export operations via stenderexport.com for global distribution. Consumer products are priced and distributed through third-party garden centers and DIY retailers. The company serves professional horticulture as its primary customer segment and hobby gardeners as a secondary segment, with no public revenue disclosure. Leadership is centered on Managing Director Sören Affeld, with functional heads covering R&D, Sales, Marketing, Purchasing, Logistics, and Production.

Name

Stender

Legal name

Stender GmbH

Website

https://stender.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Stender GmbH is a German specialty manufacturer of horticultural substrates and soils, founded in 1984, producing custom-formulated professional growing media for commercial B2B horticulture and consumer hobby soils under the Gärtner and EUFLOR zero! brands, with a public commitment to 100% peat-free production by 2028.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Horticultural substrates and growing media

NAICS

Pesticide, Fertilizer, and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing (3253), Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531), Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (444240)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Fertilizers for Horticulture & Controlled Environment (Greenhouse, Hydroponic, Nursery) (AFABACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Substrates & Growing Media (Coco, Rockwool, Peat Alternatives) (AFAAAHAF), Turf & Ornamental Specialty Fertilizers (Golf, Sports Turf, Landscaping) (AFABACAM)

Keywords

• Horticultural substrates
• Peat-free growing media
• Professional substrates
• Potting soil
• Substrate formulation

Headquarters

HQ city

Schermbeck

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Substrates: B2B sales of professionally-formulated growing substrates to commercial horticulture operations, tree nurseries, and plant producers. Substrates are customized for specific crops, growing conditions, and irrigation systems.
2. Hobby/Retail Soils: Sale of consumer-grade potting soils and growing media through garden centers and DIY stores. Includes branded products like Gärtner-Erde line and EUFLOR zero! product line.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Stender produces and supplies customized horticultural substrates and growing media for professional plant production and hobby gardening. The company offers two main product lines: Profisubstrate for commercial horticulture (with Stender add it for complex cultivation and Stender Standard for general growing), and Verkaufserden (hobby/retail soils) sold through garden centers under the Gärtner and EUFLOR zero! brands. Its products cover high-peat, reduced-peat, and peat-free formulations, including the proprietary easyBASE wood-fiber and green-compost based peat substitute ingredient.

Product overview

Stender is a manufacturer of horticultural substrates and soils operating since 1984. The company offers two main product lines: Profisubstrate (professional growing media) under the Stender add it and Stender Standard sub-brands, and Verkaufserden (hobby/retail soils) under the Gärtner and EUFLOR zero! brands. Professional substrates are available in customized formulations including high-peat (60%+), reduced-peat (30-50%), and completely peat-free options, with Stender add it providing specialized solutions for complex cultivation needs and Stender Standard offering robust general-purpose formulations. The hobby soil line includes Gärtner branded products (flower soil, herb/seedling soil, grave soil, tomato/vegetable soil, mulch, pine bark, and specialty soils) plus the sustainable EUFLOR zero! sub-brand featuring exclusively vegan, peat-free, and organic products. A key proprietary ingredient is easyBASE, a peat substitute consisting of wood fibers and green waste compost used as a volumetric base component in substrate formulations. All products are aligned with the company's Mission 2028 to eliminate peat from all substrates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Stender Profisubstrate: Professional-grade substrates designed for commercial growers and nurseries, tailored to specific crop requirements.
• Stender Verkaufserden
• EUFLOR
• zero!
• easyBASE

Products and services

• Profisubstrate (Professional Substrates) — Stender add it and Stender Standard lines High-quality professional growing media sold B2B to commercial horticulture operations — including tree nurseries, greenhouse growers, and ornamental plant producers — under the Stender Profisubstrate brand. The range spans Stender add it for individually customized substrates used in complex cultivation procedures with special air-water balance, pH, and fertilizer requirements (including systems such as Ebbe-Flut and Sprühnebel), and Stender Standard as the classic, robust, easy-to-handle substrate for general cultivation. Available peat levels include high-peat (60%+), reduced-peat (30-50%), and fully peat-free options to support customers transitioning under Mission Torffrei 2028.
• Verkaufserden (Hobby / Retail Soils) — Gärtner brand Retail / hobby soils sold B2C through German garden centers and DIY stores under the Gärtner brand. The portfolio covers Blumenerde (flower soil, including a long-term-fertilizer variant and a peat-free variant), organic herb and seedling soil, organic tomato and vegetable soil, Graberde for grave planting, Kiefernmulch and Pinienrinde bark mulches for evaporation and weed suppression, Moorbeeterde for acid-loving plants, peat-free Kübelpflanzenerde for balcony/patio containers, Pflanzerde for transplanting, and the premium Gärtnererde exklusiv with clay and trace elements.
• zero! Produktlinie (EUFLOR) — vegan, peat-free retail soils Complete sustainable soil line sold through garden centers and DIY stores under the EUFLOR zero! sub-brand, formulated to be vegan, peat-free, organic, fair, regional and ecological. The product range includes zero! Aussaat- und Kräutererde (seed and herb soil), zero! Blumenerde (flower soil with up to 12 weeks of organic pre-fertilization), zero! Hochbeeterde (raised bed soil), zero! Orchideenerde (orchid and tropical air-root plant soil in pine bark and expanded clay), zero! Pflanzerde (planting soil for trees, hedges, shrubs and perennials), and zero! Universalerde (versatile universal soil for fruits, vegetables and flowers).

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% peat reduction achieved in practice with no significant difference from conventional production (Baumschule de Vries calluna test)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• InterzerominorOthersPartnership for transport packaging recycling. Interzero (formerly Interseroh) assists with take-back and proper disposal of transport packaging materials. Stender's manufacturer number is 88313.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Einheitserde Werkverband eG: German cooperative producing professional growing substrates for greenhouse, nursery, and tree nursery operations. Direct competitor serving the same German professional horticulture customer base as Stender.
• Pindstrup Mosebrug: Danish peat and substrate producer with a strong European footprint, offering professional growing media for greenhouse and nursery growers. Direct competitor in the professional horticulture substrate segment with established peat-reduction programs.
• Lambert Peat Moss: Canadian peat moss and substrate producer with global distribution, offering professional growing media. Direct competitor in the substrate manufacturing space with comparable product categories for professional horticulture.
• Klasmann-Deilmann: German-based market leader in growing media and substrates, producing peat-based and peat-reduced professional substrates for horticulture worldwide. Direct competitor to Stender in the DACH professional substrate market with significantly larger scale.
• Hawita Gruppe: German substrate and growing media producer based in Vechta, manufacturing professional and hobby growing media. Direct regional competitor to Stender in the German horticulture substrate market.
• Gramoflor: German substrate producer specializing in peat-reduced and peat-free growing media for professional horticulture. Direct competitor with an overlapping peat-alternative product portfolio.
• Patzer Erden: German manufacturer of substrates and growing media, including peat-free and peat-reduced products. Direct German competitor in the professional and hobby substrate market, also pursuing peat reduction strategies.
• Florentaise: French producer of growing media, peat alternatives, and soil conditioners using composted organic inputs. Direct competitor in peat-alternative substrate technology with a sustainability focus comparable to Stender's easyBASE approach.
• Jiffy Group: Norwegian/Dutch producer of growing media, propagation products, and substrates serving professional horticulture globally. Direct competitor in substrate manufacturing with a comparable product mix spanning professional and consumer segments.
• BVB Substrates (Legro Group): Dutch-based Legro Group produces professional substrates and growing media for the European horticulture market. Direct competitor serving similar professional grower customers across Northern Europe.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/stender.substrates
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stender-substrates
• Instagraminstagram.com/stender.substrates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stender