What Groasis does

Groasis B.V., founded in 2003 in Steenbergen, Netherlands by Pieter Hoff, develops and commercializes a planting technology that enables trees, shrubs, and vegetables to grow in arid, degraded, or desertified land without conventional irrigation. The company's flagship products are the Waterboxx plant cocoon — a reusable polypropylene sleeve that creates a microclimate, captures condensation, and stores water for seedling establishment — and the Growboxx plant cocoon, a biodegradable variant made from recycled paper pulp that degrades into fertilizer after one growing cycle. Ancillary products include the Waterfilter Boxx (which permits planting with salted, brackish, or polluted water), Growsafe protectors against grazing animals, Terracedixx terrain-cutting devices, and Capillary Drills capable of opening up to 6,000 planting holes per day in hard or rocky soil. The mechanism claims 90% less water consumption, 90% lower cost than drip irrigation, and 90%+ seedling survival; published economics target roughly $7 per tree including training, sapling, vegetables, and protection.

The company generates revenue through a combination of hardware sales (direct via the waterboxx.com webstore and through a global network of 40 distributors), licensed-production royalties (allowing regional manufacture of cocoons near target markets), project-based professional services, and donations/CSR funding channeled via the Green Musketeer program. Customers span national and municipal governments (e.g., State of Baja California, Mexico), United Nations agencies and NGOs (WFP, Oxfam), conservation organizations (Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Verde 2050 program), and smallholder farmers in arid regions of Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and South Asia. Distribution is achieved via a minimum-order distributor/wholesale model (300 Waterboxxes or 475 Growboxxes), direct enterprise field sales for flagship restoration projects, and licensed-producer OEM arrangements.

Groasis is a privately held, founder-controlled Dutch SME with 11-50 employees and no disclosed institutional venture or growth-equity rounds; its only disclosed external funding event is a USD 500,000 USAID grant in 2016 routed through a partner. The company has cumulatively planted more than 2 million trees across 50+ countries and holds an extensive award portfolio including Popular Science Best of What's New (2010), Accenture Green Tulip (2014), National Icon of the Netherlands (2016), and the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation (2019). It also operates a 'Friends of Groasis' investment portal through groasis.investments, signaling a non-traditional approach to scaling capital.

Name

Groasis

Legal name

Groasis B.V.

Website

https://groasis.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Groasis B.V., a Dutch company founded in 2003, develops plant cocoon technology (Waterboxx, Growboxx, Waterfilter Boxx) that enables tree and vegetable planting in arid and degraded lands with 90% less water than drip irrigation, serving governments, NGOs, and smallholder farmers across 50+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water-Saving Planting Technology

NAICS

Nursery and Tree Production (111421), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114)

SIC

Forestry (800), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Irrigation Design, Installation & Maintenance Services (Engineering, Retrofit, Repair) (AFAAACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Irrigation, Fertigation & Nutrient Delivery Systems (Dosing, Injectors, Sensors) (AFAAAHAE), Water Treatment, Filtration & Recirculation (RO, UV, Sterilization) (AFAAAHAH)

Keywords

• Anti-desertification technology
• Water-saving planting technology
• Reforestation products
• Tree planting solutions
• Agroforestry equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Steenbergen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Waterboxx Plant Cocoon Sales: Sale of reusable Waterboxx plant cocoons made from polypropylene. Each unit can be reused approximately 10 times (planting one tree per year). Sold directly through webstore and via distributors.
2. Growboxx Plant Cocoon Sales: Sale of biodegradable Growboxx plant cocoons made from recycled paper pulp. Single-use product. Lower price point enables adoption in developing countries and large-scale projects.
3. Licensed Production: Groasis sells licenses to produce the plant cocoons locally near target markets. Interested parties can become licensed producers to manufacture products for regional distribution.
4. Distributor/Reseller Network: Revenue generated through network of 40 distributors worldwide who purchase products for resale in their territories. Resellers must purchase minimum quantities (300 Waterboxxes or 2 pallets of 475 Growboxxes) to start.
5. Donations and CSR Support: Individual and corporate donations for tree planting projects through the Green Musketeer program. Project-based funding from organizations like World Food Programme and various foundations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Groasis designs, manufactures, and distributes ecological water-saving planting products centered on plant cocoons (Waterboxx, Growboxx, and Waterfilter Boxx) that enable tree, vegetable, and shrub planting without irrigation in arid, degraded, desert, and rocky environments. Supporting equipment (Growsafe, Capillary Drills, Terracedixx) and project implementation services are sold to governments, NGOs, international organizations, distributors, and individual buyers.

Product overview

Groasis offers a suite of water-saving planting technologies centered on two main plant cocoon products: the reusable Waterboxx® plant cocoon (made from polypropylene) and the biodegradable Growboxx® plant cocoon (made from recycled paper pulp). Both enable tree and vegetable planting in arid, degraded, and desert conditions using 90% less water than traditional irrigation methods. Supporting products include the Growsafe plant protector for animal grazing protection, capillary drills for hard/rocky soil preparation, and the Terracedixx for water infiltration enhancement. The portfolio also includes the specialized Waterfilter Boxx® for planting with polluted or non-potable water sources. The technology is designed for reforestation, ecosystem restoration, and agroforestry applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Waterboxx: Reusable plant cocoon made from polypropylene for water-efficient tree planting
• Growboxx
• Growsafe
• Terracedixx
• Capillary Drills
• Waterfilter Boxx
• The Treesolution

Products and services

• Waterboxx® plant cocoon Reusable plant cocoon made from polypropylene that allows planting trees, vegetables, and bushes with 90% less water compared to drip irrigation. Can be reused up to 10 times (about 20 trees over its lifetime) for nurseries, large reforestation operations, and individual customers in arid regions.
• Growboxx® plant cocoon Biodegradable plant cocoon made from recycled paper pulp that works on the same capillary principles as the Waterboxx but is designed for single use, degrading after one year and functioning as fertilizer. Enables affordable planting on sand dunes, burned forests, rocks, mountains, deserts, and eroded regions.
• Waterfilter Boxx® plant cocoon Advanced plant cocoon variant enabling planting with non-potable water sources including salted water, brackish water, water with oil, chemicals, faeces, polluted water, or household washing water. Designed for projects with limited access to fresh water.
• Growsafe plant protector Tree and vegetable protector that guards young plants against grazing animals such as sheep and goats. Made from material that filters solar rays to promote faster growth of the protected plant.
• Capillary Drills Specialized drilling equipment capable of creating planting holes in hard and rocky soil. Can produce up to 6,000 planting holes per day for rapid large-scale planting operations.
• Terracedixx Device for creating terraces on slopes and bare ground. Increases water infiltration by 300% in planted areas, improving growing conditions on slopes and degraded terrain.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% less water use compared to drip irrigation
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• OxfamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Cooperation with Oxfam in Algeria for anti-desertification projects. Joint efforts with World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator to implement planting programs in North Africa.
• African Afforestation Association e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Afforestation projects in Ghana using Groasis technology. Part of ongoing reforestation efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• World Food Programme (WFP) Innovation AcceleratorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2017Groasis was selected through WFP's Innovation Accelerator Bootcamp in Munich (2017) to run pilot projects investigating the impact of its technology on eliminating hunger by 2030. Projects include agroforestry and ecosystem restoration with food-insecure families in Colombia and Chad, utilizing Waterboxx and Growboxx plant cocoons to restore degraded land while producing food.
• State of Baja California / Legado VerdeflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016180-kilometer tree curtain project to shield 700,000 residents of Mexicali from sandstorms. Partnership with Mexican State and Legado Verde (Mexican company specializing in infrastructural landscaping and reforestation). Also includes restoration of 2,000 hectares of burned forests in Sierra de Juarez.
• Institute for University Cooperation (ICU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Rome-based organization that won a $500,000 USAID grant together with Groasis for research with Waterboxx and Growboxx plant cocoons with rural families in Jordan. Project managed by distributor Desert Tulip.
• Charles Darwin FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Partnership for Galapagos Verde 2050 ecosystem restoration plan. Charles Darwin Foundation uses Groasis technology to plant endemic species and restore ecological balance on Galapagos Islands where conventional irrigation is not feasible.
• Desert Tulip (Jordan)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2012Official Groasis distributor in Jordan founded by Michael Schuring. Won FP4BATIW prize and manages projects across Middle East including Jordan River Foundation social projects. Key partner for implementation in challenging desert environments.
• Sahara Roots FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Foundation established to create awareness about maintaining the natural environment in the M'hamid village area of Morocco. Conducts tree planting projects in the Saharan Desert using Groasis technology, including projects with youth around the new music school in M'hamid.
• Villars InstituteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerExclusive invitation-only summit focused on global environmental challenges. Groasis participated in Villars Summit 2025 where CEO Wout Hoff presented on food security solutions in arid regions. Platform for collaboration with global sustainability leaders.
• Forestry Service GroupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPreferred supplier for theoretical and practical knowledge about tree and shrub planting. Provides independent advisory services to help investors and project developers with reforestation planning.
• VoorderhaakminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPreferred supplier for theoretical and practical knowledge about tree varieties for optimal return on investment and wood market prices. Provides independent advisory on species selection for forestry projects.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• tentree: Sustainable apparel brand that plants (via partners) ten trees per item sold; competes for the same corporate-CSR and individual-donor tree-planting mindshare that drives the Green Musketeer program and similar community GTM motions.
• Dendra Systems: Australia/UK-based company using drones and analytics for large-scale ecosystem restoration and tree planting; competes for the same NGO, government, and mining-company restoration budgets as Groasis, but with a different (drone + seedpod) delivery method.
• Pachama: Carbon-credit marketplace connecting corporate buyers with reforestation and forest-conservation projects; not a planting technology but increasingly channels the same climate/restoration funding that underwrites Groasis's largest projects.
• Flash Forest: Canadian drone-based reforestation startup that uses aerial mapping and seed pods to plant trees at scale; addresses the same reforestation market as Groasis, particularly carbon-credit-funded projects in North America.

Direct peers

• Trees for the Future: US-based nonprofit running the Forest Garden Approach in Sub-Saharan Africa, planting millions of trees with smallholder farmers; overlaps directly with Groasis's agroforestry and smallholder farmer use cases.
• Land Life Company: Dutch-based reforestation technology company that designs and deploys products (notably the Cocoon) for tree planting in degraded and arid landscapes; closest direct competitor to Groasis in mission, geography, and product approach.
• Eden Reforestation Projects: Large nonprofit that employs local communities to plant millions of trees in developing countries; shares Groasis's NGO/grant-driven go-to-market and target geographies (Africa, Asia, Latin America) but relies on manual labor rather than proprietary planting hardware.

Others

• Verra: Operator of the VCS carbon-credit standard used by many reforestation projects; Groasis's projects could be registered with Verra, making it a key ecosystem/infrastructure player adjacent to the company's growth path rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Jain Irrigation Systems: Large Indian multinational offering micro-irrigation, agritech, and food-processing solutions; the conventional-irrigation benchmark in emerging markets where Groasis is most active, and a potential acquisition target or competitor for agroforestry tenders.
• Netafim: Global leader in drip and precision irrigation, owned by Orbia; the incumbent against which Groasis benchmarks its 90% water/cost savings, and a potential channel partner or competitor as irrigation markets evolve toward water-scarcity solutions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/groasiswaterbox
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Groasiswaterboxx
• Facebookfacebook.com/thegreenmusketeer
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groasis-bv
• Instagraminstagram.com/groasis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Groasis