What Legro Group does

Legro Group is a Dutch family-owned manufacturer of agricultural substrates and casing soils (dekaardes), founded in 1924 and now in its fourth generation of Swinkels family leadership. The company produces custom-blended growing media for professional growers across five core segments: soft fruit (strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry substrates), mushrooms (casing soils for cutting and picking operations, plus a dry-casing export variant), young plants (acid-loving plants, neutral plants, plugs and paperpots, and perennials), vegetables, and container nurseries (tree nursery and other container-grown plants). Substrate blends are composed from proprietary raw materials — including sod turf peat, freesveen, white peat, garden peat, and coconut fiber — sourced from company-owned peat fields in Europe and processed at company-owned facilities, including a coconut-processing operation in India. The SEDA Substrates sub-brand, including SEDA Tray Mixes, operates as a separate product line within the group, and a Private Label – Retail offering supplies retailer-branded growing media.

The business operates through a direct sales model without intermediaries, with specialists co-developing crop-, location-, and condition-specific mixes with growers. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Vertically integrated logistics — a 40-truck company-owned fleet operating across Northwest Europe and weekly container shipments worldwide by land and sea, 365 days per year — supports reliable direct delivery. Legro maintains wholly-owned regional entities in the Netherlands (Oirschot, headquarters), the United States, Australia, Germany, and Mexico, alongside the India manufacturing site, giving it a four-continent footprint and self-described status as one of the largest substrate producers in Europe. The company is privately held with no institutional investor, PE/VC, or public shareholders disclosed in the available data.

Name

Legro Group

Legal name

Legro Group

Website

https://legro.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Legro Group is a Dutch family-owned manufacturer of custom-blended agricultural substrates and casing soils for professional growers, serving soft-fruit, mushroom, young-plant, vegetable, and container-nursery markets across four continents through direct sales and wholly-owned production and logistics operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Horticultural Substrates

NAICS

Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Substrates & Growing Media (Coco, Rockwool, Peat Alternatives) (AFAAAHAF)

Keywords

• Horticultural substrates
• Growing media
• Mushroom casing soil
• Peat-based substrates
• Custom substrate blends

Headquarters

HQ city

California

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Substrates and Casing Products: Sale of custom-tailored substrate mixes and casing materials (dekaardes) for professional growers including soft fruit, mushrooms, young plants, vegetables, and container nurseries. Products are manufactured in-house from company-owned raw material sources.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Legro Group manufactures and sells custom-tailored substrate mixes and casing soil (dekaardes) for professional growers. Products include growing media for soft fruit (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries), mushroom casing solutions, young plant substrates, vegetable substrates, and container nursery products, all produced in-house from proprietary peat and coconut raw materials. The company also offers private label substrate manufacturing for retail chains and the SEDA Tray Mixes sub-brand for tray-based growing systems.

Product overview

Legro Group is a manufacturer of agricultural substrates and casing soils (dekaarde) for professional growers. The company operates an integrated production model, controlling the entire supply chain from raw material sourcing (including proprietary peat fields across Europe and coconut processing in India) to mixing and delivery. The product portfolio centers on specialized growing media organized into product groups: soft fruit substrates for strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries; mushroom substrates including casing soils for cutting and picking operations with dry export variants; young plant media for acid-loving plants, neutral plants, plugs, paperpots, and perennials; vegetable substrates; container nursery products for tree nurseries and miscellaneous applications; and the SEDA Tray Mixes sub-brand. The company also offers private label products for retail partners. Legro's custom mixing service allows professional growers to obtain bespoke substrate formulations tailored to specific crop requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SEDA Substrates: Substrate brand including SEDA Tray Mixes for professional growers

Products and services

• Strawberry Substrate (Aardbeien substraat) Specialized growing substrate formulated for strawberry cultivation, designed to optimize drainage, airiness, and nutrient delivery for professional strawberry growers.
• Blueberry Substrate (Blauwe bessen substraat) Growing medium tailored for blueberry plants, formulated for acid-loving crops requiring specific pH levels and drainage characteristics for optimal fruit production.
• Raspberry and Blackberry Substrate (Frambozen- en bramen substraat) Substrate blend designed for raspberry and blackberry cultivation, providing the structural integrity, moisture retention, and nutrient balance required for bramble fruit production.
• Mushroom Substrates for Cutting and Picking Operations (Snijbedrijven en plukbedrijven) Casing soil and substrate solutions for commercial mushroom operations, supporting both cutting and picking harvest methods.
• Dry Casing for Export (Droge dekaardes voor de export) Dry casing soil products specifically processed and prepared for international export, maintaining quality during long-distance transport.
• Young Plants Substrate for Acid-Loving Plants (Zuurminnende planten) Growing media formulated for acid-loving young plants, providing the low pH environment these species require during early growth stages.
• Young Plants Substrate for Neutral Plants (Neutrale planten) Substrate solutions for young plants that thrive in neutral pH conditions, supporting balanced nutrient uptake during seedling development.
• Plugs and Paperpots Substrate (Pluggen en Paperpots) Specialized growing media designed for plug trays and paper pot systems, facilitating efficient nursery propagation workflows.
• Perennials Substrate (Vaste planten) Growing substrate for perennial plant cultivation in container nurseries, supporting long-term plant health and establishment.
• Vegetable Substrates (Groenten) Growing media for commercial vegetable production, engineered to meet the specific water management and nutrition requirements of various vegetable crops.
• Tree Nursery Substrates (Boomkwekerij) Substrates designed for container-grown tree nursery operations, providing structural support and root development conditions for arboreal species.
• Container Nurseries - Other Substrates (Overig) Miscellaneous substrate products for container nursery applications beyond trees and perennials.
• Private Label Substrates for Retail Custom-formulated substrate products manufactured under retail private label programs, allowing retailers to offer branded growing media.
• SEDA Tray Mixes A specialized substrate brand for tray-based growing systems, with its own product line and formulation history under the SEDA sub-brand.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• PittMoss: PittMoss is a US-based manufacturer of peat-free growing media made from recycled paper fiber, supplying professional and consumer horticulture. It is a niche alternative-substrate peer that highlights the peat-reduction regulatory pressure bearing on Legro's traditional product base.
• Grodan (ROCKWOOL Group): Grodan supplies rockwool (stone-wool) growing substrates and precision irrigation tools to greenhouse growers, including high-value vegetables and soft fruit — overlapping with Legro's customer base even though the substrate material differs. It is the principal alternative-substrate peer at the high-tech protected-cultivation end of the market.

Direct peers

• Klasmann-Deilmann: Klasmann-Deilmann is Europe's largest producer of peat-based growing substrates and casing soils, with own peat bogs and global sales. It is the most direct competitor to Legro, offering similar peat/wood-fibre blends for mushrooms, soft fruit, and ornamentals via roughly the same customer segments.
• Berger: Berger is a Canadian peat moss harvesting and growing-media company serving greenhouse, nursery, and mushroom growers. It mirrors Legro's vertical model of peat extraction through to custom-blended substrates, with comparable end-customers in North America.
• Dutch Plantin: Dutch Plantin is a Netherlands-headquartered producer of coco-coir-based substrates and growing media, with production in India and Sri Lanka and global sales. Strongly comparable to Legro's coconut-processing capability in India and its portfolio of substrate blends for professional growers.
• Florentaise: Florentaise is a French producer of growing media (wood-fibre, peat, and sustainable substrates) for professional horticulture and gardening markets, with substantial pan-European distribution. Direct overlap with Legro in supplying substrates to professional growers across Europe.
• Pelemix: Pelemix is an Israel-based global producer of coco-peat substrates with manufacturing in India, Sri Lanka, and Latin America. It overlaps with Legro on coco-based substrate raw materials and on serving professional horticulture growers across multiple continents.
• Jiffy Products International: Jiffy is a Dutch-rooted, Norway-headquartered manufacturer of growing media, propagation substrates, plugs and paperpots — overlapping directly with Legro's SEDA Tray Mixes, plug/paperpot, and young-plant ranges. Both serve professional greenhouse and nursery growers globally with branded propagation systems.
• Sun Gro Horticulture: Sun Gro is a North American leader in peat-based growing media (Pro-Mix, Sunshine brands) supplying professional and consumer horticulture markets. Compares with Legro on peat-blended substrates, multi-segment grower customer base, and packaged-media distribution.
• Premier Tech: Premier Tech is a Canadian manufacturer of peat-moss-based growing media and professional horticulture substrates through its Premier Tech Growers and Consumers business. Comparable to Legro across peat harvesting, custom blending, and global distribution to professional growers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/legro-potgrondbedrijf-bv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries7 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 Legro Group