What Foreco does

Foreco Dalfsen B.V. is a privately held, family-owned wood processing company headquartered in Dalfsen, Netherlands, founded in 1983 by Peter Swager and now controlled by the Swager family through Steward Holding BV. The group operates through four units: Foreco Houtproducten (treated timber production and trade), Foreco Houtconstructies (prefabricated timber construction in Noordeloos, including sheds, garages, carports and facades), Foreco Woodshop (D2C and small-business e-commerce), and IJreka Speeltoestellen (playground equipment). Across approximately 100+ permanent employees, Foreco sources, modifies and distributes wood for construction firms, architects, municipalities, civil engineering contractors, and end consumers primarily in the Netherlands, with Norway served through the Bare Tre distribution partnership.

The company's core technology is proprietary wood modification and preservation via high-pressure impregnation with biobased polymers (NobelWood), wax emulsions (WaxedWood), and fire-retardant polymers (SafeWood and SafeWood FRX), plus composite systems such as TwinWood (hardwood/softwood sheet pile) and FaunaWood (biobased fencing). These brands deliver tropical-hardwood-equivalent durability (50+ year facade life), Euroclass B fire certification, and 25+ year maintenance-free performance, backed by KOMO, FSC, PEFC, DUBOkeur, VCA, HDI and Nationale Milieu Database certifications and a project-warranty vehicle (Stichting Garantiefonds Houtverduurzaming Dalfsen). Production assets comprise a ~6-hectare Dalfsen complex and a 2022-opened Noordeloos factory hall holding more than 15,000 m3 of timber stock.

Foreco's revenue model is project-based B2B sales through specialist sales teams (Bouw & Architects; GWW) with custom quoting for large orders, supplemented by transactional e-commerce via the Foreco Woodshop webshop for smaller B2C/SMB buyers and by installation services for prefabricated structures and playground equipment. Notable customers include Heijmans Woningbouw Rotterdam, the Schoonschip Amsterdam houseboat project, and Minelli/Victorinox (annual volume exceeding 700,000 modified-maple knife handles). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; sale types mix one-time product/project sales with installation/professional services for the construction and playground units.

Name

Foreco

Legal name

Foreco Dalfsen B.V.

Website

https://foreco.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Foreco is a family-owned Dutch wood processing company that designs, manufactures, and distributes proprietary modified timber brands (NobelWood, WaxedWood, SafeWood, TwinWood, FaunaWood, SoundWood) for construction, civil engineering, and playground markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Treated Timber Products

NAICS

Wood Product Manufacturing (321), All Other Miscellaneous Wood Product Manufacturing (321999), Lumber, Plywood, Millwork, and Wood Panel Merchant Wholesalers (423310)

SIC

Sawmills & Planting Mills, General (2421), Lumber & Wood Products (No Furniture) (2400), Prefabricated Wood Bldgs & Components (2452), Wholesale-Lumber & Other Construction Materials (5030)

akta.pro primary industry

Wood Remanufacturing (Mouldings, Millwork Blanks, Cut Stock) (IMAMABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Planing Mills & Lumber Surfacing (IMAMABAE), Structural & Framing Components Retail (Trusses, Joists, Beams, Engineered Wood) (CRAIAEAJ)

Keywords

• Modified timber products
• Wood facade cladding
• Civil engineering timber
• Prefabricated timber construction
• Treated wood manufacturer

Headquarters

HQ city

Dalfsen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Timber Product Sales: Sale of processed and treated timber products including facade cladding, ground/road/water civil engineering solutions (sheet piling, fencing, decking), roundwood, and various wood species. Revenue is generated through one-time project-based sales for large orders (B2B) and per-transaction purchases via the Foreco Woodshop webshop for smaller orders (B2C/small business). Products are sold under proprietary brands NobelWood, WaxedWood, SafeWood, TwinWood, FaunaWood, and SoundWood.
2. Prefabricated Timber Construction: Foreco Houtconstructies in Noordeloos manufactures and installs prefabricated timber structures including storage sheds, garages, carports, fencing, and pergolas. Revenue is generated from custom project-based sales and installation services for new-build and renovation projects.
3. Playground Equipment (IJreka): IJreka Speeltoestellen designs, produces, and installs custom and standard playground equipment for public recreation areas and playgrounds. Revenue derives from project-based sales including design, manufacturing, and installation services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Foreco is a Dutch wood processing company that develops, manufactures, and sells proprietary treated and modified timber products for the construction and civil engineering sectors under brands including NobelWood, WaxedWood, SafeWood, TwinWood, FaunaWood, and SoundWood. Beyond treated timber, the group operates prefabricated timber construction (Foreco Houtconstructies in Noordeloos), custom playground equipment (IJreka Speeltoestellen), and a direct retail webshop (Foreco Woodshop) serving both professional and consumer buyers with a stocked inventory exceeding 15,000 m³.

Product overview

Foreco is a family-owned wood products company operating as a platform of distinct business units offering a comprehensive portfolio of treated wood products and prefabricated wooden constructions. The core offerings include specialty wood treatment products (WaxedWood, NobelWood, SafeWood and their variants like FRX, Gold, Color, Equal Weathering), composite products (TwinWood), biobased solutions (FaunaWood), and acoustic solutions (SoundWood). The company is organized into four business units: Foreco Houtproducten (main wood products and treatment), Foreco Houtconstructies (prefabricated wood construction including sheds, garages, carports), IJreka Speeltoestellen (playground equipment), and Foreco Woodshop (e-commerce for garden/carpentry wood). The products serve construction/facades, ground/road/water engineering (GWW), garden applications, and recreational/playground sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WaxedWood: Verduurzaamd houtproduct met waterafstotende werking, op basis van impregnering onder hoge druk met wasemulsie. Verkrijgbaar in diverse kleuren en varianten zoals WaxedWood Gold en WaxedWood Color.
• NobelWood
• SafeWood
• TwinWood
• FaunaWood
• SoundWood

Products and services

• NobelWood Biologically modified softwood (Radiata Pine) impregnated under high pressure with biobased polymers from sugarcane bagasse waste, then polymerised so the biopolymers bind to wood cell walls, delivering tropical-hardwood-equivalent aesthetics and durability class I with over 50 years of maintenance-free facade life for architects, construction firms, and developers.
• WaxedWood Pressure-impregnated softwood (spruce, pine, Siberian larch, Western Red Cedar) with a water-repellent wax emulsion that provides both wood protection against biological attack and water-repellency, yielding natural appearance, low maintenance, and over 25 years of maintenance-free facade life for construction and architectural facade projects.
• SafeWood Fire-retardant pressure-impregnated softwood suitable for facades, ceilings, and walls in buildings with fire safety requirements, providing effective reaction-to-fire performance for construction projects needing certified fire resistance.
• SafeWood FRX Permanent fire-retardant treated wood that combines weather-resistant and Euroclass B fire-rated properties with a natural appearance retained throughout the product lifecycle, intended for facades, ceilings, and walls in buildings with strict fire safety regulations.
• TwinWood Composite sheet pile combining softwood below the waterline (where the oxygen-poor environment resists rot) with hardwood above the waterline, reducing tropical hardwood consumption by approximately 50% while delivering durability performance comparable to all-hardwood sheet piling in hydraulic, bank-protection, and quay-construction projects for civil engineering contractors and municipalities.
• FaunaWood 100% biobased fence posts produced by pressure-impregnating European softwood with bio-resin derived from plant and wood waste residues, providing a sustainable alternative to tropical hardwood, creosote-treated wood, plastic, steel, or concrete for agricultural, equestrian, and civil fencing applications.
• SoundWood Wooden acoustic noise barrier system engineered for placement alongside roads and infrastructure, providing effective sound reduction while maintaining a natural, environmentally friendly aesthetic suited to landscaped and rural settings, supplied to civil contractors, municipalities, and infrastructure developers.
• NobelWood FRX NobelWood treated with permanent fire-retardant exterior (FRX) technology combining weather-resistant, maintenance-free, and fire-retardant properties with durability class I, achieving Euroclass B fire certification (the best possible rating for wood products) without leaching fire-retardant substances, intended for facades in fire-regulated buildings.
• NobelWood Equal Weathering NobelWood finished with an immediate weathered-grey appearance to eliminate colour variation across facades with mixed overhangs, delivering uniform aesthetic for architects and developers specifying aged-look timber from day one.
• WaxedWood Gold Premium WaxedWood variant offering water-repellent pressure-impregnated softwood with a natural brown colour resembling premium hardwoods, marketed as facade cladding for high-end architectural projects.
• WaxedWood Color WaxedWood available with coating finishes in various colours, providing design freedom for architects and developers specifying coloured timber facades while retaining water-repellent impregnation performance.
• Foreco Houtconstructies (Prefabricated Timber Construction) Design, manufacture, and installation of prefabricated timber structures including wooden sheds, garages, carports, fencing, pergolas, and facade mounting, delivered as turnkey solutions to mid-market residential and commercial customers across the Netherlands.
• IJreka Speeltoestellen (Playground Equipment) Design, manufacture, and installation of custom and standard playground equipment — using wood as the leading material — for public recreation areas, schools, and parks, supplied to municipalities, landscape architects, and recreation developers (VCA-certified for safety, health, and environment).

Quantifiable outcome

• NobelWood achieves tropical hardwood-equivalent durability (50+ year facade life) with 100% biobased modification, replacing tropical hardwood sourced from responsibly managed plantations.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bare TrecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 20 November 2017Foreco signed an agreement with Bare Tre (Norway) for the distribution of NobelWood in Norway. Bare Tre (meaning 'only tree' in Norwegian) began sales and marketing of NobelWood products in the Norwegian market, extending Foreco's geographic reach into Scandinavia.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Stora Enso Wood Products: Stora Enso is a major Nordic/European forest-products group with CLT, sawn timber, and treated wood product lines serving construction. Its broader portfolio and CLT platform contrast with Foreco's specialized treated-timber niche, but both address European wood-construction demand and compete for specification in commercial builds.
• Mayr-Melnhof Holz: Mayr-Melnhof Holz is an Austrian processor of sawn timber, profiled wood, and engineered cross-laminated timber (CLT) serving construction and DIY across Europe. It is broader than Foreco with CLT mass-timber exposure, but overlaps in the treated and profiled timber categories relevant to facade and structural applications.
• Hasslacher Holzbauteile: Hasslacher is an Austrian sawmill and engineered wood group producing sawn timber, glulam, and CLT. It is comparable to Foreco's Houtproducten and Houtconstructies units at the structural and framing timber level, though at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint.

Direct peers

• Thermory: Thermory is an Estonian manufacturer of thermally modified timber for decking, cladding, and sauna applications. It competes head-to-head with Foreco's WaxedWood and TwinWood lines for premium facade and outdoor wood projects across the Benelux, German, and Scandinavian markets.
• Accsys Technologies (Accoya): Accsys Technologies is a UK-listed company producing Accoya, an acetylated modified wood with class-1 durability, and Tricoya wood panels. It is the closest direct competitor to Foreco's NobelWood and WaxedWood because both firms sell proprietary, performance-graded modified timber to construction and civil engineering buyers in Europe, competing on durability class and warranty-backed performance.
• Kebony: Kebony is a Norwegian manufacturer of furfurylated modified softwood targeted at exterior architecture and decking. It is a direct peer because both companies sell bio-based modification technologies replacing tropical hardwoods in facades and outdoor applications across the same European customer base.
• Lunawood: Lunawood is a Finnish producer of thermally modified pine, spruce, and aspen for facade and interior applications. As a Nordic modified-wood specialist with strong distribution in Europe, it is directly comparable to Foreco's modified-timber offering for architects and building professionals.
• Plato Hout / Houtwerf: Plato Hout is a Dutch wood treatment specialist in planing and timber preservation operating in the Netherlands and Benelux. It overlaps directly with Foreco on treated structural and finishing timber supply to GWW and construction buyers in the same Dutch market.

Regional players

• Lemahieu Group: Lemahieu Group is a Belgian timber importer and processor specializing in hardwoods, modified timber, and outdoor products. It is a regional comparable to Foreco because both operate in the Low Countries, sourcing and processing wood for construction, civil, and outdoor applications with overlapping customer profiles.

Emerging players

• MOSO International: MOSO International is a Dutch-headquartered specialist in engineered bamboo products for outdoor and indoor applications, often positioned as a sustainable tropical-hardwood alternative. It overlaps with Foreco's proposition of replacing tropical hardwoods in facades, decking, and fencing with a competing bio-based alternative.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/forecodalfsenbv

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 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 Foreco