Van der Knaap
Van der Knaap is a Dutch family-owned company that develops and supplies natural growing media and circular fertilisers — including coco substrates, potting soils, growbags, and OMRI Listed organic fertilisers — to professional horticulture growers worldwide via production facilities across 12 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1981
- HeadquartersWateringen, Netherlands
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Van der Knaap does
Van der Knaap is a Dutch family-owned company founded in 1981 (legal entity: Van der Knaap Groep), headquartered in Wateringen, the Netherlands, that develops and supplies natural growing media and circular fertilisers for professional horticulture. The company operates across 12 countries with production facilities in the Netherlands, Spain, Estonia, Türkiye, Mexico, USA, Canada, China, Sri Lanka, India, the Dominican Republic, and the Philippines, and an additional sales presence in Brazil via a 2025 partnership with Nederplant. Its portfolio spans potting soils and substrates, coco-based products (Forteco brand family), rooting and propagation products (Fibre-Neth, Bookplug), growbags, and — most recently — an OMRI Listed organic calcium nitrate fertiliser (Forteco Horti Nutrients / HNCN) produced via a bioreactor that converts organic nitrogen to nitrate nitrogen.
The business is built on vertically integrated production, processing, and quality control under the company's own management, with RHP substrate certification and OMRI/USDA NOP compliance serving as core quality anchors. Core technology centres on coco substrate engineering (Forteco product family with variants such as Elite, Power, Profit, Maximum, Propagation Cube, Growpot, Coco discs, 4.5 kg blocks, and Fusion) plus the proprietary bioreactor-based organic fertiliser. Van der Knaap also operates an in-house innovation centre ("Innovatiecentrum 'de Kas'") and runs multiple strategic R&D partnerships, including with Delphy, Biobest, Premier Tech, Comgoed Substrates, and Demokwekerij Westland. Marquee customers include Dümmen Orange, Diamond Flowers, and NatureFresh Farms.
The company makes money primarily through one-time product sales (B2B direct sales of substrates, coco products, growbags, and fertilisers) to professional greenhouse growers, with pricing custom to volume and specification and not publicly disclosed. Revenue mechanics are based on volume contracts rather than subscription or licensing, and the company is sustained by family ownership (no external funding rounds disclosed) with seventeen wholly-owned operating subsidiaries globally. The November 2025 leadership transition from Perry van der Knaap to Stephan van Santen, combined with a 2024 production capacity expansion, recent CCO appointment, and an active product launch cadence through 2025, signals a scaling phase for the established business.
Van der Knaap firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Van der Knaap
- Legal name
- Van der Knaap Groep
- Website
- https://vanderknaap.info
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1981
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Van der Knaap is a Dutch family-owned company that develops and supplies natural growing media and circular fertilisers — including coco substrates, potting soils, growbags, and OMRI Listed organic fertilisers — to professional horticulture growers worldwide via production facilities across 12 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Van der Knaap industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Horticulture Growing Media
- NAICS
- Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531), Nitrogenous Fertilizer Manufacturing (325311)
- SIC
- Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Substrates & Growing Media (Coco, Rockwool, Peat Alternatives) (AFAAAHAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) / Vertical Farming (Indoor LED Farms) (AFAGAHAJ), Irrigation, Fertigation & Nutrient Delivery Systems (Dosing, Injectors, Sensors) (AFAAAHAE)
Keywords
Where Van der Knaap is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wateringen
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices16 records
Markets served
Van der Knaap business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Growing Media Products: Sale of high-quality potting soil, substrates, coco products, and growbags for professional horticulture.
- Circular Fertilizers: Sale of organic fertilisers including Forteco Horti Nutrients (HNCN) for professional growers.
- Sustainable Growing Systems: Integrated growing solutions combining substrates, nutrients, and systems for professional horticulture.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Van der Knaap product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Van der Knaap Group develops and manufactures sustainable growing media (potting soils, substrates, coco products, growbags, propagation plugs) and circular organic fertilisers for professional horticulture. The company produces its own coco substrates under the Forteco® brand, organic calcium nitrate fertiliser (Forteco Horti Nutrients/HNCN), and integrated sustainable growing systems combining substrates, nutrients, and irrigation solutions for commercial greenhouse vegetable, soft fruit, and ornamental growers worldwide.
Product overview
Van der Knaap is a Dutch family company that develops sustainable, high-quality growing media and circular fertilisers for professional horticulture. The company offers a diversified portfolio of products under multiple sub-brands: the core substrate range (Potting soil & Substrates, Rooting, Growbags, Coco peat), the Forteco® coco product line (Elite, Power, Profit, Maximum, Propagation Cube, Coco discs, Growpot, 4.5 kg blocks, Fusion), the Fibre-Neth® growing media brand (including Bookplug®), the Obturo® growing system, Growing Soilutions for circular solutions, Forteco Horti Nutrients (HNCN) for organic fertilisation, and supporting services and automation tools (Organic Water System, Paperpots, TopControl). Products are distributed worldwide through production facilities across multiple countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Forteco: Coco substrate product line for professional horticulture including blocks, discs, growbags, propagation cubes, and power/profit/maximum variants
- Fibre-Neth
- Growing Soilutions
- Obturo
- Forteco Horti Nutrients (HNCN)
- Organic Water System (OWS)
- TopControl
- Paperpots
- Bookplug
Products and services
- Potting Soil & Substrates High-quality growing media products for professional horticulture including various substrate formulations.
- Rooting Products Propagation products designed for optimal root development in professional horticulture.
- Growbags Growing medium bags for vegetable and soft fruit cultivation applications.
- Coco Peat / Coco Substrates Coco-based growing media made from 100% organic raw material that can be completely recycled as RHP-certified substrate material.
- Sustainable Growing Systems Integrated sustainable growing solutions including circular fertilisers and growing media systems for professional horticulture.
- Forteco® Fusion Loose-filled coco slab designed for immediate use as growing medium for vegetable and soft fruit crops, with high air holding capacity and excellent drainage for precise crop steering.
- Forteco Horti Nutrients (HNCN) Innovative organic calcium nitrate fertiliser produced in a bioreactor where bacteria convert organic nitrogen into nitrate nitrogen, OMRI Listed® and USDA NOP compliant for certified organic farming.
- Forteco® Optimum New generation coco substrate under the Forteco® brand for professional horticulture cultivation.
- Fibre-Neth® Bookplug® Propagation plug product using Fibre-Neth® technology for plant propagation in professional horticulture.
- Organic Water System (OWS) Organic water management system for sustainable horticulture and irrigation management.
- TopControl Automation and climate control system for horticultural applications.
- Paperpots Paper-based planting pots for sustainable plant cultivation in horticulture.
Quantifiable outcome
- Coco substrates are 100% organic and can be completely recycled as RHP-certified raw material
Companies that use Van der Knaap
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Van der Knaap technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Van der Knaap partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Premier TechcoreVan der Knaap Group and Premier Tech joined forces in July 2025 for collaborative development in the horticulture sector.
- Comgoed SubstratescoreVan der Knaap Group and Comgoed Substrates showcased the future of circular raw materials at a client event, demonstrating collaboration in sustainable substrate development.
- NederplantcoreVan der Knaap Group and Nederplant joined forces in Brazil, expanding the company's presence in South American horticulture market.
- DelphycoreDelphy and Van der Knaap joined forces to collaborate on knowledge development and research in greenhouse horticulture.
- BiobestminorCollaboration in innovation centre 'de Kas' for biological growing solutions research.
- NatureFresh FarmscoreVan der Knaap Group concluded an agreement with NatureFresh Farms for greenhouse vegetable production supplies.
- Demokwekerij WestlandcoreVan der Knaap Group takes part in Demokwekerij Westland, a unique showpiece for the Dutch horticulture sector enabling presentation of latest developments to national and international visitors.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Van der Knaap competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Botanicoir: UK-based coco substrate specialist producing growbags, blocks, and loose fill for professional growers. Direct competitor in coco growing media with overlapping customer base in Europe and Asia.
- Pindstrup: Danish peat and growing media producer serving professional horticulture worldwide. Direct competitor in substrate blends and potting soils across similar customer base of professional growers.
- Pelemix: Israel/Sri Lanka-based leading producer of coco peat substrates for professional horticulture. Closest direct peer in the coco substrate niche that overlaps with Van der Knaap's Forteco range.
- Grodan (ROCKWOOL Group): Producer of stone wool growing media substrates for greenhouse vegetables and ornamentals. Competes with Van der Knaap's coco substrates in high-tech greenhouse segments, particularly tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers.
- Jiffy Group: Global producer of growing media, substrates, and propagation systems including Jiffy peat pellets and preforma substrates. Direct competitor to Van der Knaap in professional horticulture substrates, with comparable product breadth across substrates and propagation.
- Florentaise: French producer of growing media and substrates including organic and peat-alternative products. Regional European competitor with comparable offerings in professional horticulture substrates.
- Klasmann-Deilmann: German-based leading European producer of growing media and substrates for professional horticulture. Direct competitor in substrates and one of the largest players in the European market Van der Knaap serves.
- Premier Tech: Canadian producer of peat-based substrates, growing media, and horticultural products. Listed as a current partner of Van der Knaap (2025) but operates in overlapping product categories with similar professional horticulture customer base.
Broad incumbents
- Haifa Group: Israeli global supplier of specialty plant nutrition, fertilisers, and growing solutions. Competes broadly with Van der Knaap's Forteco Horti Nutrients line in professional horticulture fertilisers, though much larger and more diversified.
- ICL Group: Israeli-listed global specialty minerals and fertilisers company, including controlled-release fertilisers for horticulture. Larger diversified incumbent that overlaps with Van der Knaap's fertiliser business (HNCN) at the specialty fertiliser tier.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Van der Knaap social profiles
Digital presenceVan der Knaap compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Van der Knaap financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Van der Knaap leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Van der Knaap subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries18 records
Van der Knaap funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Van der Knaap M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Van der Knaap
What does Van der Knaap do?
Van der Knaap Group develops and manufactures sustainable growing media (potting soils, substrates, coco products, growbags, propagation plugs) and circular organic fertilisers for professional horticulture. The company produces its own coco substrates under the Forteco® brand, organic calcium nitrate fertiliser (Forteco Horti Nutrients/HNCN), and integrated sustainable growing systems combining substrates, nutrients, and irrigation solutions for commercial greenhouse vegetable, soft fruit, and ornamental growers worldwide.
Is Van der Knaap a public or private company?
Van der Knaap is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Van der Knaap founded?
Van der Knaap was founded in 1981. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Van der Knaap based?
Van der Knaap is headquartered in Wateringen, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Van der Knaap make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Growing Media Products are the primary driver. The others are circular Fertilizers and sustainable Growing Systems.
Who are Van der Knaap's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Botanicoir, Pindstrup, Pelemix, Grodan (ROCKWOOL Group), Jiffy Group, Florentaise, Klasmann-Deilmann and Premier Tech. Broad incumbents are Haifa Group and ICL Group.
Does Van der Knaap have an API?
No public API is recorded for Van der Knaap.
What industry is Van der Knaap in?
Van der Knaap's product category is Professional Horticulture Growing Media. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAAAHAF, Substrates & Growing Media (Coco, Rockwool, Peat Alternatives), with a secondary code of AFAGAHAJ, Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) / Vertical Farming (Indoor LED Farms). Its NAICS code is 32531 and its SIC code is 3523.