De Hondspol

What De Hondspol does

De Hondspol is a Dutch biodynamic care farm located in Driebergen-Rijsenburg (Utrechtse Heuvelrug) that combines residential and day care for people with intellectual disabilities (VG3-VG6 indications) and GGZ (psychiatric) needs with mixed agricultural production on approximately 60 hectares of owned and rented land. Founded in 1984 as one of the first care farms in the Netherlands, the operation is organized as a VOF (general partnership) owned by four entrepreneurs — René, Marieke, Edith, and Joris — following a 2016 restructuring that separated it from the larger care organization Samenwerkende Zorgboeren De Bundel. The farm holds Demeter and Skal certifications and operates a closed-loop agricultural system that includes a 1.5-hectare biodynamic garden and a herd of approximately 60 horned MRIJ dairy cows.

The business model is intentionally small and diversified across three revenue streams. Care services for up to 12 residents (10 guided places plus 2 more independent living-working places) are funded primarily through Dutch personal budgets (PGB/WLZ), with an additional day-care offering for clients living elsewhere. Agricultural output — vegetables, dairy, cheese, meat, and eggs — is sold directly to consumers through an on-farm shop, reducing intermediation. A separate ANBI-status foundation, Waldostichting De Hondspol, collects donations (including via the Hondspol500 campaign) earmarked for land preservation and farm development, and the underlying land is held via a stewardship arrangement with Stichting Grondbeheer to insulate it from market pressure.

The operational footprint is a single rural site in Driebergen-Rijsenburg, and the offering is anchored in an anthroposophical/Waldorf-inspired pedagogical and therapeutic philosophy that integrates residents directly into farm work. Current strategic signals — a 2026 gardener vacancy, an open caregiver position, and a single available woon/werkplek — are consistent with replacement-level activity rather than expansion; the fundraising efforts are oriented toward securing the existing land base rather than scaling the model to additional sites.

Name

De Hondspol

Legal name

De Hondspol VOF

Website

https://dehondspol.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

De Hondspol is a Dutch biodynamic care farm in Driebergen-Rijsenburg providing residential and day care for people with intellectual disabilities and GGZ indications, alongside mixed agriculture sold directly through its on-farm shop.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Care Services (Care Farming)

NAICS

Support Activities for Animal Production (115210)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Welfare, Handling & Stress-Reduction Programs (Protocols, Training) (AFACALAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Livestock Health & Welfare Support Services (Vaccination Clinics, Biosecurity Implementation) (AFACAEAK), Livestock Housing, Bedding & Waste Management Services (Manure Handling) (AFAEALAH)

Keywords

• Biodynamic care farm
• Disability care services
• Residential day care
• Biodynamic dairy products
• Farm retail shop

Headquarters

HQ city

Driebergen-Rijsenburg

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Care Services (PGB Funding): Residential care and day-time activities for people with disabilities funded through Personal Budget (PGB) based on VG-indications (VG3-VG6) or GGZ indications without treatment.
2. Farm Product Sales: Direct sales of biodynamic products through the on-farm shop. Products include vegetables harvested same morning, dairy (milk, yoghurt, quark, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, butter, cheese) processed on-site, eggs, meat (beef, lamb, pork), bread from Veldkeuken, and seasonal items like pesto, hummus, juices, sauces and broth from the farm kitchen.
3. Foundation Donations and Grants: The Waldostichting (support foundation) raises funds from donors and supporters for special landscape and living-working community projects. The transition in 2016 was supported by customers and friends who contributed donations and loans.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

De Hondspol is a biodynamic care farm offering residential care (begeleid wonen) for 10 people plus 2 independent-living apartments and daytime activities (dagbesteding) for individuals with VG-indications (VG3-VG6) or GGZ indications without treatment, funded via PGB (Personal Budget). Residents and day-activity clients participate as "meewerkers" in on-farm work across livestock, dairy processing, market gardening, and the farm shop. The farm itself produces and directly sells biodynamic vegetables, dairy products, meat, eggs, and seasonal items through its on-farm shop.

Product overview

De Hondspol is a biodynamic care farm offering an integrated model of residential care (begeleid wonen), day care services (dagbesteding), and farm production operations. The farm consists of six interconnected departments: veehouderij (livestock farming with MRIJ cattle, pigs, chickens, sheep and goats), zuivel (on-farm dairy producing milk, yoghurt, quark, butter and cheese), tuin/landschap (1.5 hectare market garden with sixty vegetable varieties), and a boerderijwinkel (farm shop). Care recipients participate in farm work across these departments. The organization operates as a VOF of four entrepreneurs since 2016, providing accommodation for 10 residents in the farmhouse plus 2 independent apartments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Begeleid Wonen (Guided Residential Living) Residential care service providing 10 places in a farmhouse with private rooms plus shared living room and kitchen, plus 2 independent apartments with ambulatory support. Residents with VG-indications (VG3-VG6) participate in farm operations and communal life. Funded through PGB (Personal Budget).
• Dagbesteding (Day Care / Work Activities) Daytime activity and work-placement service for individuals with VG- or GGZ-indications, providing meaningful agricultural work in livestock, gardening, dairy, or shop operations. Funded through PGB.
• Boerderijwinkel (On-Farm Shop) On-farm shop selling the farm's own produce: day-fresh vegetables, dairy and cheese from the on-farm dairy, fresh eggs, beef/lamb/pork processed by their own organic butcher, Friday bread from Veldkeuken, and seasonal homemade items (pesto, hummus, juices, sauces, broth). Open Wednesday and Friday 10:30-16:00, Saturday 9:30-13:30.
• Zuivel (Farm Dairy Products) On-farm dairy processing line producing fresh milk, yoghurt, quark, whipped cream, sour cream, buttermilk, butter, and various farm cheeses from milk of the farm's own horned MRIJ cows. Sold via the on-farm shop and directly as raw milk from the milk tank on Fridays and Saturdays.

Quantifiable outcome

• The farm has developed significant soil and landscape quality over 30+ years of biodynamic farming

Named customers1 record

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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered critical, core and minor.

• Stichting GrondbeheercriticalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Land ownership foundation that owns 30 hectares and ensures biodynamic farming continues on the land now and in the future. This partnership is fundamental to the farm's long-term land security and mission preservation.
• WaldostichtingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Support foundation that raises funds and manages donors to enable special projects for landscape and living-working community. Located at Drie Jofferengaarde 39, 3984 JX Odijk. Holds ANBI status for tax-deductible donations.
• AB MiddenNederlandminorOthersPayroll construction service used for employee salary administration, based on CAO Gehandicaptenzorg contracts.
• Klachtenportaal ZorgminorOthersExternal organization for handling complaints and disputes about care services. De Hondspol is affiliated with Klachtenportaal Zorg to provide independent complaint review.
• Stichting DemetercoreOthersAwards Demeter certification for biodynamic products, demonstrating compliance with strict biodynamic agricultural standards. The Demeter logo is displayed on the website.
• Skal BiocontrolecoreOthersDutch organic certification authority that inspects and certifies organic/biodynamic farms. Responsible for Skal certification visible on products.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Stichting Demeter: Dutch certification body for biodynamic agriculture whose mark De Hondspol displays; an ecosystem enabler whose standards define the certification that differentiates the farm's products.

Broad incumbents

• Federatie Landbouw en Zorg: Dutch national federation for care farms (zorgboerderijen), the umbrella organization for the sector in which De Hondspol operates and through which care farming standards, networks, and referrals are coordinated.
• Camphill Communities: International network of anthroposophical intentional communities combining residential care for people with support needs with biodynamic agriculture — the same Rudolf Steiner-inspired philosophy underlying De Hondspol's mission.

Direct peers

• Hoeve Biesland: Well-established Dutch biodynamic care farm combining organic agriculture with supervised living and day activities for clients with care indications, directly comparable to De Hondspol's integrated model.
• Landgoed Kraaybeekerhof: Anthroposophical care estate and biodynamic farm also located in Driebergen-Rijsenburg, offering residential care, day activities, on-site restaurant, and biodynamic agriculture — nearly identical operating model and geographic catchment to De Hondspol.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hondspol.driebergen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/de-hondspol

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 De Hondspol