De Ridder B.V.

What De Ridder B.V. does

De Ridder B.V. is a Dutch family-owned green services company founded in 1929 in Utrecht and headquartered in Soesterberg, operating across three core divisions: Golf, Sport, and Groen. The company specializes in the design, construction, renovation, and ongoing maintenance of golf courses, sports fields (football, rugby, tennis, cricket, hockey, polo, jeu de boules), and public/private green spaces, serving enterprise clients, municipal governments, housing corporations, schools, care institutions, and private estates across Midden-Nederland (Central Netherlands).

The company's technical capabilities are anchored in proprietary equipment developed and refined over decades by its in-house equipment service department, including the Verti-Drain aeration machine (invented in the mid-1970s and now the global industry standard, commercially distributed through Redexim), the FieldTopMaker and Terra Rake for precision hybrid stadium turf renovation, and custom drainage installation systems. De Ridder is also an official Kress dealer, supplying and servicing GPS-RTK autonomous robot mowers with capacities ranging from 600 m² to 88,000 m², deployed at scale across municipal and golf-course sites (notably 11 units covering ~140,000 m² in Gemeente Almere).

Revenue is generated primarily through professional services contracts (golf and sports field construction, renovation, maintenance; tree care; green space management; park management), supplemented by hardware sales of Kress robot mowers and installation/service contracts. The company employs approximately 90 multidisciplinary specialists certified under ETW, VCA, Groenkeur, and ISO 9001, and holds the CO2-Prestatieladder Niveau 5 sustainability certification—the highest level—giving it a competitive position in ESG-conscious public procurement. The company is currently led by director Arie-Jan de Ridder (third generation) following the death of his brother Frank de Ridder in January 2026, with the fourth generation (Ruben and Rens) now joining the business.

Name

De Ridder B.V.

Legal name

De Ridder B.V.

Website

https://deridder.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

De Ridder B.V. is a Dutch family-owned green services firm (founded 1929) specializing in golf course, sports field, and public green space construction, renovation, and maintenance across Central Netherlands, with ~90 employees and proprietary equipment including the industry-standard Verti-Drain.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports field and green space services

NAICS

Landscaping Services (561730)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Athletic Field & Golf Course Groundskeeping (IMAIAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Turf Management (Sports Fields, Golf Courses) (BPABADAC), Tree Care & Arborist Services (BPABADAD)

Keywords

• Golf course construction
• Sports field maintenance
• Green space management
• Tree care services
• Robot mower dealer

Headquarters

HQ city

Soesterberg

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Golf course construction, renovation and maintenance: Specialist services for design, construction, renovation and ongoing maintenance of golf courses, including greens, tees, fairways, and rough areas.
2. Sports field construction, renovation and maintenance: Full-service sports field management including natural grass, artificial turf, WeTra constructions, and hybrid systems for football, rugby, tennis, cricket, hockey, polo, and jeu de boules. Covers daily maintenance, periodic specialist work, and large-scale renovations.
3. Green space design, construction and maintenance: All-round green services from regular maintenance to complete redesign for companies, municipalities, housing corporations, schools, care institutions, private individuals, estates, and heritage sites.
4. Tree care (ETW certified): European Tree Worker certified arboriculture services including planting, pruning, felling, stump grinding, and Visual Tree Assessment (VTA) safety inspections.
5. Kress robot mower sales, installation and service: As official Kress dealer, De Ridder sells, installs, and services robot mowers ranging from 600 m² to 88,000 m² capacity. Includes professional RTK installation, winter maintenance, and ongoing service.
6. Park management: Integrated management of business park outdoor spaces including greenery, lighting, maintenance, safety and cleaning under one contact point.
7. Irrigation systems: Installation and maintenance of irrigation systems for sports fields, golf courses, and green spaces.
8. Vitaal Groen (sustainable planting concept): A sustainable planting concept using high plant density with species that reinforce each other, suppressing weeds and minimizing maintenance needs. Offered as both design and ongoing maintenance service.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

De Ridder B.V. designs, constructs, renovates, and maintains golf courses, sports fields (football, rugby, tennis, cricket, hockey, polo, jeu de boules), and green spaces through three integrated divisions: Golf, Sport, and Groen. In addition to these core services, the company offers ETW-certified tree care, Vitaal Groen sustainable planting, facade greening, park management, irrigation systems, and — as official Kress dealer — sales, installation, and servicing of professional GPS-RTK autonomous robot mowers. Projects are delivered by in-house multidisciplinary teams using proprietary equipment developed and perfected by De Ridder's own equipment service department.

Product overview

De Ridder B.V. is a family-owned company (since 1929) operating three core service divisions: Golf, Sport, and Groen. The company offers comprehensive lifecycle services including design, construction, renovation, and maintenance for golf courses, sports fields (football, rugby, tennis, cricket, hockey, polo, jeu de boules), and green spaces. Specialized services include certified tree care (ETW), park management, Vitaal Groen (low-maintenance planting concept), and Gevelgroen (facade greening with capillary irrigation). As an official Kress dealer, the company also sells and services a complete line of professional GPS/RTK-guided autonomous robot lawn mowers (models ranging from 8,000 m² to 88,000 m² capacity) for golf courses, sports fields, and commercial properties. The company operates specialized equipment including FieldTopMaker and Terra Rake for hybrid stadium turf renovation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Golf course construction, renovation and maintenance Specialized design, construction, renovation, and ongoing maintenance of golf courses — including greens, tees, fairways, semi-rough, and rough areas — for golf clubs across Midden-Nederland.
• Sports field construction, renovation and maintenance Full-service construction, renovation, and maintenance of sports fields and accommodations for football, rugby, tennis, cricket, hockey, polo, and jeu de boules — covering natural grass, artificial turf, WeTra constructions, and hybrid systems; daily management, periodic specialist work, and large-scale renovations.
• Green space design, construction and maintenance All-round green services from regular maintenance to complete redesign for companies, municipalities, housing corporations, schools, care institutions, private individuals, estates, and heritage sites.
• ETW-certified tree care (Boomverzorging) Tree care services including planting, pruning, felling, stump grinding, and Visual Tree Assessment (VTA) safety inspections, performed by certified European Tree Workers (ETW).
• Park management (Parkmanagement) Integrated management of business park outdoor spaces including greenery, lighting, maintenance, safety, and cleaning under one contact point.
• Vitaal Groen sustainable planting concept A smart planting concept using high plant density with complementary species that reinforce each other, suppressing weeds and minimizing maintenance needs; offered as both a design and an ongoing maintenance service.
• Facade greening (Gevelgroen) Green facade solutions supporting climate adaptation, biodiversity, and building representativeness, featuring underground water storage and capillary irrigation technology.
• Kress robot mower sales, installation and service As official Kress dealer, De Ridder sells, professionally installs (RTK measurement, zone configuration, base station and charging station installation), and services robot mowers for sports clubs, golf courses, commercial properties, and private estates, including winter maintenance and ongoing service agreements.
• Irrigation systems Installation and maintenance of irrigation systems for sports fields, golf courses, and green spaces.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 140,000 m² of sports field maintenance converted to autonomous robot mowing across Almere municipality (11 mowers across 5 sports parks, 16 fields)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Kress (official dealer)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDe Ridder is an official Kress dealer, selling, installing (RTK professional measurement, zone configuration, base station and charging station installation), and servicing the full range of Kress robot mowers (600 m² to 88,000 m²) for sports fields, golf courses, and commercial properties. This provides De Ridder with a proprietary technology product line complementing its service offering.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Koninklijke Ginkel Groep: Large Dutch green services group covering landscaping, tree care, and sport/golf maintenance across multiple regions. Comparable on service breadth and customer mix but at a much larger scale and broader geographic footprint than De Ridder.
• Heijmans Sportbouw: Construction division of listed Dutch contractor Heijmans, including sports field and accommodation construction. Comparable in sports field project work but as part of a large generalist contractor rather than a specialist.
• Idverde Nederland: European green services leader with Dutch operations offering landscaping, grounds maintenance, and tree care. Comparable in service portfolio and municipal customer base, but at substantially larger scale.
• AH Vrij Groenvoorzieningen: Established Dutch green services provider with full-service maintenance, tree care, and groundskeeping for municipalities, housing corporations, and developers. Comparable in customer segments and integrated green services model.
• Donkergroen: National Dutch green services group offering grounds maintenance, landscaping, and tree care. Overlaps with De Ridder on municipal maintenance contracts and integrated green services, but with broader geographic coverage.

Direct peers

• Jos Scholman: Long-established Dutch green and sports field services contractor serving municipalities, sports clubs, and golf courses. Highly comparable in service mix, scale (~regional specialist), and customer types.
• Van Kessel Sport en Cultuurtechniek: Dutch specialist in sports field construction, renovation, and maintenance (including drainage and hybrid turf). Direct competitor in the same geographic and service niche, with similar project types and customer base across municipalities and sports clubs.

Regional players

• GCN Groep: Dutch green services contractor with strong municipal and sports-field maintenance presence. Comparable service mix and customer base, operating primarily in other Dutch regions rather than Midden-Nederland.

Others

• Belrobotics: Belgian manufacturer of professional GPS-guided robotic mowers for sports fields and golf courses. Direct alternative to Kress in De Ridder's robot mower offerings, representing a competing technology pathway into the same applications.
• Redexim: Original international commercialiser of De Ridder's Verti-Drain invention (mid-1970s). Dutch manufacturer of turf maintenance equipment used by De Ridder and competitors; an equipment-side ecosystem participant rather than a service competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ridderbv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Ridder B.V.