Mertens
Mertens B.V. is a Dutch B2B distributor of professional horticultural inputs — fertilisers, biocontrol, crop protection, substrates, seeds, and workwear — serving glasshouse growers, nurseries, landscapers, and garden retailers across the Netherlands and German-speaking markets via a webshop and four regional hubs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1953
- HeadquartersHorst, Netherlands
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Mertens does
Mertens B.V. is a Dutch B2B distributor of professional horticultural supplies headquartered in Horst, Limburg, founded in 1953 by fruit farmer Jan Mertens in Baarlo. The company serves glasshouse vegetable growers, floriculture and cut-flower producers, fruit growers, open-field cultivators, tree nurseries, mushroom growers, landscapers, garden retailers, and corporate/industrial workwear buyers across the Netherlands and DACH markets (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). Its offering spans 13 product categories — fertilisers, biocontrol, crop protection, substrates and potting soils, seeds, films and fabrics, cultivation supplies, pots and trays, technology, water technology, tools, garden articles, and workwear — supplemented by expert advisory services.
Mertens generates revenue primarily through one-time product sales via a B2B e-commerce webshop with account-gated, customer-specific pricing and next-business-day delivery for orders placed before 14:00, supplemented by direct account management for enterprise customers and a multi-step registration onboarding for new accounts. The company operates four distribution and sales locations (Horst, Maasdijk, IJsselmuiden, Someren) plus a logistics hub in 's Gravenzande, and runs a Workwear sub-brand in partnership with Herman Vaessen. Marketing is conducted via a Dutch/English/German-language webshop, a newsletter, and organic social presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, supported by the Mertens Vergroeningskracht sustainability platform.
Since 1996, Mertens has been a wholly owned subsidiary of the Marubeni Group (Japan) within its Agri Business division, and has grown via a series of regional acquisitions — Bosman (1999, IJsselmuiden), Van der Elst (2009, Poeldijk), and Isidorus (2015, Someren) — alongside a 1994 joint venture into the German Niederrhein market. Headcount is reported at 140 employees by the company and 92 by third-party data; financial details are not publicly disclosed.
Mertens firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mertens
- Legal name
- Mertens B.V.
- Website
- https://mertens-groep.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1953
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Mertens B.V. is a Dutch B2B distributor of professional horticultural inputs — fertilisers, biocontrol, crop protection, substrates, seeds, and workwear — serving glasshouse growers, nurseries, landscapers, and garden retailers across the Netherlands and German-speaking markets via a webshop and four regional hubs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mertens industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Horticulture Supplies Distribution
- NAICS
- Farm and Garden Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers (42382), Farm and Garden Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers (423820), Flower, Nursery Stock, and Florists' Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (424930)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040), Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150), Wholesale-Miscellaneous Nondurable Goods (5190)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Gardening, Lawn & Outdoor Living Distribution (CRAOAFAH)
Keywords
Where Mertens is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Horst
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Mertens business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Product Sales - Horticulture Supplies: Mertens generates revenue through the sale of a comprehensive range of horticultural supplies including fertilisers, biocontrol agents, crop protection products, substrates, seeds, films/fabrics, cultivation supplies, pots/trays, technology, water technology, tools, garden articles, and workwear. The company also provides services. Revenue is derived from both walk-in orders and webshop purchases, with next-day delivery for orders before 14:00.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | B2B wholesale pricing for professional horticulture customers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Mertens product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mertens distributes a comprehensive assortment of horticultural inputs and operational supplies (fertilisers, biocontrol, crop protection, substrates, seeds, films/fabrics, cultivation supplies, pots/trays, technology, water technology, tools, garden articles, and workwear) to professional horticulture, garden retail, and the green sector via a B2B webshop and direct sales. The company serves nine sectors including glasshouse vegetables, floriculture, fruit, open field cultivation, tree nursery, mushrooms, landscaping, garden retail, and workwear, with next-day delivery on orders placed before 14:00.
Product overview
Mertens is an e-commerce platform for professional horticulture, tuinbouw, tuinretail, and groensector (green sector) offering a complete assortment of horticultural supplies. The product portfolio includes fertilisers, biocontrol, crop protection, substrates, seeds, films/fabrics, cultivation supplies, pots/trays, technology/engineering, water technology, tools, garden articles, and workwear. The company operates a webshop platform and provides sector-specific solutions across glasshouse vegetables, floriculture, fruit horticulture, openfield culture, tree nursery, mushrooms, landscaping, and garden retail sectors. Services include custom advice, quotation requests, and next-day delivery for orders placed before 14:00.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Mertens Vergroeningskracht: Green sustainability brand focused on providing green advice, sustainable products, and green concepts for entrepreneurs in horticulture, garden retail, and green sector.
Products and services
- Fertilisers (Meststoffen)
Quantifiable outcome
- Orders placed before 14:00 are delivered the next business day (or on fixed delivery day if in stock).
Companies that use Mertens
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Mertens technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Mertens partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Vergroeningskracht (Vergroeningskracht.nl)minorMertens Vergroeningskracht is a greening initiative showcasing green stories and sustainability concepts. Mertens facilitates sustainability through innovative green concepts and high-quality products. The initiative includes a dedicated website (www.vergroeningskracht.nl) for inspiration and knowledge sharing.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Mertens competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Arvesta: Belgian full-service agricultural and horticultural supplier. Comparable assortment and B2B model, but operates primarily in Belgium rather than the Netherlands/DACH, serving as a regional rather than direct competitor.
Direct peers
- Koppert Biological Systems: Global leader in biological crop protection and pollination, with products likely distributed through Mertens. Comparable as a key horticulture input supplier focused on sustainable/bio alternatives — adjacent channel relationship but direct product overlap.
- DCM (De Ceuster Meststoffen): Belgian producer and distributor of professional fertilizers and soil improvers for horticulture and landscaping. Comparable as a specialist supplier focused on plant nutrition within the same European horticulture market.
- Horticoop Technical Services: Dutch horticulture cooperative supplying greenhouse technology, substrates, and crop inputs to professional growers. Directly comparable in target segment and product categories to Mertens' greenhouse vegetables and floriculture lines.
- Van der Knaap Groep: Dutch supplier of substrates, coco products, and biostimulants to professional horticulture. Directly comparable in substrate and growing-media category, serving overlapping Dutch and European grower customers.
- Royal Brinkman: Largest Dutch B2B supplier of horticultural inputs (substrates, crop protection, tools, technical equipment). Closely comparable to Mertens in customer base (Dutch professional growers), assortment breadth, and sales-assisted B2B model.
- Agrofarm (Royal Agrifirm Group): Dutch agricultural cooperative distributing crop inputs, fertilizers, and crop protection products. Comparable B2B wholesale model serving Dutch growers, with overlap in fertilizer and crop protection categories.
Broad incumbents
- Syngenta: Global crop protection and seeds company supplying products that Mertens resells. Comparable as a key supplier-side incumbent in Mertens' crop protection assortment, with potential to disintermediate distributors at scale.
- Royal Agrifirm Group: Large Dutch agricultural cooperative with broad portfolio spanning feed, crop solutions, and digital farming. Overlaps with Mertens in crop input distribution but operates at much larger scale and broader agricultural scope.
- Bayer Crop Science: Global crop protection and seed giant whose products flow through distributors including Mertens. Comparable as a major player in Mertens' core crop protection category, though at a vastly larger scale and broader scope.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Mertens social profiles
Digital presenceMertens financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mertens leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Mertens subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Mertens funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mertens 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 Mertens
What does Mertens do?
Mertens distributes a comprehensive assortment of horticultural inputs and operational supplies (fertilisers, biocontrol, crop protection, substrates, seeds, films/fabrics, cultivation supplies, pots/trays, technology, water technology, tools, garden articles, and workwear) to professional horticulture, garden retail, and the green sector via a B2B webshop and direct sales. The company serves nine sectors including glasshouse vegetables, floriculture, fruit, open field cultivation, tree nursery, mushrooms, landscaping, garden retail, and workwear, with next-day delivery on orders placed before 14:00.
Is Mertens a public or private company?
Mertens is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Mertens founded?
Mertens was founded in 1953. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Mertens based?
Mertens is headquartered in Horst, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Mertens make money?
One revenue line is on record: product Sales - Horticulture Supplies.
Who are Mertens's main competitors?
Arvesta is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Koppert Biological Systems, DCM (De Ceuster Meststoffen), Horticoop Technical Services, Van der Knaap Groep, Royal Brinkman and Agrofarm (Royal Agrifirm Group). Broad incumbents are Syngenta, Royal Agrifirm Group and Bayer Crop Science.
Does Mertens have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mertens.
What industry is Mertens in?
Mertens's product category is Professional Horticulture Supplies Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAOAFAH, Gardening, Lawn & Outdoor Living Distribution. Its NAICS code is 42382 and its SIC code is 5040.