Nederlandse Vereniging van Lactatiekundigen

What Nederlandse Vereniging van Lactatiekundigen does

The Nederlandse Vereniging van Lactatiekundigen (NVL), founded in 1993, is the Dutch professional association (beroepsvereniging) for internationally certified lactation consultants holding the IBCLC credential. It is a non-profit registered in the Netherlands (KvK 40413166) with approximately 10 employees and a membership of over 400 IBCLC-certified lactation consultants who work either independently or as affiliates of hospitals, consultatiebureaus, or maternity care organizations. The association's core function is to safeguard professional standards — all members must recertify every five years through CERPS — and to represent the profession's interests at the national and European levels.

The NVL's product surface is centered on (1) annual membership subscriptions (€185 for full members, €92.50 for aspirant members), which bundle access to professional guidelines, a 10x-yearly newsletter, Elacta European congress discounts, FBZ trade union membership, and member-only resources; (2) a public-facing 'Zoek een Lactatiekundige' directory that lets parents locate certified consultants; and (3) a growing library of evidence-based work documents on topics such as mastitis spectrum, tongue and lip tie, supplementation for infants 0–6 months, domperidone use, and breast milk storage. The association's technology footprint is administrative — Clubdiensten member management, MijnDiAd practice management software (offered to members at a 20% discount), Klachtenportaal Zorg complaints portal, and AGB-code-based insurance reimbursement infrastructure.

Commercially, the NVL earns almost entirely from recurring annual membership fees. Its go-to-market relies on content marketing (guidelines, newsletter), the searchable consultant directory for parents, and influence through seats on the Landelijke Borstvoedingsraad and participation in national guideline development with RIVM, KCKZ, and Veiligheid.nl. Member benefits are extended through partnerships with Elacta (European representation), FBZ (trade union), Klachtenportaal Zorg (WKKGZ compliance), MijnDiAd (practice tooling), and KNOV (midwives), making the NVL less a typical trade body and more a credentialing and standards-setting anchor for Dutch lactation care.

Name

Nederlandse Vereniging van Lactatiekundigen

Legal name

Nederlandse Vereniging van Lactatiekundigen

Website

https://nvlborstvoeding.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Nederlandse Vereniging van Lactatiekundigen (NVL) is the Dutch non-profit professional association for IBCLC-certified lactation consultants, founded in 1993, serving over 400 members through membership subscriptions, professional guidelines, a public find-a-consultant directory, and representation on national breastfeeding policy bodies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: The NVL generates revenue primarily through annual membership fees. Full members pay €185.00 per calendar year, while aspirant members (those in training) pay €92.50 per year. Mid-year joiners pay half the annual fee.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NVL is a Dutch nonprofit professional association that represents International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) in the Netherlands. Its core offering is paid annual membership for certified lactation consultants, which grants access to professional guidelines (Werkdocumenten), the LacVisie magazine, peer representation, advocacy, and the online public directory of lactation consultants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NVL Membership (Lidmaatschap) Annual paid membership for Dutch IBCLC-certified (or aspirant) lactation consultants, priced at €185/year for full members and €92.50/year for aspirant members, granting access to the Werkdocumenten guidelines, LacVisie magazine, peer representation, advocacy, and inclusion in the public professional directory.
• Public Lactation Consultant Directory (Zoek een lactatiekundige) Free public online directory that allows parents and healthcare providers in the Netherlands to search for and contact IBCLC-certified NVL member lactation consultants by name or location.
• Professional Guidelines Library (Werkdocumenten) Repository of evidence-based professional guidelines, protocols, and position documents developed by NVL committees and made available to members to support clinical lactation-consulting practice.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ElactacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerElacta is the European organization of lactation consultants IBCLC. The NVL is represented in Elacta, ensuring Dutch interests are represented at the European level. NVL members receive discounts on Elacta congresses.
• Landelijke Borstvoedingsraad (LBR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe NVL participates in the National Breastfeeding Council, holding seats in the Working Groups on Collaboration and Policy & Governance. The LBR advocates for breastfeeding policy, legislation, education, and practice at national level.
• FBZ (Federatie Beroepen in de Zorg)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAutomatic FBZ trade union membership is included with NVL membership. FBZ provides support on working conditions, collective labor agreements, and individual legal assistance. Annual union contributions are refundable through employers.
• Klachtenportaal ZorgminorOthersThe NVL has arranged a 20% discount on annual subscriptions for members. This complaint portal allows clients to file complaints properly, as required under the WKKGZ law for independent healthcare providers.
• Veiligheid.nl (Adviescommissie preventie wiegendood)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe NVL participates in guidelines development for sudden infant death prevention related to breastfeeding.
• KCKZ (Kwaliteitsindicator Borstvoeding)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe NVL contributes to the development of quality indicators for breastfeeding care.
• RIVM (Richtlijn Babyvoeding)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe NVL contributes to the development of infant feeding guidelines issued by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment.
• KNOV (Koninklijke Nederlandse Organisatie van Verloskundigen)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the Royal Dutch Organization of Midwives for professional alignment in maternal and infant care.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Elacta: European federation of national lactation consultant associations. NVL is a member; Elacta performs the same professional-representation role at the European level that NVL performs in the Netherlands.
• Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM): Physician-led professional body that publishes protocols on breastfeeding medicine (e.g., the mastitis protocol that NVL's work document is built on). Comparable in producing authoritative clinical guidelines that national associations adopt.
• International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA): Global professional association for IBCLC lactation consultants; the highest-level umbrella that NVL members are affiliated with through the ILCA logo displayed on the site. Directly comparable membership and standards-setting model.
• VSBB (Vereniging Samenwerkende Borstvoeding Organisaties): Dutch umbrella coordinating breastfeeding-support organizations. NVL collaborates with VSBB on documents such as the mastitis spectrum work document, making it a peer in the same Dutch breastfeeding ecosystem.

Regional players

• Koninklijke Nederlandse Organisatie van Verloskundigen (KNOV): Royal Dutch Organization of Midwives, a Dutch professional association in the same maternal/infant care chain. NVL collaborates with KNOV and serves an overlapping clinical audience; structurally identical membership-body model.
• Nederlands Huisartsen Genootschap (NHG): Dutch College of General Practitioners, a national professional association with a similar standards-setting, guideline-producing, and continuing-education role for Dutch GPs as NVL has for lactation consultants.
• Verpleegkundigen & Verzorgenden Nederland (V&VN): Large Dutch professional association for nurses and caregivers. Structurally analogous to NVL (membership body, continuing education, advocacy) and operates in an adjacent clinical specialty with potential member overlap.
• Lactation Consultants of Australia and New Zealand (LCANZ): National professional association for IBCLCs in Australia/New Zealand, conceptually the same role as NVL in the Netherlands: membership, standards, advocacy for IBCLC lactation consultants in a single country.

Others

• Baby Friendly Initiative (UNICEF UK): Accreditation program for hospitals on breastfeeding-support quality. Not a membership association, but a directly adjacent standard-setting body in the same breastfeeding ecosystem that hospitals/NVL members operate in.

Broad incumbents

• La Leche League International (LLLI): Large international breastfeeding support organization with a volunteer/peer-counseling model. Adjacent rather than direct: not IBCLC-focused, but operates in the same breastfeeding-support ecosystem and overlaps in the parent-facing audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nvl-nederlandse-vereniging-van-lactatiekundigen

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Nederlandse Vereniging van Lactatiekundigen