What Vitro Plus BV does

Vitro Plus BV is a Dutch tissue culture laboratory and fern breeder founded in 1990 by John Bijl, headquartered in Burgh-Haamstede, Netherlands. The company specializes exclusively in fern propagation and assortment development, offering a catalog of 150 fern varieties delivered to commercial growers, garden centers, landscaping firms, and interior plant service companies across 33 countries, with an expected 2024 output of 40 million young plants. Its core technology stack rests on nearly three decades of tissue culture (weefselkweek) know-how, two patented delivery systems — the Vitro-Tray (multi-cell sterile trays for tropical ferns) and the Vitro-Plug (sterile coco-peat plugs for both tropical and hardy ferns) — and an in-house multi-layer LED cultivation factory co-developed with REVEB that delivers 20-30x higher cultivation capacity per cubic meter than traditional greenhouse methods. The company also holds multiple EU and US plant patents for named cultivars such as xPhlebosia 'Nicolas Diamond', Asplenium nidus 'Crispy Wave', 'Campio', and 'Hurricane'.

Name

Vitro Plus BV

Legal name

Vitro Plus B.V.

Website

https://vitroplus.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Vitro Plus BV is a Dutch tissue culture laboratory founded in 1990 that breeds and propagates 150 fern varieties, supplying 40 million young plants annually to commercial growers, garden centers, landscapers, and interior plant service companies across 33 countries through patented Vitro-Tray and Vitro-Plug delivery systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Haamstede

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fern Plant Sales: Wholesale B2B sales of tissue culture fern plants, plugs, and transplanted seedlings to commercial growers, garden centers, and landscapers. Products sold in various formats at different growth stages. Revenue is product-based with no subscription component.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Vitro Plus is a specialized fern tissue-culture laboratory that propagates and breeds approximately 150 fern varieties across tropical, hardy, and indoor segments for wholesale distribution to commercial growers, garden centers, landscapers, and interior plant service companies. The company delivered over 40 million ferns to 33 countries in 2024. Starting material is delivered in three proprietary formats: Vitro-Tray, Vitro-Plug, and Transplanted Trays (Verspeend), supported by an in-house multi-layer LED cultivation factory co-developed with REVEB and a dedicated Vitro Research laboratory for breeding new fern cultivars.

Product overview

Vitro Plus BV operates as a specialized fern horticulture company founded in 1990 by John Bijl, now serving 33 countries with 150 fern varieties. The company offers a unified product portfolio centered on tissue-cultured ferns delivered through three core patented systems: Vitro-Tray (for tropical ferns in various sizes), Vitro-Plug (for both tropical and hardy ferns with coco-peat plugs), and Transplanted Trays (pre-hardened plants ready for potting). The company also operates a state-of-the-art multi-layer LED growing factory developed in 2018, achieving 20-30x capacity increase over traditional greenhouse methods. Supporting services include the Vitro Research laboratory, biweekly availability schedules, and the 'Plant in de Kijker' newsletter. All products are distributed through direct ordering, with no public API integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vitro-Tray Vitro-Tray is a proprietary wholesale delivery format that provides tissue-cultured fern starting material in standard propagation trays (30-hole, 60-hole, and 144-hole) ready for sticking or transplanting by commercial growers. It is aimed at wholesale ornamental fern growers, garden centers, landscapers, and interior plant service companies that propagate ferns at scale.
• Vitro-Plug Vitro-Plug is a proprietary plug-based delivery format in which tissue-cultured ferns are embedded in Jiffy substrate in collaboration with BVB Substrates, allowing growers to receive ready-to-transplant plugs without the need for sticking. It serves the same wholesale customer base as the other Vitro Plus formats: commercial fern growers, garden centers, landscapers, and interior plant service companies.
• Transplanted Trays (Verspeend) Transplanted Trays (Verspeend) are Vitro Plus's pre-transplanted plug delivery format that delivers fern plugs already established in a substrate tray, shortening the production cycle for the buyer. It is sold wholesale to commercial fern growers, garden centers, landscapers, and interior plant service companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20-30x higher cultivation capacity per m3 vs traditional greenhouse
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• REVEBcoreTechnology or IntegrationJoint development partner for LED plate technology used in multi-layer trolley-based cultivation system. REVEB collaborated with Vitro Plus to create custom LED solutions enabling 20-30x capacity increase per m3.
• Koppert Biological SystemsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier of biological pest control and resilience programs. Vitro Plus uses Koppert's resilience programs as part of their integrated disease and pest management approach.
• SynvitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for resilience/wellness programs for crops. Part of Vitro Plus's integrated approach to crop health using biological strengthening methods.
• Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs (Minister Henk Kamp)minorOthersGovernment recognition of innovation. Minister visited facility in December 2016 to view inventions including seed-in-packaging technology and LED cultivation systems. No formal partnership but demonstrates government support.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Royal Van Zanten: International Dutch breeder specializing in cut flowers, pot plants, and bulb flowers. Comparable to Vitro Plus as a Dutch ornamental plant breeder using tissue culture and breeding programs to serve global commercial growers, though with a broader flower-focused portfolio.
• Dümmen Orange: One of the world's largest ornamental plant breeders and propagators, headquartered in the Netherlands. Directly comparable to Vitro Plus as a fellow Dutch horticultural breeder selling young plants through global B2B channels, though Dümmen Orange operates across a much broader crop portfolio (roses, geraniums, etc.) rather than specializing in ferns.
• KWS SAAT: Global plant breeding company headquartered in Germany with operations in seed and variety development. A broad incumbent comparable to Vitro Plus in plant breeding and IP-driven variety commercialization, though focused on field crops rather than ornamentals.
• Ball Horticultural Company: US-based global horticulture leader producing seed- and vegetative-propagated ornamentals. Comparable to Vitro Plus as a young-plant supplier with patented genetics and worldwide distribution, though Ball operates across a much broader portfolio including seeds and unrooted cuttings.
• Syngenta Flowers: Global ornamental breeding business (part of Syngenta Group) producing flower and pot plant seeds and cuttings. Comparable to Vitro Plus as a large-scale horticultural IP holder selling B2B to growers worldwide, but with a broader crop portfolio and presence in seed-based propagation.

Direct peers

• Beekenkamp Plants: Dutch breeder and propagator of young plants in pots, bedding plants, and chrysanthemums. Comparable to Vitro Plus as a Dutch family-owned horticulture company supplying young plants via B2B distribution to growers and retailers across Europe and beyond.
• Hishtil: Israeli global supplier of young plants, herbs, and ornamentals produced via tissue culture and conventional propagation. Highly comparable to Vitro Plus's B2B young-plant propagation model and international distribution to growers and retailers.
• Vitroflora: Polish tissue culture laboratory specializing in in vitro propagation of ornamental and berry plants. A direct comparable to Vitro Plus in terms of tissue culture methodology, B2B plant propagation, and European reach, though Vitroflora is not fern-specialized.

Regional players

• Tropical Plant International (TPIE exhibitor network): TPIE is a major US tropical plant industry trade exhibition featuring fern, foliage, and tropical plant producers. Comparable to Vitro Plus as a B2B channel/tropical plant ecosystem, though TPIE itself is a market organizer rather than a producer peer.

Others

• Koppert Biological Systems: Dutch supplier of biological crop protection and pollination products. Included as an adjacent partner/ecosystem player — Vitro Plus is already a Koppert customer for integrated pest management, and Koppert represents a comparable scale Dutch horticulture-adjacent supplier.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vitroplusbv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Vitro Plus BV