It's fair to say that 2025 has been quite a year for Jelte Veenstra. In January, he took over as CEO of Van der Knaap from Ron van der Knaap, while working mainly from Dubai. One of his key responsibilities was setting up a new strategic partnership with Premier Tech, the Canadian substrate producer. Now that Jelte has been back in the Netherlands for two months, he reflects on what's happened so far, but more importantly, he looks ahead to what's next.
© Van der Knaap
Ready for further growth
"The partnership with Premier Tech is now official, which is great. But beyond that, it's simply exciting to be in this position, to work with the whole company on the opportunities coming our way, and to prioritize what matters most, so we can prepare the business for further growth," Jelte begins.
That growth will be boosted by the collaboration with Premier Tech, which offers several advantages. "First of all, knowledge sharing. We have our own innovation center in Honselersdijk, and they have theirs in Canada. Exchanging expertise between the two will be a real benefit. Scale is another factor. By joining forces, we can accelerate developments that would be hard to tackle on our own. On the commercial side especially, we'll move forward together."
Sourcing and access to raw materials
Premier Tech is particularly strong in North America. "That gives us a chance to bring our expertise into that market and develop it further. The partnership is mainly about commercial cooperation, but also sourcing and access to raw materials. Peat harvesting in the Baltic States is currently not going well, so having a Canadian partner with its own peat bogs makes a real difference."
The Canadians are also heavily involved in biostimulants. "That's still fairly uncharted territory for us. We'll be exploring whether this could add value, especially for the Western European market."
Backward chain integration
Last year, we also spoke with Jelte and Ron, when the big topic was backward chain integration. "That's still very much on the agenda," Jelte confirms. "It will remain part of our strategy in the coming years. Demand for raw materials, particularly coco, keeps increasing. To keep control over supply, we have to continue integrating backward into the chain."
That process isn't always easy. Feasibility studies take time, many conditions have to be met, and local government approvals can drag on. Fortunately, production capacity at Van der Knaap's existing facilities in Sri Lanka, India, and the Dominican Republic is expanding significantly.
So, is coco the future, and does that mean the end of stone wool? "I don't think so, but if it were up to us, everyone would switch to coco! It offers so many benefits: active soil life right from the start, easy reuse, precise steering, and of course, it's organic."
Ambitious goals
Looking at the big picture, Jelte sees plenty of opportunities for Van der Knaap Group. "We've set the bar high. Within five years, turnover needs to exceed one hundred million. That means building additional production sites to secure enough raw materials."
Sustainability also remains a strong focus. "We've already taken big steps in that area, and we'll continue to push forward internally, alongside strengthening our market position." Growth could also come through acquisitions. "That's part of the strategy. Thanks to our new partnership, we're already seeing opportunities come our way. Having that scale gives us room to take extra steps."
For more information:
Jelte Veenstra
Van der Knaap Group of Companies 
T: +31 174 296606
[email protected]
www.vanderknaap.info
