BVB Substrates - How to accomplish your mission in a changing world?

BVB Substrates supplies substrates for different market segments: ornamental, vegetable and mushroom growers, natural and urban greenery and the hobby market. 

BVB, the initials of Bas van Buuren, also stand for "Betrokken, Vooruitstrevend en Betrouwbaar," which means "Committed, Innovative and Reliable." These are the core values ​​of BVB.

BVB Substrates is committed to a good relationship with customers but also with suppliers. The employees of BVB know what is going on in the market (worldwide) and with buyers. Recently, the BVB College was launched, where knowledge about substrates is shared with customers. This master class on substrates was developed in partnership with HAS Den Bosch. BVB College aims to share knowledge and experience so that substrate users can get the most out of their crops. BVB Substrates is now making plans to bring BVB College overseas.

Reliable 

Johan van Gelderen, of BVB Substrates, says that "we do what we promise. Everything we do at BVB Substrates focuses on quality. BVB's modern equipment allows us to provide our customers with optimum quality, reliability and consistency. BVB Substrates is ISO certified and the substrates meet the requirements of the label. All substrates are tested by our own laboratory (BVB Research) to ensure they meet the expected requirements."

BVB Substrates' products are marketed all over the world and exports account for more than 50% of the company's sales. Johan van Gelderen and John Noordam points out that BVB Substrates' exports reach more than 80 countries. The quick changes and uncertainties worldwide, as well as the different regulations and diversity of climates and crops require a high degree of adaptability. Johan van Gelderen and John Noordam illustrate this with a few examples:

"Australia is one of the strictest countries in terms of rules for imports. At BVB Substrates, one of our main concerns is for our products to always meet every requirement."

The importance of food safety is increasingly recognised worldwide. In the Netherlands it is all well-arranged, although in China, for example, it is a different story. There you can see a big difference in the food that is offered in stalls or supermarkets. As much as possible, Chinese parents purchase safe food products from supermarkets for their children, but there are also many of them who settle for the cheaper food on offer at street stalls. There is is therefore more and more demand for substrates from chains.

"In Vietnam, BVB started a project along with a number of leading Dutch companies for cultivation on substrate. In this place, there's still little experience with growing from the ground, and you cannot assume that a substrate that works perfectly in the Dutch market will also work here. The Dutch high-tech solutions are often not in line with demand and the experience of local growers. We try to find the substrates that are best suited for this target group."

According to Johan van Gelderen and John Noordam, BVB Substrates has many plans for the future. BVB Substrates is working on an alternative to German peat, as this will become increasingly difficult to find. In early 2015, BVB Substrates hopes to further explain this alternative at various trade shows in Europe.