Bol Peat B.V. has taken over the operational business of Shakti Cocos B.V. With effect from 1 June 2020, Shakti Cocos transferred the exclusive international distribution rights and the existing customer base to the Dutch trading company. The agreement also includes the acquisition of the Shakti Cocos brand and the coveted patent for the buffered coir product Shakti Amla® including the trademark rights by Bol Peat. In the course of these measures, the product manager and sales representative Jack van Batenburg also moved to Bol Peat.
Bol Peat, a subsidiary of the Klasmann-Deilmann Group, has specialised for decades in the global trade in raw materials. The product groups with the highest turnover so far were peat and wood fibres. “The particularly high-quality coco products from Shakti Cocos further round off our portfolio and will meet great interest from our customers," says Ted Vollebregt, Managing Director of Bol Peat. “At the same time, Jack van Batenburg will ensure that the existing customer base of Shakti Cocos is comprehensively supported and reliably supplied."
Coir Crush (0 – 15 mm; 0 – 7 mm; 7 – 15 mm; 1 – 7 mm) consists of larger grades of coir pith from which fine particles have been removed by screening. Coir crush increases the air capacity and drainage of growing media. Depending on the amount of crush in a substrate, the air capacity can be increased by 10 to 40 vol.-%.
Shakti Cocos distinguishes itself from other suppliers in this raw material segment through quality characteristics, certification according to the renowned RHP standards, tightly organized production with local partner companies and the possibility of manufacturing customized solutions. “It was also important for us that Shakti Cocos has been certified according to the internationally recognized SA8000 standard for socially responsible jobs in the production facilities," says Ted Vollebregt. “In this way Shakti Cocos supports the sustainable development of our group of companies."
In addition, the production of Shakti Cocos in India and Sri Lanka is characterized by the fact that all coir products can be tracked or traced from the receipt of the raw materials to the delivery to the customer. The coir raw materials are stored in bunkers to increase their physical stability and at the same time prevent contamination. During the subsequent processing, various treatment methods such as washing, buffering and the patented Shakti Amla®-treatment are used before the finished coconut products are laid out on concrete floors again for drying. Finally, there are various options available for sorting, mixing and packaging. “Great importance is attached to environmentally compatible wastewater management,“ affirms Ted Vollebregt. “Used water is purified and reused in our own coir production or in agriculture. “
A large part of the husk consists of coir fibres (10 – 30 mm) which are mainly used in products such as mats, brooms, mattresses and geo-textiles. Cutting the fibres allows a use in substrates. Coir fibres improve the water transport in the growing media. This applies to both, transport from top to bottom for a better drainage and from bottom to top for a better water capillarity, e.g., in ebb and flood systems or on irrigation mats.
The preparation, mixing and packaging of the raw materials is done according to the specifications of the individual customer. For this purpose, coir pith, coir crush and coir chips are available among others, which have been sieved into different fractions. In order to achieve the physical properties desired by the customer, certain coir products are mixed in a targeted manner. Common packaging units are 5 kg blocks, Easyfill bags and Growbags, moreover, customized blocks are also offered that fit exactly into the cultivation benches of the respective horticultural company.
The patented coir product Shakti Amla® is characterised by a constantly low pH value and thus offers nurseries a unique additional benefit. The often fluctuating pH-values of coir products are stabilised by the Shakti Amla process, thus simplifying the application of the substrate and the subsequent fertilisation of the crops.
Ted Vollebregt
“The fact that Shakti Cocos and Bol Peat are now working closely together is a great development for both companies,“ says Jos van der Gaag, owner of Shakti Cocos. “Bol Peat has a worldwide reputation for high-quality raw materials for substrate production. Therefore, our products also fit very well into the product range of our new partner. Shakti Cocos can now focus on its own core competencies in production and comprehensive quality assurance. This partnership is a win-win situation - also for our customers, who will receive even more targeted support in the future.“
“Shakti Cocos products provide the optimal basis for the healthy growth of numerous crops and are excellent as a supplement to numerous substrate blends,“ says Ted Vollebregt. “They also support the goal of sustainable development of the international substrate industry, which is to be achieved, among other things, by increasing the proportion of alternative constituents in growing media.“
For more information:
Bol Peat
Jack van Batenburg
+31-6-54221977
jack.vanbatenburg@bolpeat.com
www.bolpeat.nl