About Valto Biocontrol
About Valto Biocontrol
Valto Biocontrol is a family business. From grandfather to father to son, we are all passionate about getting the very best out of your vegetable crops. This passion led to the creation of V10.
At Valto we are not sitting still. We are constantly on the go, to come up with new solutions. Every year we invest heavily in providing the national and international horticultural sector with new, innovative products.
History
Before 2005
Retrospect
Valto is a family business. The passion for optimising the quality of vegetable crops is a significant part of the DNA of the Looije family. We see problems as opportunities.
While grandpa was always busy improving the crop at his company, Leo had a broader focus. As a grower, he was involved in improving rock wool, but he also brought the grafting clip to the Netherlands in 1991, and he had his own breeding company. Leo continued to pursue his passion for improving the quality of vegetable crops. In 2005 he found a solution to the pepino mosaic virus, which laid the foundation for Valto.
You can see in the photo that Thorben is inspecting the greenhouse, which is being raised because of the switch from using hot air to water heating and substrate.
2005
Valto gets its start
Leo found a promising solution for the pepino mosaic virus in 2005, and the first trials were started. Leo hired external parties to conduct research. He started a business and opened Valto’s first office.
In addition to the European strain of the virus, a new strain from Chile suddenly appeared in 2007. For Leo, that led him to develop a multivalent vaccine that protects tomato plants against both strains. Since then, Valto has been conducting trials under diverse cultivation conditions.
2013
First temporary approval
In 2013, the product was temporarily approved to move from the pilot phase to the practical phase. Many growers took advantage of this opportunity to protect their crop against the pepino mosaic virus.
Because of this development, more space was needed to produce V10. This resulted in a doubling of the company’s surface area.
2014
Thorben takes over from Leo
Thorben has a passion for entrepreneurship and horticulture.
He believes in the solution his father came up with for the pepino mosaic virus and sees a future in natural crop protection. For these reasons, he took over the role of Director from his father in 2014.
2018
Beyond the borders
In 2018 Valto entered into a partnership with Koppert Biological Systems to sell V10 worldwide.
Valto remains responsible for the sales and distribution of the V10 product in the Netherlands, while the distributor does the same in the rest of the world. Valto continues to be closely involved in this and offers support wherever necessary. V10 is currently available in several countries, and Valto is expecting more approvals.
2018
Approval of V10 in the Netherlands
From pilot to approval is a long process.
The Netherlands is the first country in the world to officially approve V10 - thirteen years after the first trials.
2019
Valto’s expansion
Valto’s success continues, and the company is expanding. Valto has grown considerably in a short amount of time.
The number of employees doubled in 2019, and the company premises expanded with the purchase of a fourth property in De Lier. That same year Valto reached a milestone of 11,111 hectares sold since starting the research.
2020
Increase in exports
More and more tomato crops are being protected with V10, not just in the Netherlands but internationally too.
This year, the number of countries to which our natural crop protection agents are exported grew strongly again. In addition, Valto is awaiting marketing authorisation in multiple countries.
But crops are also threatened by other viruses besides Pepino Mosaic Virus. So we are working intensively on research and potential solutions for these as well.
2021
Anniversary year
This year we mark 15 years of Valto! That’s how long we have been pursuing our passion for improving the quality of crops. This is the perfect opportunity to open Valto’s doors for a digital peek behind the scenes. Celebrate with us on our anniversary page!
We’re proud of where we are today – and at the same time we’re also working hard on our plans for the future. On 1 October we got the keys to our new greenhouse with 17 compartments on Hoefweg in De Lier, heralding the next step in director Thorben Looije’s growth ambitions. Up to now, we have conducted our research into new, natural crop protection agents at various sites. Once the necessary adaptations have been made to the new greenhouse complex, Valto researchers can run larger-scale trials on multiple crops – all in one place, close to the offices of our family business on Leehove.
2022
Ready for the future
With the increase in production and research capacity in the new greenhouse, it was also time to expand our research team with an extra reseacher and a lead team researcher. We have also invested in our own lab facilities. To help growers – now and in the future – to achieve healthy crops.
With all these expansions, it was also time for a refresh of our logo with new house style colors and an important pay-off has been added to our logo: protected by nature!
Because at Valto we believe in nature as the solution to protect all types of plants against viruses. In this video we briefly explain who we are and how we like to work.
Access for natural crop protection must be faster
We are happy to help our horticultural customers grow healthy fruit and vegetables with natural crop protection products, which can be used to solve virus problems. Valto has new crop protection products that are safe for humans, animals and the environment. But we can't offer them to our customers, because the current, complicated way of approval means that it takes years before a new product is allowed on the market. In this video, our director Thorben Looije calls on governments and ministries to work together on a solution.
International
Beyond the borders
We are going beyond the Dutch borders. It is our intention to partner with research stations all over the world. This will enable us to reach a higher level together and offer a greater variety of solutions.
V10 has proven itself not only in the Netherlands. There is great demand for the product abroad, as well. We are working with a distributor to be able to provide the solution to the pepino mosaic virus there. We are proud of the approvals that have already been obtained!
Corporate culture
In constant motion
We are always on the go. Not just because it’s necessary, but because it’s possible. We’re always looking for ways to do things even better and working on new solutions. We not only look to science for this, but we also like to learn from clients and to discover new opportunities.
Young and ambitious
We are a young company. Proud of where we are now and what we’ve been able to achieve together.
Our ambition is ongoing. We know what’s happening in the market and what customers really need. We enjoy sharing ideas and hearing their input. With our knowledge and years of experience in horticulture, we can contribute to improving the quality of vegetable crops abroad, as well. That makes us happy!
Motivated
What do we have in common as a team? We are passionate about getting the very best out of your vegetable crops. This drive is what brought us together. We are energised by finding new solutions, partnerships and satisfied customers. Our different disciplines, professionalism and passion make us a strong team.
Together
Cooperation is very important to us. Sharing knowledge and experience strengthens us.
We are close to growers and science. Cooperation is also important to our team. Each team member is unique and has expertise in their particular field, but we have to work together to come up with solutions.
Humour and creativity
Laughter is healthy! So we encourage humour and creativity here, which shows itself in fun ideas such as a “Grilled Cheese Wednesday” each week. This allows everyone to express their creativity: from a grilled ham and cheese sandwich to a grilled Indonesian noodles sandwich complete with satay sauce. But everyone has a chance to show their creativity in their work, too. This leads to the best ideas, which is important in our field. We appreciate a good balance between work and fun. This reinforces the team spirit.
