OUR CROWN
The third generation, Jan and Gerard van de Bijl, followed their father into the business and took over the entire company in 2012.
OUR ROOTS
‘Grandpa’ Jan Dirk van de Bijl started a small tree nursery in the Achterdorp in Kesteren, combining it with his farm: he kept fattening pigs.
OUR STEM
The company eventually moved to Lienden where his sons, brothers Martin and Marius van de Bijl, took over at the helm. They explored the possibilities for export. At the fall of the Berlin Wall, Germany became booming business.
NEXT GENERATION
JD van de Bijl has a stable, deep-rooted basis. While their grandparents laid the foundations for a healthy root system, the following generations continued to build a healthy ‘trunk’. Timely pruning, irrigation and plenty of attention and love for the business and the assortment is the motto. A solid basis and promising start for the next generation….
MAN BEHIND THE NURSERYMAN
Gerard van de Bijl
I love travelling and am intrigued by nature. For our business, I travel all over the world to look at trees. I have come to understand the southern culture in countries like Italy, Spain and the south of France, enabling me to provide customers in these areas with the most appropriate service. Empathising with your customer – another of our skills.
My passion for trees proved greater than my passion for school… I left school when I was 16. Surprisingly, I trained as a car mechanic and then went to work in France and Germany. But my heart was in trees. The languages I learned are extremely useful in business.
Jan van de Bijl
Jan van de Bijl is a tree grower in heart and soul. As the oldest brother of the two partners, he soon caught the green virus. ‘As a child, you would always find me among the trees.’
I travel a lot, mainly in western Europe. Germany, England, Scandinavia, countries where I feel particularly at home. Particularly the German mentality: Gründlich and Punktlich appeal to me. A deal is a deal. In that sense, Gerard and I complement each other well. Gerard is mainly responsible for southern Europe.
Our assortment suits everyone; quality and diversity are typical JD. Because of our differences, there is a JD brother for any nationality.