“innovative artificial grass with a natural look…”
This year, Royal Grass® is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary. Since the foundation in 2003, the development of artificial grass for garden applications has gained momentum. Various innovations have made it possible for clients all over the world to enjoy a lawn of which the neighbour probably won’t be able to tell it is made of artificial turf.
However, this does not mean that Royal Grass® intends to rest on its laurels. “We will continuously strive to improve our products,” founder Freek Verhoeven says passionately. “Think about the looks and quality, and also on the ecological aspects.”
Artificial grass for gardens
From the very first day, innovations have played an important role in the success of Royal Grass®. Until the introduction of Royal Grass®, artificial turf was mostly used for sports grounds. Artificial grass for gardens was hardly available.
The idea of Royal Grass® arose during the activities of Verhoeven for the mother company TenCate in the United States. “I spoke with people in dry states like Nevada and Arizona. They told me they needed artificial grass for their gardens because the climate was too dry for natural grass. In the absence of better options, they would use sports grass.” And thus, the idea of Royal Grass® emerged. The aim: natural looking artificial grass for gardens. But how can that be achieved?
A distinctive look
“Up until then, artificial grass mainly consisted of fibrillated fibres. With the disadvantage that they will flatten quickly,” Verhoeven explains. For that reason, we started developing mono-filament artificial grass fibres that can maintain their upright position better.”
“In addition, we have added accent colours to give the grass a more natural appearance.” And that wasn’t the only step taken to improve the look of artificial grass. “For instance, we also started using dark brown spreading sand. So, we had a distinctive appearance straight away.”
Flying start
So Royal Grass® had a flying start. After a thorough development stage and convincing a select group of garden companies, the very first artificial lawn was installed in 2004. An introductory period of a year was planned in the Netherlands, but because the interest from Spain and Portugal due to the dry climates was so overwhelming Royal Grass® was also launched in these areas without delays. In the meantime, the company is globally active, from Scandinavia to Southeast Asia.
The past fifteen years, Royal Grass® has continuously been looking for new ways to improve its artificial grass. One of the most important developments was the introduction of the V shape. “We have closely examined natural grass. Blades of grass have a V shape and we have used that shape for our artificial turf.” The patented V shape makes the grass more resilient and gives it a highly natural look.
After the V shape, various other innovative developments followed. For instance, the MiNT Technology that gives the fibres a more natural glow. Another big breakthrough followed in 2016: the introduction of the ReaDY Technology. In short, this technology means that the fibres aren’t all standing in the same direction, but instead have their own growth direction.
Collaboration
Apart from our own ideas, we also get input from the Royal Grass® dealers for new improvements. “As they are working with our products daily, they can easily spot new opportunities.” These can often be found in the smallest details, for instance the way the packaging of the artificial grass is sealed.
So Verhoeven emphasizes the success of Royal Grass® is not solely thanks to the product itself. “From the very first day, it has been our philosophy that it isn’t just about delivering a product, but also about the service and installation of the grass. In that way, our partners are key.”
Royal Grass® is working together with carefully selected dealers who sell the artificial grass to the end user and often also take care of the installation. “That is very important. After all, the consumer cares about the result. Our partners are the ones ensuring the final result is perfect.
Safety
From the very first day, the safety of the products has been one of the key points of Royal Grass®. According to Verhoeven “children should be able to put it in their mouths.” At the introduction, the artificial grass has been thoroughly tested by Dutch research organisation TNO. When a discussion about the rubber granules in artificial grass for sports grounds arose a couple of years ago, the complete product range has been tested again. Every research shows that artificial grass from Royal Grass® complies with the strictest European safety requirements.
15 years at a glance
2003
Launch of Royal Grass®
2004
First time installation of artificial turf
2005
Development of V Shape®
2014
Introduction of MiNT® Technology
2016
First artificial turf with ReaDY®
2017
Introduction of Royal Grass® Wave
