Tref is a leading supplier of high quality raw materials for the potting compost industry at home and abroad. The peat products partly originate from the company's own peat sources in Germany, Sweden and the Baltic States, and partly imported from Russia, Ireland, Scandinavia and Finland. Tref also supplies raw materials such as clay, bark and coconut products.

The wide geographical dispersal of production locations guarantees a constant supply of raw materials, irrespective of weather conditions, to the Tref Trade transhipment terminal in Moerdijk. This terminal has an enormous storage capacity for the raw materials. After possible pre-treatment, the raw materials are transported from the terminal to buyers in various parts of Europe.

Supply countries

Germany

 

Garden peat has been one of the most important raw materials for potting compost since time immemorial. Tref extracts the material from its own peat sources in the north-west of Germany. This takes place in the so-called vertical way. A constant as possible quality is accordingly striven for. A further condition for good garden peat is that it sufficiently freezes through. In addition to the peat sources in Germany Tref is developing facilities for the production of garden peat at new locations in north-east Europe.

Baltic States

 

Baltic white peat is the most used type of white peat in the potting compost industry. It is light in colour and relatively poorly decomposed. This white peat is abstracted ‘horizontally’: the peat is turned and collected as coarse as possible. Baltic white peat is also available in big and ordinary bales. Baltic white peat has a wide range of uses.

Russia

 

Tref imports peat from Russia and the Baltic States for the manufacture of fractions. After drying the peat is stored at the peat plants before being transported either to the Tref terminal or directly to buyers. Russian and Baltic peat are relatively light in colour with a firm structure.

Finland

 

A raw material of old in the potting compost industry is Finnish milled white peat. It is made up of poorly decomposed sphagnum and is light in colour. This peat is mainly used in potting composts for short growing. The material is fine so easy to use and contains practically no hard parts so is easily compacted. Using this white peat lowers the shrink percentage of the potting compost and increases the water-absorption capacity when mixed with garden peat.

Ireland

 

Irish white peat has a completely different structure, so also other uses than the North European white peats. It is darker in colour because the material is made up of coarse-leaf sphagnum and is more decomposed. Irish white peat has high structural stability and a lower water-absorption capacity. It is also therefore suitable for longer growing. Tref supplies Irish white peat both as milled peat and as peat for the manufacture of fractions.

Portugal

 

Tref imports bark from the Pinus Maritime from Portugal. The bark is delivered as a coarse untreated product to the terminal in Moerdijk where it is sieved into various fractions with a wide area of application: as an admixture for potting composts, as a spreading material in tree cultivation and as a basic raw material for orchid substrate.

Sri Lanka

 

Many products are manufactured from the husk of the coconut. One of these products is a fibre specially selected for Tref that has more than proved its worth in the course of the years. The product is sold by Tref in 25 kg pressed bales or mixed with Irish peat at the terminal in Moerdijk and supplied as a semi-manufactured product. This semi-manufactured product, also called coconut fibre mix, as an admixture in potting compost gives an airy structure and excellent moisture transfer in the compost.
By joining the Jiffy group Tref now itself has direct access to other coconut products. Cocopeat and cocochips have already been included in the range for some time. These products are supplied from Sri Lanka in pressed form to the terminal in Moerdijk, where using wells with mains water the product is again brought to its original volume. The cocopeat and chips are then ready for use in high quality substrates.