FarmCamps, the Dutch market leader in farm-based glamping, has been acquired by siblings Bram and Alette Bastiaansen.
Alette Bastiaansen will take on the day-to-day leadership of the company, while Bram Bastiaansen will be involved as an investor in the background. Together, they aim to further grow FarmCamps by supporting agricultural entrepreneurs in the Netherlands and abroad in combining tourism with their existing farming business. The acquisition of FarmCamps was supported by M&A advisor Marktlink.
FarmCamps responds to the growing demand for small-scale, nature-based and meaningful family holidays. The company works with family-run farms where families stay in luxury glamping tents and experience everyday life on a working farm.
For farming families, the concept offers an opportunity to add tourism as an additional revenue stream to their existing agricultural business. FarmCamps supports participating farmers with accommodation, marketing, bookings, pricing and guest communication. This allows farmers to broaden their business without losing focus on their core farming activities.
FarmCamps sees strong potential in the United Kingdom, where both farm stays and glamping on farms are already well understood by holidaymakers. The company believes there is room for a distinctive, full-service farm glamping concept that combines the charm of a working farm with the comfort of fully equipped luxury tents.
The Dutch FarmCamps model has shown how quickly a strong position can be built in this market. Between 2012 and 2015, FarmCamps grew rapidly in the Netherlands, adding a substantial number of partner farms and establishing itself as the country’s market leader in farm-based glamping. FarmCamps believes a similar opportunity exists in the UK, where many families are looking for authentic countryside holidays and where farm-based tourism is already part of the holiday culture.
In addition, FarmCamps already has an international audience. The company speaks the language of the target group and serves Dutch families who are willing to travel abroad for a special farm holiday. The United Kingdom is therefore seen as a promising next step: a destination with strong domestic potential, a well-developed farm stay market and appeal for Dutch families who want to experience the British countryside.
FarmCamps requires only a relatively limited investment from farmers. FarmCamps invests in the placement of luxury, fully furnished glamping tents with private sanitary facilities. The company also supports participating farmers with permit procedures and the layout of the farm site. This applies both to farmers who do not yet offer tourism activities and to farmers who already operate a campsite, farm stay or other form of accommodation.
After the initial setup, FarmCamps continues to support farmers with services such as marketing, bookings, pricing and guest communication. Farmers can therefore continue to focus on their agricultural business and, during the holiday season, mainly on welcoming guests and sharing life on the farm.
Alette and Bram Bastiaansen aim to strengthen FarmCamps’ position in the Netherlands, increase occupancy at existing locations and carefully expand the network of partner farms. Internationally, the company sees growth opportunities in Germany, where FarmCamps is already active, and in the longer term in the United Kingdom, Belgium and France. FarmCamps is therefore looking for new farming families in the UK who are interested in working together to develop farm-based glamping.
“We see that more and more farmers are thinking about how to future-proof their business without moving away from their agricultural identity,” says managing director Alette Bastiaansen. “FarmCamps offers farming families the opportunity to add tourism to their business, while guests experience farm life up close. Families discover where their food comes from, see how people and animals live together and learn what it takes to run a farm.
That connection between farmers and families is what makes FarmCamps so powerful. In the UK, both farm stays and glamping are already well established. We believe our full-service concept and luxury tents can add a valuable new dimension to that market.”
Following the acquisition, former majority shareholder and managing director Thierry Schaap will step down from the management team. He will remain involved as a shareholder, together with co-founder Saskia de Wit.
Thierry Schaap sees the acquisition as a logical next step in FarmCamps’ development. “What started as an idea to bring families closer to farm life has grown into a strong brand with a proven formula for agricultural entrepreneurs.
With Bram and Alette taking over the company, this is the right moment to hand over the business and enable the next phase of growth.”
Lucas Nijhuis of M&A advisor Marktlink: “FarmCamps is a respected player in the leisure market with a distinctive proposition that responds to the needs of agricultural entrepreneurs. Its full-service approach makes the company attractive in a growing market where farmers are increasingly exploring ways to diversify their activities.”
