Danish “Gazelle” 2020

At Natural Greenwalls we are very proud to have received the Danish business award “Gazellepris” 2020 as one of only 1.885 danish companies and after a increase of 161%. Our strategy has been to invest in prestigious projects and education, and therefore the coming years will continue to be brighter.

“Gazelleprisen” is an award giving to the fastest growing companies in Denmark measured over a four-year period.

Three years ago, we made a five-year plan: Invest money in studies and prestige projects, educate our own and external employees, establish a network of dealers in Europe, develop and expand the Danish sales channels – and pick the flowers of that effort by winning the “gazelle” award in 2022. That is why we are very proud that we have already this year received a beautiful bouquet in the form of the “Gazellepris”-award  2020.

In the last four years, we have seen our profits increase by + 120% and in line with that, we have invested part of the money back in the company. Below is an interview with the director of Natural Greenwalls, René Lund, about the past, present and future of the company.

It’s prestigious projects such as this at Blixens in Aarhus Municipality. A 30 meter high plant wall with over 3000 plants. The construction was named “Commercial Construction of the Year 2019”

It is quite clear that a lot has happened on the green market in the last four years. In Danish companies, there has been a significantly greater focus on indoor climate and employee care. With a good indoor climate, you can reduce the number of sick days, and with good employee care, you can attract and retain skilled employees.

But in addition, there has also been an increased demand for quality and sustainable products. TCO, Total Cost of Ownership, ie the total price for a product throughout the life of the product, both moneywise, but also in relation to environmental impact, is something I experience a lot of focus on. People are willing to pay a little more on day 1, to then save money on day 2, 3 and 1004.

It all speaks in our favor. Our green wall system is built from recyclable materials, 100% produced in Denmark and uses minimal water and fertilizer, while the plants clean the air. Our moss walls are made of hand-picked moss from Scandinavia and Europe, are 100% natural and environmentally friendly, and then it can also improve the acoustics. So the trends we have seen in the market have thankfully matched with the products we already have.

Another prestigious project is this at TESTO in Germany. A 55 meter long plant spiral, which winds from the floor and up through the atrium.

I see no sign that the demand for green solutions is falling. On the contrary actually. That is why I am also very optimistic about the future. One of the things we are working on at the moment is to develop a green wall system targeted at the private consumer.

Our current system is also sold to private individuals, but works best where professional gardeners can access, service and care for the plants. With an increased interest from private customers who want to install and service themselves, we would like to be able to help with a simpler green wall solution. So we’re working on that.

In addition, we have seen through our foreign dealers that COVID-19 has hit the business community much harder out there than here in Denmark. So therefore we will continue to support our foreign dealers a lot the next while to help them get back on their feet. Before COVID-19, we saw the same trends in the rest of the world that we see here in Denmark; the companies want to be greener – so now we have to show them that it is better for the indoor climate to choose a green wall with eg 300 plants than two plants on the floor.

We are also relatively new abroad, so our focus is on showing the success in Denmark and helping to transfer it abroad.

In addition, we just have to build on the very stable foundation we have. Our products are already green, sustainable and environmentally friendly. We have what the market demands, now we just have to build on that. So I’m really looking forward to seeing what the future brings.

We are producing green- and moss walls in all sizes from 2 sqm to over 200 sqm.

“Gazelles” live in groups outside in nature, so of course the Gazelle Prize is the most fun when it has company 😊 So of course I hope we get more in the future. But right now I am very proud of my team and humbled that we have got it this year. As I said, it was part of our five-year plan, so that we have got it already now, are something we are very happy about.

You can read more about Natural Greenwalls here, just as you can learn more about our green walls here. We are also always ready to answer questions if you have become curious and want to know more.