About our history - Gras Wood Wide BV Zaandam - Dé houtimporteur van Nederland

INTRODUCTION

Gras Wood Wide was established in 1868 by brothers Floris and Gerrit Gras under the name Houthandel v/h F. & G. Gras.

From the beginning to the present day, the story of the Gras family shows that we are used to moving along with all the changes in the wood world. The current director-owner, Sven Gras, is the sixth generation to lead the company. In the rich history of our company, we have built up a leading market position as a stock keeping importer of certified and sustainable produced softwood.
We mainly buy our wood from sawmills in Scandinavia and Canada, but also import from Germany, USA, Latvia and Estonia.
In addition to our wide range and ample stock, our customers, the wood processing industry and wood/building materials trade, appreciate the knowledge of our employees about the products and their application possibilities.

HISTORY

Since its founding in 1868, Gras Wood Wide has acted in pine wood and spruce. Until the beginning of the twentieth century, this was self sawn with two mills.

These were the Nootenboom and the Red Lion. In the mid-20th century, imports of sawn wood increased. The Gras company responded to this by fulfilling the role of distance supplier. When the last Zaanse round wood sawmill closed its doors in the 1960s, the supply of sawn-off pine fell sharply. The Gras company then started by stepping up the stock of pine wood. The company therefore grew into a true specialist.
The economic crisis in the 1980s also affected the timber trade. Upscaling was the answer during our last 25 years; we’ve made several acquisitions, including Noord Europese Houtimport and Beka Houtproducten. The acquisitions have ensured that our product range has grown considerably.

OUR NAME GRAS WOOD WIDE

In 2017, our company was given a new umbrella name: Gras Wood Wide. The name ‘BV Houthandel v/h F. & G. Gras’ was established in 1917. Exactly 100 years later, it was time for a new name. One that covers the (international) load. Gras Wood Wide refers not only to the world wide web, but also to the wood wide web.

Trees communicate with each other; underground they share nutrients and create their own ecosystem. Trees that are in contact with each other are better able to survive. Just like our company. Founded in 1868, we are as solid today as we were then, thanks to the strong bond between our sales divisions They work closely together, like a wood wide web.