History
Mustad Benelux has evolved from the Company of Velthuis Kampen, which was a well known seller of all types of farrier products. Jan Velthuis was a farrier and founded his business under the name IJzerhandel Velthuis in 1914. Like many farriers in those days he started to produce and sell horseshoes and nails and visited his farrier customers with all his goods on a carrier-bicycle. Trade was good and over time he expanded his range and started to sell more and more farrier related products.
The business continued to grow until farmers started to buy tractors for the work previously done by horses - cars and trucks started to take over transport, making the horse unnecessary for farming and transport. This also had consequences for many farriers who were forced to find work in other professions.
When Klaas Jan Velthuis entered the family business in 1933 it was located at the Burgwal in Kampen and the emphasis of the company shifted from farrier goods hardware.
Then following WWII there was yet another change in the use and purpose of the horse -
from what was predominantly an agricultural animal there was a move towards its use for leisure and sports. People started to ride horses as a hobby and with that the need for horseshoes and farriers increased. At that time Velthuis was one of very few Companies in the Netherlands who still sold farrier products and they were fortunate to grow with the increasing market. In 1970 Hans Peter Velthuis joined the business and when in 1980 the Burgwal location was outgrown he was the one who relocated the company to the location in the Nijverheidstraat. The horse industry continued to grow and so did Velthuis Kampen, becoming well known throughout the Netherlands with Mustad Hoofcare one of their largest suppliers. The relationship between Velthuis and Mustad became so strong that in 2003 Hans Peter decided to sell the company to Mustad Hoofcare. For Mustad the purchase of this strong family company, with a well known name and reputation, created the perfect opportunity to directly liaise with farriers, veterinarians and horse owners and provided the perfect knowledge base from which to develop and innovate products for an ever more demanding market.
