{"id":9571,"date":"2025-05-02T14:12:45","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T12:12:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aggrator.com\/?p=9571"},"modified":"2025-05-02T14:21:55","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T12:21:55","slug":"fra-jordrotte-mareritt-til-patenterbar-innovasjon-morten-blaauw-beskytter-europas-frukttraer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aggrator.com\/en\/fra-jordrotte-mareritt-til-patenterbar-innovasjon-morten-blaauw-beskytter-europas-frukttraer\/","title":{"rendered":"From earthworm nightmares to patentable innovation: Morten Blaauw protects Europe\u2019s fruit trees"},"content":{"rendered":"

After many years in banking and finance, Morten Blaauw wanted to spend more time outdoors and realize his dream of a small farm. He slowed down, bought the abandoned Haug farm in Hurum and planted 700 apple trees. His daily life was divided between practical work and project-based office work \u2013 and it felt meaningful. Until the landworms came.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u2013 In the first year we lost 150 trees. In total, we have lost between 400 and 500. We had to find a solution if it was to be sustainable to continue as a fruit grower, says Morten.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

He tried everything from chicken nets to plastic cages, but nothing worked optimally. It was only when an engineer suggested using metal-stitched bags that he came up with a solution that actually kept the earthworms out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u2013 There were no solutions on the market that worked properly. Then I decided to develop this further. I thought that there were certainly many others who had the same problem, he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

From a research project to a patent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The path from idea to finished product was nevertheless not straight forward. They did not receive support for the project on their first attempt, but through good guidance from Innovation Norway<\/a> He was referred to the Regional Research Fund, which supported a comprehensive development project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together with Norwegian Agricultural Advisory Service<\/a>, NIBIO<\/a> And NTNU tested Blaauw and the team with various materials and different sizes of nets. In 2020, 130 trees were planted with various solutions, which were dug up and analyzed after one year. Where had the rodents come through? What had survived? How much shoot growth was there? <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results showed that the metal net effectively stopped the earthworms from attacking the roots. But during testing in field trials at NMBU, the idea of extending the bag to also protect the roots came to fruition.
protect rodents above ground that could damage the trees. Therefore, the solution was further developed to protect both the root and the trunk, something no other product on the market offers. A patent application was submitted, and the product called 3Bag<\/a> now has\u00a0Patent pending<\/em>-status. The Stammebeskytter has now also become a separate product: 3Guard<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

From a hobby project to my own factory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Today, Morten Blaauw runs the company Frukt AS<\/a> from their own newly-established factory in \u00c5s. There, three industrial knitting machines produce the metal nets on a large scale. The customers are both professional farmers and hobby gardeners, and the products are delivered to over a hundred customers in Norway and Denmark. Orders come directly via the website, often as a result of mentions in industry magazines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u2013 This started as a hobby project alongside the small farm. Now it has become a full-time job, and we see potential far beyond Scandinavia. In Southern Europe, the problem with rodents is at least as big, he says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Lesson: Start small, solve problems you are familiar with<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With a growing customer base and a patent process underway, Blaauw has achieved what many entrepreneurs dream of: building a sustainable business from a concrete problem he was personally involved in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u2013 I started by solving a problem I had myself. Then we tested, collected data, and improved the solution. Only when it actually worked did we start thinking about manufacturing and scaling, says Morten.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Frukt AS is an example of how far we can go by solving a concrete problem in our own garden and how systematic testing and professional collaboration can turn a simple idea into a sustainable product and a viable business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frukt AS is part of Aggrator\u2019s StartUp program. Meet Morten Blaauw and several of our founders at ESSE growth program.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Etter mange \u00e5r i bank og finans \u00f8nsket Morten Blaauw \u00e5 bruke mer tid ute og realisere dr\u00f8mmen om et sm\u00e5bruk. Han trappet ned, kj\u00f8pte den nedlagte Haug g\u00e5rd p\u00e5 Hurum og plantet 700 epletr\u00e6r. Hverdagen ble delt mellom praktisk arbeid og prosjektbasert kontorjobbing – og det f\u00f8ltes meningsfylt. Helt til jordrottene kom. – F\u00f8rste 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