From the Netherlands to Värmland – Building Campervans in Årjäng
Maarten Bellaard and his family have found peace and closeness to nature in Värmland. But they’ve also discovered the right conditions to run their company Wilderness Wheels – with close access to the market in neighboring Norway. From the very first step, Business Region Värmland has supported the Dutch entrepreneur’s establishment in the region.
Maarten Bellaard, Wilderness Wheels
The Family Moved to Get a Different Life
Since November last year, Dutchman Maarten Bellaard has been running his company Wilderness Wheels in Värmland – a business specializing in custom van conversions at Högelian station outside Årjäng.
“It’s always exciting to get to know my customers. To make a deal like this – hiring someone to convert a van into a customized campervan – you need to be a bit adventurous. And it’s also quite a big investment,” says Maarten. “Usually, you build a bed with storage underneath, benches, and a kitchen, but everyone is different.”
Maarten previously ran a similar business in the Netherlands. The decision for the family – consisting of his partner Lisette and their children Alva (5), Wende (4), and Simon (six weeks old) – to move to Sweden last year was no coincidence.
“We had vacationed here eight times before and wanted to be closer to nature. Here, we had the opportunity to live on a farm and build a life where we could slow down,” Maarten explains. “The Netherlands is much more densely populated and the pace is faster.”
Maarten Bellaard and Ahmed Alaeddine, Head of Business Region Värmland
Business Region Värmland Involved From the Beginning
The relocation process gained momentum two years ago when Maarten met Ahmed Alaeddine, Head of Business Region Värmland, at a fair in the Netherlands.
“I remember meeting Maarten two years ago. His partner spoke with my colleague about her job as a midwife, and we talked about starting a business here. In this case, Business Region Värmland has been involved from the very beginning, and we really see that the collaboration works across the ecosystem we’ve built with public and private actors. For me, it’s great to see that our efforts to increase Värmland’s appeal are paying off,” says Ahmed.
Ahmed continues:
“We’re focusing on reaching out to the Netherlands. It’s culturally close to Sweden, many people there want to move here, and interest in Värmland is high. For us, it’s important to capture that interest and guide people so they settle in as smoothly as possible. We’re involved in the entire process – moving, finding jobs, choosing schools. That way, people feel more at home.”
“It also leads to better outcomes when you feel welcome,” Maarten adds. “We know we can just call someone when we have a question. Our move was actually super easy – we barely had to think because we had help from many people around us. Ny i Värmland, Business Region Värmland, Almi, and the region through my partner’s job. There was a lot of ‘hand-holding,’” Maarten laughs.
Access to the Norweigan Market
For Maarten, it was crucial to move to a place where he could run his business under good conditions. He describes how, in some ways, it was much easier to get started here, citing the workshop in Högelian as an example. It’s spacious, affordable, and close to their home – something very hard to find in densely populated Netherlands.
Another major advantage of Värmland is its location, providing access to the market in neighboring Norway.
“There’s less competition here than in the Netherlands – fewer people do what I do. As far as I know, there’s only one other person converting vans in Norway. It’s also harder to buy materials in Norway, so I have a big advantage being able to reach Norwegian customers while operating from Sweden,” says Maarten.
Industrial Workshop a Vision for the Future
Right now, two vans are parked in the Högelian workshop, waiting to be transformed into campervans. One of them will become a barbershop and cruise around Oslo with its two owners as the city’s first mobile hair salon.
“My target group is aged 30–50 and often women. I’m currently working on a van ordered by a woman in her 60s who often goes on mountain hikes with her two dogs. The most important thing was to have electricity in the van so it’s ready when she returns to it after her hikes,” says Maarten.
In the future, Maarten hopes to eventually have an industrial workshop on the farm where the family bought a house they’re renovating. He has also started developing an interior design concept to eventually sell ready-made campervans.
“Since I’m working in a new industry, there are always new things to figure out. It’s really nice to have a network in place that I can reach out to,” says Maarten.
Wilderness Wheels
Wilderness Wheels is a company that builds custom campervans – vehicles converted for living and nature adventures. Founder Maarten comes from the Netherlands, where he converted more than 40 campervans, and now runs the business from Årjäng.
Website: www.wildernesswheels.se
Written by: Elin Iderström
Photo credits: Niclas Kindahl, Beegleton