The Grass Company

The Grass Company is a Dutch cannabis coffeeshop company based in North Brabant. The business operates four coffeeshops in the cities of 's-Hertogenbosch and Tilburg, combining the sale of cannabis products with restaurant or hospitality services. Within the Dutch coffeeshop system, its model is notable because it was described as the first company in the southern Netherlands to combine coffeeshop cannabis retail with restaurants, rather than operating only as a conventional cannabis sales venue. The company developed within the Netherlands' regulated-tolerance framework for cannabis. Dutch coffeeshops may sell limited quantities of cannabis to adults under national policy conditions, while the commercial supply of cannabis to coffeeshops has historically remained legally problematic. That tension between permitted retail and restricted supply is central to The Grass Company's public profile. Its operations have been associated with police raids, investigations into suspected financial irregularities, and legal disputes involving founder and former owner Johan van Laarhoven. A 2011 police raid at a distribution center linked to the chain became a major early controversy. Police reported finding approximately 15,000 joints and eight kilograms of hemp, while the company's lawyer disputed the quantity and stated that the amount was 250 grams. The company itself was not prosecuted in that matter; two employees were convicted without receiving a sentence. The court accepted the presence of stock equivalent to two days of supply for the company's four coffeeshops. The business was investigated for suspected black money in 2013. On 4 July 2014, authorities raided 20 locations, including all four coffeeshops and the TGC Trading office. One coffeeshop was subsequently closed for six months after 7.5 kilograms of soft drugs were reportedly found at the premises. These events placed the company at the center of wider debates about Dutch cannabis policy, enforcement, cash-based retail, and the legal contradiction between tolerated sales and restricted wholesale sourcing. The most internationally prominent legal episode concerned Johan van Laarhoven. After moving to Thailand in 2008, he became the subject of a Dutch investigation. At the Netherlands' request, Thai authorities arrested Van Laarhoven and his Thai wife in July 2014. Thai proceedings resulted in a 103-year sentence for Van Laarhoven, of which he was required to serve 20 years, in a money-laundering case involving proceeds connected with coffeeshop activity. His wife also received a prison sentence. The case prompted questions in the Dutch Parliament about the Netherlands' role in the arrest and the conduct of the investigation. Legal and public advocates, including attorney Gerard Spong and broadcaster Filemon Wesselink, called attention to the case, while the Dutch National Ombudsman issued a critical report. In 2019, Justice Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus said that he would work toward bringing Van Laarhoven back to the Netherlands and traveled to Thailand in August of that year for discussions. Van Laarhoven was transferred to the Netherlands in January 2020, where he was to serve the remainder of his sentence and face Dutch proceedings concerning alleged tax fraud and money laundering. According to the cited reference material, those Dutch cases were dropped in late 2024. Publicly documented information is concentrated on the company's locations, operating model, enforcement history, and the Van Laarhoven case. Detailed information about its corporate ownership, financial performance, current management, product branding, and official digital presence is not established in the supplied sources.

The Grass Company emerged as a Dutch coffeeshop business in North Brabant and became associated with a hospitality-led model in which cannabis sales were combined with restaurant operations. The company operates four coffeeshops in 's-Hertogenbosch and Tilburg. The combination of coffeeshop retail and restaurants was described as a first for the southern Netherlands, distinguishing the chain from venues focused exclusively on cannabis transactions. Its history is inseparable from the regulatory structure of the Dutch cannabis market. The Netherlands has historically tolerated limited cannabis sales in coffeeshops under specified conditions, but the supply chain serving those shops has remained subject to legal restrictions. This has created a recurring enforcement and policy dilemma for operators: retail may be tolerated while procurement, storage, finance, and distribution can attract criminal or administrative scrutiny. In 2011, police raided a distribution center connected with the chain. Authorities reported discovering about 15,000 joints and eight kilograms of hemp. The company's lawyer challenged that account and maintained that the quantity was 250 grams. The company was not prosecuted. Two employees were found guilty but received no sentence. The court accepted the principle that the four coffeeshops could hold stock equivalent to two days of supply, an important detail in the legal treatment of inventory associated with the chain. In May 2013, The Grass Company was investigated in relation to suspected black money. The matter intensified in July 2014, when authorities carried out raids at 20 buildings. The locations included all four coffeeshops and the TGC Trading office. One coffeeshop was closed for six months after authorities reportedly found 7.5 kilograms of soft drugs in the building. These enforcement actions made the chain a prominent example in discussions about the practical consequences of the Netherlands' tolerance policy. A separate and more extensive legal controversy involved Johan van Laarhoven, identified in the supplied material as the company's founder and former owner. Van Laarhoven had moved to Thailand in 2008. On 14 July 2014, the Netherlands asked Thai authorities to cooperate in an investigation involving him. Thai police subsequently arrested Van Laarhoven and his Thai wife. He was later sentenced in Thailand to 103 years for money laundering connected with money earned through the coffeeshop business, with 20 years to be served; his wife also received a prison sentence. The treatment of Van Laarhoven generated significant political and legal controversy in the Netherlands. Members of several Dutch political parties submitted parliamentary questions concerning the role of Dutch authorities in the arrest. Attorney Gerard Spong and television presenter Filemon Wesselink supported efforts aimed at securing Van Laarhoven's release. The Dutch National Ombudsman also issued a critical report. In April 2019, Justice Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus promised to make efforts to return Van Laarhoven to the Netherlands, and he traveled to Thailand in August of that year to negotiate with Thai authorities. In January 2020, Van Laarhoven was transferred to the Netherlands. He was expected to serve the remainder of his sentence there and face Dutch proceedings involving alleged tax fraud and money laundering. The supplied reference states that the Dutch cases for fraud and money laundering were dropped in late 2024. The available reference material does not establish the company's founding year, detailed ownership structure, current executives, financial results, product brands, or official website. Its documented identity rests primarily on its four North Brabant coffeeshops, its restaurant-integrated operating model, and the enforcement and legal history surrounding the business and its founder.

• 2024

  Dutch fraud and money-laundering cases dropped

  [1]The Grass Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The supplied reference material states that Dutch cases against Van Laarhoven concerning fraud and money laundering were dropped late in the year.

• 2020

  Transfer of Van Laarhoven to the Netherlands

  [1]The Grass Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Johan van Laarhoven was transferred from Thailand to the Netherlands to serve the remainder of his sentence there and face Dutch proceedings.

• 2019

  Dutch government intervention in Van Laarhoven case

  [1]The Grass Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Justice Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus pledged efforts to bring Van Laarhoven back to the Netherlands and traveled to Thailand for negotiations.

• 2014

  Twenty-location raids

  [1]The Grass Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Authorities searched 20 buildings, including the four coffeeshops and the TGC Trading office; one coffeeshop was closed for six months.

• 2014

  Van Laarhoven investigation and arrest

  [1]The Grass Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The Netherlands requested Thai cooperation in an investigation involving founder and former owner Johan van Laarhoven, who was subsequently arrested with his wife in Thailand.

• 2013

  Black-money investigation

  [1]The Grass Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company became the subject of an investigation into suspected black money.

• 2011

  Distribution-center raid

  [1]The Grass Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Police raided a distribution center associated with the chain. The resulting dispute concerned the quantity of cannabis stock and the legal allowance for inventory serving four coffeeshops.

A hospitality-oriented Dutch coffeeshop chain combining cannabis retail with restaurant services in North Brabant.

• Cannabis retail

  Cannabis products

  The company's core offering is cannabis sold through its Dutch coffeeshops. The available material identifies cannabis sales as the central business activity but does not provide a detailed catalogue of strains, brands, formats, prices, or current product specifications.

• Prepared cannabis products

  Cannabis joints

  Joints are specifically mentioned in the account of the 2011 police raid, which reported a large quantity at a distribution center. The supplied sources do not establish whether a distinct branded joint range remains part of the current assortment.

• Hospitality

  Restaurant services

  The Grass Company is notable for combining coffeeshop cannabis sales with restaurant operations. The supplied material does not specify menus, restaurant brands, formats, or whether every current location offers the same hospitality services.

• 2014

  Raids and six-month closure

  Authorities raided 20 buildings connected with the business. One coffeeshop was closed for six months after 7.5 kilograms of soft drugs were reportedly found there.

  Source

• 2014

  Johan van Laarhoven cross-border case

  Founder and former owner Johan van Laarhoven was arrested in Thailand after a Dutch request for cooperation and later received a lengthy Thai money-laundering sentence connected with proceeds attributed to coffeeshop activity. The case triggered criticism and parliamentary scrutiny in the Netherlands.

  Source

• 2013

  Suspected black-money investigation

  The company was investigated over suspected black money, according to the cited reference.

  Source

• 2011

  Distribution-center stock raid

  A police raid produced conflicting accounts of the quantity of joints and hemp held at a distribution center linked to the chain. The company was not prosecuted, and a court accepted two days of stock for the four coffeeshops.

  Source

Read more

• Combine coffeeshop retail with restaurant operationsStrategy

  Background

  The company was described as the first business in the southern Netherlands to combine cannabis coffeeshop sales with restaurants.

  Action taken

  It developed and operated a hospitality-oriented coffeeshop model in North Brabant.

  Aftermath

  The model became a defining feature of the company's public identity, although the supplied material does not document its commercial performance.

  Source

• 2024

  Dutch cases against Van Laarhoven dropped[1]The Grass Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Lawsuit · Regulation

  The cited reference material states that Dutch proceedings against Johan van Laarhoven concerning alleged fraud and money laundering were dropped in late 2024.

• 2020

  Johan van Laarhoven transferred to the Netherlands[1]The Grass Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Lawsuit · Regulation

  Van Laarhoven was handed over to the Netherlands in January 2020 to serve the remainder of his Thai sentence there and face Dutch proceedings relating to alleged tax fraud and money laundering.

• 2019

  Dutch minister pledges effort to return Van Laarhoven[1]The Grass Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Lawsuit · Regulation

  Justice Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus said the Dutch government would work to bring Johan van Laarhoven back to the Netherlands and traveled to Thailand in August for discussions.

1. 1The Grass Companyen.wikipedia.org