We are Virtuoos

A family business that grew into a start-up

I was born into a family that is passionate about quality and innovation. Many of our products are developed by the Medisan laboratory in Heerenveen. This company, founded by my father in 1988, specialises in producing medications, medical devices and dietary supplements. As a child, I spent a lot of time in the factory where I learned the ropes. So I know exactly what the production process is like, from the formulation of recipes to packaging.

How Virtuoos came into being

After completing a degree in Commercial Economics and Business Development at the University of Groningen, I decided to combine my knowledge with the subject I was passionate about. At parties, people would often ask: ‘Do dietary supplements actually work?’ I wanted to demonstrate that they do, if they are formulated the right way. That’s why I founded Virtuoos.

How we began to supply Olympians

High-performance sport is about ambition and innovation, which are also two driving forces for Virtuoos. That led us to NOC*NSF. Although our initial conversations did not immediately result in collaboration, things changed eight months before the 2012 London Olympics. NOC*NSF needed eight supplements that were either not available in the right formulation at the time  or did not come with the right quality guarantee. We were asked to develop these supplements and deliver them as white-label products. After the Olympics, these supplements were the first that we released under our own brand.

‘I established Virtuoos 13 years ago. It started out as a project on behalf of NOC*NSF [the Dutch Olympic Committee], but has since grown into a household name in high-performance sport.’

Jelmer Jeen Haanstra
Founder

Quality, co-creation and guidance

Everything we do is based on our core values: quality, co-creation and guidance. We only work with the very best resources and branded ingredients, and we develop our products in association with medical teams, nutrition experts and elite athletes. Together we develop effective products that are then produced at the Medisan laboratory, which has gained extensive experience of dietary supplements in the last 30+ years. As a result, we can produce supplements that meet the most stringent standards and have proven to be effective.

High-performance sport is in our DNA

Today, high-performance sport is a fundamental component of our identity. High-performance sport allows us to stay innovative and push ourselves to make the most of ourselves and our products. We work with several elite athletes and high-performance teams, including track and field athlete Lieke Klaver, road cyclist Ivar Slik and the Alpecin-Deceuninck cycling team. The innovative recipes we develop for elite athletes also allow us to help other athletes, regardless of their competitive level. Whether they are elite athletes, ambitious amateurs or recreational athletes, our goal is to help them perform to the best of their ability.

More than just products

Virtuoos believes that dietary supplements are part of the larger picture. We therefore like to share our knowledge through webinars, articles, newsletters and personalised guidance. Consequently, we are not just a supplier of supplements, but a reliable knowledge partner in matters relating to sport and nutrition.

Virtuoos has one single purpose: to help athletes perform to the best of their ability.

Jelmer Jeen Haanstra
Founder

Our online growth

Initially, we mostly worked with external partners. However, over the years we have become a leading online platform. The online market has grown significantly in recent years. Our goal for the next few years is to grow even further in this market and strengthen our position as a reliable supplier of dietary supplements and sports nutrition.

Collaboration with professional cyclists

One of our key focus areas is cycling. For many years, we have worked with various cycling teams, such as Alpecin-Deceuninck, Lotto, Bahrain Victorious, Unibet Tietema Rockets and SD Worx-Protime. In addition, we are proud to serve as an ambassador to Tour de France Femmes champion Kasia Niewiadoma and Unbound 2022 winner Ivar Slik.

Personalised guidance

If you have any questions about dietary supplements, sport or nutrition, check out our website, where you will find a lot of useful information that will help you meet your goals. You can also take our quick supplement test (2 minutes, free of charge), which will give you a personalised recommendation on which supplement(s) to take. Do you have any other questions after taking the test? If so, arrange a phone call with our Performance Nutritionist for some personalised guidance (free of charge).