Born from firsthand hospitality experience. The story of iRotec Pest Control.
iRotec started with two colleagues, Maurice and Matthijs. They first met at work and quickly built a strong connection. Through their shared experience in running a restaurant business, first grew a friendship and later their ambition to start a business together. After years of struggling to find a reliable partner for pest control, in 2025 they finally decided to take a different approach.
What began as a personal struggle evolved into iRotec Pest Control B.V., a company built on transparency and effective pest control and prevention solutions. Today, Maurice and Matthijs are at the start of a new chapter. They are ready to further develop their vision and help businesses and homes facing the same problems they once encountered themselves.
“It is no secret that in Amsterdam’s city center the rodent issue is widely spread. Despite the city investing heavily in pest control initiatives, which are largely managed under the Clean and Waste-Free 2025–2028 policy framework, the number of rodents is increasing year to year. These days, no café or restaurant is 100% safe from waking up to a “ratatouille” situation”, Maurice says.
The risks are very high, especially in popular tourist destinations like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag, Utrecht, and Haarlem. Those are really dense cities with a lot of old buildings, urban heat islands, cafes, bars, and restaurants. In combination with climate change, milder temperatures in winter, and rapid urbanization, rodents have everything they need to thrive.
The GGD (Gemeentelijke Gezondheidsdienst) has been keeping track of rat reports since 2015. In 2019, this number was at 3,409. But by 2021 it grew by a staggering 115% to 7,329 reports, according to NOS.
Only in 2024, GGD Amsterdam received over 6,800 reports of rat infestations, showing high pressure from rodents throughout the city. A year later, the NVWA reported a significant increase in emergency closures of food businesses, with 20 cases in Amsterdam alone.
“With just a few players on the market, it is hard to get the level of response and support one needs once there is a problem. I was offered to see someone in 7-10 days. This effectively means either closing the restaurant for 10 days or keeping on serving our guests, putting our reputation and customer experience at risk. This is not the type of choice you want to make as a restaurant owner or manager,” Matthijs is saying. “As a quick fix, I was once offered to put some poison in the kitchen area. This is not sitting well with me. Poison and great food just do not belong in the same sentence, in my opinion,” he adds.
This was when the idea of doing things differently occurred. “Smart traps are the way to go. We can monitor rodent activity 24/7 and always know what is happening at the location. Our team can deal with the situation before it turns into a problem,” Maurice says.