AVEBE
Encyclopedia
The cooperative
AVEBE U.A. (abbreviation of Aardappelmeel Verkoop Bureau) is an international Dutch starch
manufacturer located in the north of the Netherlands
and produces starch products based on potato starch
and potato protein for use in food, animal feed, paper, construction, textiles and adhesives.
About 3000 farmers are member of AVEBE. The cooperation is divided into six districts (two in Germany
and four in the Netherlands). AVEBE starch factories in the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden
processes about 3 million ton potato
es.
, the many privately owned starch manufacturers in the area and the former starch company KSH (Royal Scholten-Honig) founded by Willem Albert Scholten in 1841, the first Dutch multinational.
The name AVEBE is derived from the Dutch words Aardappelmeel Verkoop Bureau (Potato Flour Sales Office) (AVB). The cooperative was founded in 1919 as a cooperative partnership between different potato starch manufacturers located in the province Groningen owned by potato farmers to ensure good market prices for their native starch. The farmer cooperatives successfully pushed the privately owned starch companies away from native starch into the production of starch derivatives
. In 1948 the cooperation became one company and the name was changed to AVEBE. In 1956, the first derivatives were produced. In 1978, after bankruptcy of Scholten, forward integration of the potato starch industry in the Groningen was finalized as AVEBE took over a large part of the Scholten company. KSH was the last privately owned potato starch company left over in the Netherlands.
AVEBE is now worldwide the largest producer of potato starch and potato starch derivatives.
waxy potato starch
(ELIANE) and is investing in a new refining technique to produce native potato protein
(SOLANIC) for food applications. In 2007 AVEBE and National Starch Food Innovation entered into an alliance for developing potato starch derivatives outside Europe. Also in 2007 DSM Food Specialties
and AVEBE started an alliance to develop a new enzymatically modifying starch technology (ETENIA).
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
AVEBE U.A. (abbreviation of Aardappelmeel Verkoop Bureau) is an international Dutch starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
manufacturer located in the north of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and produces starch products based on potato starch
Potato starch
Potato starch is starch extracted from potatoes. The cells of the root tubers of the potato plant contain starch grains . To extract the starch, the potatoes are crushed; the starch grains are released from the destroyed cells...
and potato protein for use in food, animal feed, paper, construction, textiles and adhesives.
About 3000 farmers are member of AVEBE. The cooperation is divided into six districts (two in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and four in the Netherlands). AVEBE starch factories in the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
processes about 3 million ton potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es.
History
The history of AVEBE is strongly connected with the history of the province GroningenGroningen (province)
Groningen [] is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea...
, the many privately owned starch manufacturers in the area and the former starch company KSH (Royal Scholten-Honig) founded by Willem Albert Scholten in 1841, the first Dutch multinational.
The name AVEBE is derived from the Dutch words Aardappelmeel Verkoop Bureau (Potato Flour Sales Office) (AVB). The cooperative was founded in 1919 as a cooperative partnership between different potato starch manufacturers located in the province Groningen owned by potato farmers to ensure good market prices for their native starch. The farmer cooperatives successfully pushed the privately owned starch companies away from native starch into the production of starch derivatives
Modified starch
Modified starch, also called starch derivatives, are prepared by physically, enzymatically, or chemically treating native starch, thereby changing the properties of the starch. Modified starches are used in practically all starch applications, such as in food products as a thickening agent,...
. In 1948 the cooperation became one company and the name was changed to AVEBE. In 1956, the first derivatives were produced. In 1978, after bankruptcy of Scholten, forward integration of the potato starch industry in the Groningen was finalized as AVEBE took over a large part of the Scholten company. KSH was the last privately owned potato starch company left over in the Netherlands.
AVEBE is now worldwide the largest producer of potato starch and potato starch derivatives.
Recent developments
After further expanding in the 1980s and 90s the potato starch business in Germany and also expanding to other starch sources as wheat and tapioca, AVEBE farmers cooperative has reorganized its activities since 2006 again around the potato crop. AVEBE produces since 2005 a GMO-free amylopectinAmylopectin
Amylopectin is a soluble polysaccharide and highly branched polymer of glucose found in plants. It is one of the two components of starch, the other being amylose.Glucose units are linked in a linear way with α glycosidic bonds...
waxy potato starch
Waxy potato starch
Waxy potato starch is a new species of starch only containing amylopectin molecules, extracted from new potato varieties. Standard starch extracted from traditional potato varieties contains both amylose and amylopectin....
(ELIANE) and is investing in a new refining technique to produce native potato protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
(SOLANIC) for food applications. In 2007 AVEBE and National Starch Food Innovation entered into an alliance for developing potato starch derivatives outside Europe. Also in 2007 DSM Food Specialties
DSM (company)
DSM is a multinational life sciences and materials sciences-based company. DSM's global end markets include food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automotive, paints, electrical and electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials...
and AVEBE started an alliance to develop a new enzymatically modifying starch technology (ETENIA).
External links
- D. Strijker,Globalization of a potato starch co-operative: the case of AVEBE. In: P.H. Pellenbarg and E. Wever (eds)., International business geography. Routledge, London and New York, 2008, pp. 169–185. http://www.rug.nl/staff/d.strijker/Globalization%20of%20a%20potato%20starch%20co-operative%20The%20case%20of%20Avebe_Dirk%20Strijker.pdf
- Dorien Knaap, Summary of dissertation, The W.A. Scholtencompany: the first Dutch industrial multinational, University of Groningen, 2004 http://dissertations.ub.rug.nl/FILES/faculties/eco/2004/d.a.knaap/summary.pdf
- Press release alliance National starch and AVEBE, National Starch Food Innovation, July 2007 http://www.foodinnovation.com/FoodInnovation/en-US/About+Us/External+Alliances/Avebe.htm
- Press release partnership DSM and AVEBE, September 2007 http://www.dsm.com/en_US/html/dfs/news_items/DSM_and_Avebe19092007.htm?DCSext.src=search