Extracting the best of what’s inside. For over 100 years.

The story of Avebe begins in 1919, when several potato starch factories in Groningen and Drenthe decide that together they can get more out of their potatoes than each could individually. By joining forces in the Cooperative Potato Starch Sales Bureau, an organization is created that shares one ambition: to get everything out of what’s inside.

That ambition proves necessary early on. In 1930, an exceptional harvest leads to a saturated global market, putting the potato starch industry under heavy pressure. Even so, the cooperative stands firm, determined to continue extracting the maximum from their crop and their collaboration.

And somewhere along that journey, something happens that permanently changes Avebe’s story: the discovery that potato protein, once considered a residual stream, has far more potential than anyone expected. In 2007, the first factory opens that produces protein suitable for human consumption, marking an important step toward a new market and a more sustainable use of the potato.

When the Innovation Center in Groningen opens in 2018, that spirit of pioneering gains a physical home. Researchers, technicians, and partners work there together on new applications for starch and protein, fully in line with the mindset in which the cooperative was originally founded.

In the years that follow, Avebe increasingly focuses on innovation. In 1948, the first starch derivatives are developed, and in 1954 the KARNA institute is founded, dedicated to creating new potato varieties with higher yields and improved resistance. In this way, Avebe continues to find new ways to add more value to the same raw material.

Even during the years from 1971 to 1978, when the structure of the cooperative changes and Avebe acquires KSH, that same principle remains the guiding force: by working together and investing, Avebe strengthens its position and unlocks the full potential of both the potato and the market.

In 2019, exactly one hundred years after its founding, Avebe receives the Royal Predicate. Not only as recognition for a century of craftsmanship and innovation, but also as confirmation that collaboration remains at the core of the company. Royal Avebe continues to do what it has always done: getting the most out of the potato, together with its members.