On Thursday 30 March 2023, Royal Avebe presented its strategy for the next five years during a breakfast for invited media. The cooperative will Accelerate and strengthen. Chairman of the Board David Fousert: “With the starch potato as the base, we want to create even more distinctive value for our members, employees, customers and society. And thus accelerate the transition to a more plant-based world. We are also opening the door for other plant-based proteins, such as field beans and peas.” Strengthening the core, accelerate plant-based and a new horizon are the three pillars of the strategy Accelerate and strengthen. The basis for these pillars is a healthy breeding soil that consists of innovation, sustainability and safety. The ultimate goal is to jointly create added value for members, employees, customers and society.
Avebe is going to work on strengthening the foundation they have built in recent years. This means focusing, from the market perspective, on the growth of the portfolio with distinctive, high-quality, potato starch and potato protein ingredients. Production lines and their capacity will be optimized responding on the demand for plant-based meat and dairy substitutes and plant-based building materials. Sustainability and innovation are important drivers. Avebe is therefore fully committed to visibly reducing its footprint.
Avebe aims to further increase its share in the plant-based markets by expanding its product portfolio, developing blends of potato protein and potato starch and making the production site in Dallmin, Germany, suitable for human food. This includes looking at where potato starch and protein ingredients can replace animal, synthetic and petrochemical products.
Avebe sees opportunities to market other plant-based proteins in combination with starch potato products. “For this we open the door. It is important that we do this with a view from the market together with our customers. We look at whether the cultivation, processing and valorization of new protein crops provides added value. Field beans and peas seem to be suitable for this,” says David Fousert.
The performance price is Avebe’s most important financial indicator. In the past and present strategic periods, this has been given an absolute number and a positive development has taken place. Avebe believes that in the current changing environment it is difficult to indicate a final performance price. With its strategy Accelerate and strengthen, the cooperative expects to realize a performance price with a plus of at least 25 euros for the period 2023-2028.
