Aviko Potato is responsible for the purchase, logistics and quality management of all potatoes for the Aviko Group factories. This mainly concerns the raw material supply for the fi ve factories in the Netherlands, but we are also closely involved with the cultivation of potatoes for Aviko Group production locations in Germany, Belgium, Poland, Sweden and China. Acting on its vision ‘Creating value from potatoes’, the Aviko Group annually processes 1,400,000 tonnes of potatoes into fresh, frozen and dehydrated potato products. This ranks Aviko as the fourth largest potato processor worldwide and the largest producer of chilled fries. It is our ambition to continue to grow in a responsible and sustainable manner.
Always looking for the highest returns
In order to achieve our goals, we work closely with more than 1,000 potato growers, who are all highly-skilled entrepreneurs. They realise that producing high-quality products begins with the basics, meaning… their potatoes. Together with the growers we try to achieve the highest possible return for their product; this is our daily focus at Aviko Potato. We require an outstanding performance from our growers, but in exchange we offer excellent contract conditions and accurate taring. Our good relationship with our growers is based on trust, honest advice, commitment and regular communication. This is how Aviko Potato makes a difference.
We are on top of things
The washing and sorting line is located at the factory in Steenderen. Here, 2,000 tonnes of potatoes are washed and graded every day before being transported with the correct specifi cations onto the processing lines. Food safety is vital during the growth, storage and transport of all potatoes processed by Aviko. During the growing and storage season, we analyse samples from batches contracted from the growers. In this way we constantly monitor the available quality.
Six months and… one hour
Aviko takes its time to produce its delicious fries: six months and a little over an hour. Six months of growing crops in the fi elds and a little over an hour for processing in the factory. Processing potatoes into fries, slices, dices, wedges, croquettes, rösti, mash, fl akes, granules and many other products continues 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. All these products have their own specifi cations for which we select the right crop based on variety characteristics, underwater weight, frying colour, sugar content, length, etc.
More than 45 years of experience
The foundations for Aviko Potato were laid in 1968, when potato trading company Korteweg in Swifterbant was founded. The company grew into a leading supplier of the Dutch, German, and Belgian potato processing industries. Since its acquisition by Aviko in 1998, the company has focused on the procurement of raw materials for the processing plants within the Aviko Group, which is part of the agro-industrial cooperative Royal Cosun. In 2007, the washing and grading station was opened in Steenderen and Aviko Potato moved to Dronten, in the heart of one of Holland’s most important potato cultivation regions. A lot has changed in just over 45 years, yet one thing has remained the same: At Aviko Potato it is still all about potatoes!