Aviko history
What once began with 32 potato farmers sitting around a kitchen table has now, half a century later, grown to become a global concern. From its inception in 1962, 'Potato Processing Industry Keppel and Environs' (Aardappel Verwerkende Industrie Keppel en Omstreken) has appeared to be a down-to-earth and ambitious organization with just one aim: creating value from potatoes.
1962 - 1999
It all began in an old dairy factory in Hoog Keppel, the Netherlands. This led to the production of chilled chips in wooden crates, quickly followed by the first frozen products. A relocation to Steenderen followed in 1967, where an old stone factory offered more space for the ambition of Aviko. Aviko liked to look further than the borders, particularly where it concerned the development of new potato products.
In the early seventies, for example, Aviko was one of the first companies outside of Switzerland to produce Rösti. Fruitful decades followed during which Aviko acquired an increasingly firmer position within Europe, with the German and French markets leading the way. The wall fell and Aviko quickly manifested itself as the market leader in Eastern Europe, partly due to the construction of a factory in Poland. In the nineties, the first expansion outside Europe was sought and Aviko gained a firm foothold in other continents. From then on, Aviko became the global player that managed to get high-quality potato products on the table in more and more countries. This is a development of which we are proud, but also one about which we remain calm. In our hearts, we are still just potato farmers from Keppel.
2000 - present
In the current century, emphasis is mainly on expanding the potato range with high-quality potato specialties. Aviko joins forces with Eurofrits which provides us with a nice supplement in the appetizer range. A significant expansion of the Aviko mashed potato and potato gratin product range has been achieved through the takeover of the Belgian Eurofreez.
In 2008 Aviko entered the Chinese market and established a potato flakes processing factory: Aviko Gansu potato processing company in coorporation with the local government. The factory produces potato flakes for the domestic market
In 2011, Aviko has two factories and one sales office in China in Xiamen to take full responsibility of the domestic potato business due to the demand of the frozen fries in the Chinese foodservice market. With the rapid growth of the domestic market, Aviko seizes the opportunities and accelerates its market expansion by teaming up with Snow Valley Agriculture Company and setting up a new frozen french fries processing factory in Zhangjiakou, Heibei province in China.
In 2014, Aviko acquired a majority stake in the Bavarian family-run business Amberger in Oberdolling, Germany. This acquisition has provided Aviko with a broader range of potato specialties. Aviko is now able to better serve the German and Austrian Foodservice markets and expand its position even further.