Foxhol, February 2nd, 2007 - The Dutch potato starch group AVEBE is investing millions of euros in its new subsidiary SOLANIC. This company uses breakthrough technology to extract high-performance proteins for the food and drug industries. This is one of the ways through which AVEBE intends to achieve new profit growth in the coming years.
With the divestment of all non-strategic activities and the completion of the restructuring in 2006, the company's re-engineering is now complete. The year 2007 marks the beginning of a phase of renewed profit growth, based on innovation.
An innovative initiative is already on the right track with ELIANE™, a unique high-performance potato starch, which was introduced last year. An additional key initiative is the creation of a new innovative subsidiary, SOLANIC.
With the task to create new value from potatoes;
By refining, developing and marketing non-starch based ingredients from the potato with a high added value;
Thereby opening up new applications and/or markets;
And creating new sources of profit for AVEBE.
SOLANIC has a very promising breakthrough innovation in the pipeline: High-performance proteins possessing unique properties for application in the food and pharmaceutical industries. In the food industry, it offers manufacturers many advantages in comparison to animal proteins. In the pharmaceutical industry, it can be used as an anti-inflammatory skincare compound. Both of these applications constitute unique propositions. Many SOLANIC prospective customers have already responded with great enthusiasm.
SOLANIC has already safeguarded its proposition by means of product patents and exclusive cooperation agreements with partners in the chain, namely the Danish technology company Upfront and Skintec, which is affiliated with the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam.
This autumn, SOLANIC will start commercial production of these promising products.
Okke Koo, chairman of the AVEBE board: "In the next few years, AVEBE intends to grow its profit considerably, and making investments in innovation is crucial to that goal. In addition to starch, potatoes contain other high-quality components, which can deliver value to the food and drug industries. This provides AVEBE with very attractive prospects for the future. The first responses from the market have been very enthusiastic."