Royal Avebe and ChainCraft announce strategic collaboration

ChainCraft, a pioneer in the production of circular chemicals and Royal Avebe, a global leader in potato-based starch and protein innovations, are proud to announce a huge step towards a strategic collaboration by entering into a Heads of Agreement. This partnership will focus on converting Avebe’s residual potato juice into high-value circular fatty acids and fertilizers through ChainCraft’s innovative fermentation technology. Ter Apelkanaal, Groningen, on and near the premises of Avebe is in picture as a first of its kind factory.

As part of Avebe’s commitment to sustainability and circular economy practices, the company continuously seeks innovative ways to minimize waste, lower its carbon footprint and add value to its production processes. The partnership with ChainCraft aligns perfectly with these goals by utilizing cutting-edge fermentation techniques to convert residual streams into valuable products, thus reducing environmental impact and supporting sustainable agriculture.

“We are excited to partner with ChainCraft and take this next step in our sustainability journey,” said David Fousert, CEO at Avebe. “Leveraging the fermentation technology of ChainCraft, potato juice, a byproduct of our production, will be transformed into circular products such as fatty acids and fertilisers. So for Avebe this collaboration ensures more circularity and also saves energy. It contributes to the further creation of efficient production processes. Which ultimately has a positive effect on our members’ earning capacity. For the northern part of the Netherlands, this collaboration means a more sustainable agricultural sector and region. And it also contributes to more employment opportunities in the north.”

ChainCraft unique technology makes it possible to use organic waste streams, such as potato juice as a replacer for fossil feedstocks and palm oil as a raw material and make a positive contribution to lowering CO₂ footprint and preservation of biodiversity by preventing deforestation. This enables manufacturers of speciality chemicals, animal feed, lubricants and flavour & fragrances to meet their climate goals.

“At ChainCraft, our mission is to drive the transition towards a circular bioeconomy, and this collaboration with Avebe is a significant milestone,” said Niels van Stralen, Founder & Chief Growth Officer at ChainCraft. “Our fermentation technology is perfectly suited for transforming residual streams into high-quality raw materials, and working with a forward-thinking partner like Avebe allows us to scale up this process to a first of kind factory and demonstrate the full potential of our innovative solution. This marks the first of several commercial milestones we are going to meet in the coming period, in which we will start the fundraising process for the financing of our first full scale factory and further specify the details of the long-term collaboration.”

This partnership not only underscores both companies’ commitment to sustainability but also serves as a benchmark for how industry players can collaborate to solve environmental challenges through innovation.

About Royal Avebe

Royal Avebe is a cooperative of more than 2,000 arable farmers in the Netherlands and Germany. Each year, the starch potatoes of those members are processed into high-grade ingredients based on potato starch and protein; they add value to food products but also to industrial applications worldwide. Avebe works continuously on developing new opportunities and applications based on starch potatoes and is focused on sustainable continuity. The company has 1,300 employees and production sites in the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden and sales offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. The Head Office is in Veendam.

About ChainCraft

ChainCraft is a leading biotechnology company specializing in the development and commercialization of fermentation-based processes to produce circular chemicals from organic waste streams. ChainCraft’s impact portfolio of circular chemicals contributes to the reduction of waste, the introduction of lower carbon footprint products and the promotion of a circular economy.