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, Aviko) has appeared to be a down-to-earth and ambitious organisation with just one aim: creating value from potatoes.

In the early seventies, for example, Aviko was one of the first companies outside 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.