A great example

Duynie is a company that excels in renewal and innovation. Thirty years ago, Duynie’s approach was still simple: a Duynie truck would go to a factory, load up with co-products, and drive to a pig or cattle farmer who used it as livestock feed. “But around the turn of the century, we made a crucial decision,” says Van Manen. “We wanted to get more out of co-products than just cattle or pig feed.” That marked the beginning of an impressive series of innovations.

Markets

Duynie first focused on the energy market: co-products not suitable for livestock feed (such as carrot steam peels, beet tips, and beet leaves) could be used to produce biomethane, the environmentally friendly alternative to fossil natural gas. Then Duynie turned to technical applications. The company discovered that filtering the potato starch released during the cutting of fries and chips created a useful product for the paper industry and wallpaper glue, among others. This was followed by ingredients like dried potato flakes and carrot pieces for pet food, and eventually upcycled ingredients for human food.

Smart use of arable land

Duynie believes it’s important to use the limited available arable land wisely, Van Manen explains: “It should be used to grow food, with special attention to protein-rich crops—since people are increasingly eating plant-based foods. The key is to use co-products as high-value as possible; processing them into human food is a step we hope will inspire others.” He gives an example: “The fact that we’ve succeeded in making protein from brewers’ grains that’s suitable for human consumption—yes, I’m quite proud of that,” says Van Manen. With a wink: “I personally love the brownies that contain that protein.”

Residual heat

What the province of North Brabant appreciates about Duynie is its sharp focus on the environment. A telling detail is that the factory in Katwijk uses residual heat from the nearby BECC (Bio Energy Centrale Cuijk), which generates electricity from waste wood. Duynie’s factory in Katwijk not only contributes significantly to local and regional employment but also to circularity and sustainability.
And there’s more, Van Manen adds: “Together with the Brabant Development Agency (BOM) and potato processing companies based in Brabant, we’re exploring how these companies can further reduce their water usage. We’re doing this through intermediate purification and by finding new purposes for the resulting residual streams.”

A vital role

“Thanks to its innovative role, Duynie now plays an important part in major issues surrounding food, climate, and circularity,” says Provincial Executive Marc Oudenhoven. “Duynie also leads the way in concrete matters such as sustainable land use, short supply chains, and closing loops. The way Duynie has developed over the past decades—constantly seeking new applications for co-products—is impressive. The variety of applications and solutions Duynie creates is more than enough reason to proudly award them the Agrifood Award.”