Anniversary 1945–2025

80 Years of Rodenburg Biopolymers

From potato by-products to plant-based bio-tech

“What began in 1945 with a wagon full of hay and straw has grown into an international family business that creates value from side streams — for people, animals, and the planet.”

— Thijs Rodenburg, CEO, Rodenburg Biopolymers

 

From hay to innovation

In 1945, in Kethel near Schiedam, Arie Rodenburg began trading hay and straw for local farmers. Agriculture was thriving, and as food production increased, so did the need for animal feed. Arie saw opportunities where others didn’t — unsold vegetables from markets turned out to be excellent livestock feed. Together with his wife Reina, he laid the foundation for a family business that grew with the changing agricultural landscape.

 

Arie and Reina Rodenburg. Son Aaik Rodenburg with a wagon of hay and straw, 1950s.

Quality and craftsmanship

During the 1960s and 1970s, Arie continued to innovate. To test the quality of his feed, he built a barn with 900 beef cattle — revolutionary for its time. He developed machinery to process side streams and invested in trucks to handle logistics himself. As legislation changed, Rodenburg specialized in potato by-products and secured long-term contracts with major processors. His son Jan Arie (Aaik) joined the business, bringing new energy and a clear vision. A move to Bergschenhoek provided the space needed for growth. Both for the Rodenburg business as well as the Rodenburg family. As Aaik and his wife Phil soon had their two sons: Thijs and Joost

Arie Rodenburg innovative spirit: The 900-cattle barn — a milestone for the acceptance of potato by-products in feed.

The power of potatoes

By the 1980s, the focus had shifted entirely to industrial potato side streams. The fast-growing fries industry provided a constant flow of raw materials, processed directly into animal feed. Rodenburg became one of the first companies in the Netherlands to introduce a Sortex color-sorting machine — a revolutionary innovation that embodied the company’s pioneering spirit.

Fundament for growth: Partnerships and cooperations

Re-inventing itself

The 1990s brought new challenges and opportunities. With the establishment of Rodenburg Grondstoffen, the company explored new uses for by-products. When the swine fever crisis struck in 1997, it forced the team to look ahead and reinvent itself. In collaboration with universities and research partners, Rodenburg developed bioplastics from potato waste streams. The result was the patented Solanyl® — a groundbreaking step toward sustainable materials. In 1998, a pilot factory was built, marking the start of a new era.

When the swine fever crisis hit in 1997, the company faced serious obstacles — but it also sparked a new vision.

The factory of the future

In the early 2000s, Rodenburg relocated to Oosterhout and opened one of Europe’s largest bioplastics extrusion plants with a capacity of 30,000 tons per year. The next generation — Joost and Thijs Rodenburg — joined the company, building on the legacy of innovation. The market for bioplastics was still developing, but Rodenburg adapted, exploring bio-industrial raw materials and other sustainable applications.

The extrusion plant in Oosterhout — turning vision into large-scale production.

International growth and innovation in green chemistry

From 2010 onward, Rodenburg expanded globally, partnering with multinationals and building a second extrusion line. Potato by-products found new destinations — from pet food to biobased adhesives and coatings. The company joined international innovation clusters, won an international bioplastics award in 2016, and continued to push boundaries with developments such as formaldehyde-free resins,  circular feedstock certification (SSIV), and the start-up Tony Starch, which will launch its first patent and pilot plant in 2025. An step into the world of bio-tech and green chemistry.

Joost and Thijs Rodenburg

The future: circular and human-driven

Soon the Tony Starch demo plant will open, reinforcing Rodenburg’s mission: replacing fossil based ingredients by plant-based solutions. And creating value from side streams for people, animals, and the planet. The entrepreneurial spirit of founder Arie Rodenburg lives on through the company’s ongoing drive for innovation, collaboration, and sustainability.

80 years of Rodenburg Biopolymers — proud of our past, grateful for our present, and confident in a sustainable, plantbased future.

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