Our story
Over 100 years of history
Meet our CEO's
De Heus Animal Nutrition is led by the fourth generation of the De Heus family. Koen & Co de Heus both have the role of CEO and lead the company together.
“Every day, we work towards creating better access to safe and healthy food for a growing world population. We do so by providing our customers with the products and services they need to look after their animals and manage the sustainable development of their businesses.”
How it all started
The milling history of the De Heus family can be traced back 300 years to the windmill in the famous painting of Jacob van Ruisdael ‘The mill at Wijk bij Duurstede’.
The founding of De Heus in 1911
On 28 April 1911, Hendrik Anthonie de Heus founded ‘Graan- en Meelhandel H.A. de Heus’ [H.A. de Heus grain and flour merchant] in the city of Barneveld. The company grew and introduced many improvements over the years. A gas-powered engine was installed in 1914, followed by the construction of a new grain mill in 1926.
In 1951, the company acquired the property behind the mill and built a large warehouse for storing raw materials and chemical fertilizer. In 1956, the first modern silo was built on the same site. 21 metres high and with a storage capacity of 1,000 tons, it was used to clean the grains and dehull the oats used in the animal feed.
The move from Barneveld to Ede-Wageningen
In 1960, the old factory had become too small. The new factory had a storehouse on the ground floor and a pellet press, briquette press and mixers on the first floor. In 1963, the first silo for bulk transport was added. With the new factory, De Heus became one of the most modern feed companies in the Netherlands.
In 1973, a new silo was built to add more capacity to the factory. As the company continued to grow, more office accommodation was also required. In 1979, a new office building opened next to the factory. In 1983, a transhipment complex was built on the river in the neighbouring city of Wageningen to allow raw materials to be transported from the port of Rotterdam closer to the factory in Barneveld.
From local to global player
The arrival of a new generation of the De Heus family brought the acquisition of Brokking (1997) and Koudijs-Wouda (1998). De Heus became the second largest private player in animal feed in the Netherlands and acquired an export department – still operating today as Koudijs – that was mainly active in the Middle East and Eastern Europe and a factory in Poland. Following these acquisitions, the company relocated its staff to the current head office in Ede.
In 2002, the company completed several successful acquisitions in Poland, marking the start of its international growth. In the following years, more acquisitions and joint ventures were completed in Egypt, Czech Republic, South Africa, Vietnam, Ethiopia and Russia.
In 2011, the company celebrated its centenary. During its 100-year existence, the company had grown from a small company in the Dutch city of Barneveld to become one of the largest family owned companies in the Netherlands. On 17 June 2011, the company was awarded the 'Royal' designation, allowing De Heus to use Royal De Heus and incorporate the Royal Crown in its logo.
Between 2012 and 2020, the company also embarked on operations in Brazil, Serbia, Spain, Portugal, Myanmar, Indonesia, Ukraine and Ghana.
A look into our core business
Farmers share their success
Discover how we provide our expertise in animal feed for farmers all over the world. Get inspired by their success stories.
