De Heus expands global footprint with major investments amid pending governance shift
It recently marked a significant milestone with the groundbreaking ceremony for its new animal feed plant in Nairobi, Kenya.
Situated in Athi River, it will be the country's first dedicated animal feed plant, with an annual capacity of 200,000 metric tons (MT); the facility is set to commence operations in the latter half of 2025 and will be designed to cater to the diverse needs of Kenya's poultry, swine, and dairy farming sectors.
De Heus says the investment shows its intent to raise the bar in livestock farming standards and bolster agricultural progress in that country. The initiative is anticipated to generate 250 direct and 1,000 indirect employment opportunities.
Growing the footprint in Vietnam and India
Moving to Southeast Asia, and March saw De Heus open its new shrimp feed mill in Vinh Long province in Vietnam. Spanning an area of 29,300 square meters, that facility has an annual capacity of 50,000 metric tons; it comprises five production lines dedicated to shrimp feed products, with the production process adhering to standards such as ISO 22000, BAP, and GLOBAL GAP.
In October 2023, the company also announced its was establishing a feed plant in Rajpura, Punjab to help farmers increase their earnings. That factory, with 180 kilo metric tons (kMT) capacity and two dedicated lines, will produce compound feed, concentrates, base mix, and dairy mineral mixes. It is scheduled to be operational next year.
Focusing on Punjab and Haryana, country director India, Rutger Oudejans, said: “During our six year presence in this region, producing animal feeds in rented feed mills, we have fully realized the immense potential of the two states in driving accelerated growth in the areas of animal husbandry and livestock. This gives us the confidence to invest in a new plant.”
New CEO to drive growth
Meanwhile, De Heus recently reported a change to its governance structure, with the group appointing Gabor Fluit as its new CEO and executive director to ensure future growth.
Fluit joined De Heus in 2008 and, according to the feed giant, he has played a pivotal role in expanding the company's presence in Vietnam and solidifying market positions across Asia; he was instrumental in the 2021 acquisition of MNS Feed into De Heus Vietnam's operations.
Currently, De Heus operates under a 'two-tier board model', featuring a board of directors composed of the two co-CEOs, Co and Koen de Heus, and the CFO, alongside a supervisory board.
Effective January 1, 2025, De Heus will transition to a 'one-tier board' model. Under this structure, the company will consolidate governance into a single body, the board of directors, comprising both executive and non-executive directors. The board will be comprised of eight directors, including Co and Koen de Heus. Additionally, four of the five current supervisory board members will take on non-executive director roles. Fluit and Max van der Kwaak will join the board of directors as executive directors.
