Our story

Over 100 years of history in animal nutrition

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’.

From the very start of De Heus family business, heritage and stewardship have been key

More than a century ago, on 28 April 1911, Hendrik Antonie de Heus founded his grain and flour trading company De Heus Graan- en Meelhandel. Several generations later, his company had become a global player in the world of animal feed. From the very start of the family business, values such as heritage and stewardship have been key, moulded into the way they think and operate. Meanwhile, the 4th generation is taking responsibility for the future. The company has always stuck to its conviction that you need to cherish what you have and take care of your business, while keeping an eye on the future. So that the company can be transferred from one family generation to the next, responsibly, and in a viable condition.

Our passion for progress

Our company culture is characterised by passion for progress. Driven by this passion, we have always focused on the needs and interests of our international livestock and fish farmers. The agricultural sector is always in motion, and the needs of our customers change accordingly. We can only continue contributing to our customers' progress if we can adopt new developments fast and flexibly. Speedy decisions, actions and implementation are therefore key features which connect the past and present of De Heus and which will continue to be key in the future.

At De Heus, we are proud that we have been a family business for over one hundred years. We believe in holding on to our people for as long as we can and building a relationship with them. This enables us to better achieve the transfer of knowledge and expertise to each subsequent generation. And maintain De Heus’ heritage. Many of our customers also work in a (farming) business with a family structure. As a result, there is great mutual loyalty. We are happy to share our knowledge, experience and innovations with them. At De Heus, we have known for decades that sharing means multiplying.

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.

Read about our purpose