Tate & Lyle celebrates oldest starch production facility

Speciality food ingredients producer Tate & Lyle is this year celebrating the 150-year anniversary of its Koog aan de Zaan (Koog) production facility in the Netherlands.

The Koog site, which began starch production in 1867, produces speciality food ingredients for customers around the world, as well as various starches for the paper and board industries.

Located on the River Zaan, approximately 11km northwest of Amsterdam, the facility receives delivery of non GMO corn by barge. It operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and spans an area of 25 acres – the equivalent of almost 19 football fields.

Koog initially processed wheat, but in 1875 the facility was converted to corn processing. In the 1950s hydrocyclones were installed at the facility which allowed for the move from manual to mechanised production. This was fundamental in revolutionising the global starch production industry.

Koog has been expanded over the years and received numerous investments to establish new product lines, including low calorie bulking agent Sta-Lite Polydextrose; Promitor Soluble Fibre; Claria functional clean label starches; and Multivantage Syrup, a low sugar, low viscosity sweetener.

Plant manager Paul Clarijs says, “The Tate & Lyle team in Koog is very excited to celebrate the facility’s 150th birthday. It is a privilege to work on such an historic site and, through the hard work and skill of our workforce, to make high quality and nutritious ingredients that are enjoyed by millions of people across the world.”