Fa. Wed. W Miedendorp represents a long tradition in foodstuffs.The company was established in Groningen in 1753 as a merchant house in colonial goods, spices, subtropical fruit and related items for bakeries in the northern provinces of the Netherlands. The business passed from generation to generation. In the 19th century the emphasis shifted to dried subtropical fruit and the flour trade. The company represented flour factories, such as Wessanen, Scholten and Koopmans, and for a short time even had its own roasting house. During this period, however, Hindrik Miedendorp was particularly known as the 'currant king of the north'

Until the 1930s,                   Fa.Wed.W. Miedendorp had a reputation in the northern provinces as a solid company. Then, due to a lack of succession, the company faced the threat of going out of business until the youngest daughter of Miedendorp got engaged to Victor de Bie in 1938. Although he came from a family of tree and rose growers, on his mother's side he was nevertheless familiar with the trade in raw materials for the bakery industry

From wholesale to production

However, the Second World War intervened. Victor de Bie joined the resistance and after the war he had many contacts with Americans and Canadians. He noticed that producers selling directly to major buyers were increasingly bypassing wholesalers in those countries. Anticipating a similar develop­ment in Europe, he decided to start producing raw materials for the bakery industry. For this purpose, in 1947, he purchased Fa. L.I. Frank, a factory established in 1826 at Meppel, which produced raw materials for the bakery industry.  

With this acquisition, Fa. Wed. W. Miedendorp established the basis for its current core activities. Following developments in America, in 1950 Fa. L.I. Frank switched to producing soybean products for the food sector. In 1967, due to favorable developments, the company moved to its present factory complex in the Dutch town of Twello, partly because of its central location in the Netherlands and access to the European hinterland. The new factory location continued to specialize in the production of soybean products such as protein, lecithin, full-fat and non-fat soybean flour for the entire European foodstuff sector.

The arrival of soybean and lupines

 During this period the current management team, three Miedendorp de Brie brothers and three sisters, joined the family company. In the years that followed, from its base in Groningen, Fa.Wed.W Miedendorp specialized in selling soybean products in the Dutch market. This activity grew so quickly that, in 1986, the company decided to centralize in Twello in order to service its buyers more efficiently. This resulted in the company's current structure

During the second half of the 1990s the company entered a more difficult period, due to the introduction of genetically engineered soybeans (GES). Soybeans were brought into discredit by the widespread negative publicity and actions of environmental groups. Despite the fact that Fa. L.I.Frank only produced non-GES, biological soybean products, a distinction that major producers of soybeans did not want to or knew how to make, this development affected the company

Many buyers wanted to switch over to alternatives for soybeans. Fa. L.I. Frank / Fa.Wed.W Miedendorp was the first company in the Netherlands to offer a series of alternatives based on sweet lupine beans, with low alkaloid content. This was an ancient method grown and used by the Egyptians and Romans for consumption, which had fallen into disuse with the coming of soybeans. This led to the development of a complete line of lupine products, which were successfully introduced in the foodstuffs sector

Growth and new building

In 2003 Fa. L.I. Frank -  Fa. Wed. W. Miedendorp produces and supplies two main lines based on soybeans and lupines, along with several by-products such as lecithin. Moreover, because of the decision not to process genetically-engineered soybeans in the operations, the supply of non-GES soybean products can be guaranteed.

The main buyers are industrial bakeries and confectioners, producers of baking raw materials and many other branches of the foodstuffs sector in the Netherlands and in other European countries. Since losing half of its turnover due to the GES crisis, Fa.Wed.W Miedendorp has seen an annual growth of turnover of around IS percent. In recent years, this growth has even resulted in replacement and expansion of the production facilities at Twello. With this modern new building, the company now has sufficient capacity to absorb further turnover growth, based on a 24-hour continuous production process.

Quality management

In recent years much energy has gone into setting up and implementing an extensive quality management system. This has of course been done in accordance with the current standards of the entire chain of the foodstuffs sector. This system has received ISO 900 I :2000, HACCP, GMP+ and BRC certification. It contains all procedures for maintaining the quality and safety of the entire production organization.

For our buyers, this means that this system provides quality assurance for an optimum product. With each delivery, buyers can also receive analysis reports of the products they receive, including a statement of the standards and requirements met.

Innovation and development

Continual efforts in the area of product innovation are a significant added value of Fa. Wed. W. Miedendorp. Each product improvement and innovation is based on specific market demands. Since our company works closely with buyers, we also have up-to-date information at an early stage concerning movements and trends in the foodstuffs sector. We are also quick to take advantage of them. Buyers also receive support in the development of new products. Fa.Wed.W. Miedendorp's horizontal, informal organization enables this kind of flexible positioning and is constantly on the move, looking for new produces to increase quality and lower costs.