The past fiscal year marks a milestone for KMC. In 2023, we celebrated our 90th anniversary, and it is no coincidence that we are now presenting the best financial results in the history of KMC. Experience and know-how are invaluable in creating a healthy and sustainable business.
United in sustainability
Since 1933, we have continuously managed to evolve along with our customers and have strengthened our position in an everchanging market. Our owner-operated factories play an invaluable role in this development. This is partly because they invest firmly in green energy, reducing the CO2 footprint of our products and future-proofing the business.
We invest in the future
We also invest in creating the best possible environment for our employees. Our new innovation center stands as a symbol of 90 years of accumulated knowledge about the properties of potatoes. With new laboratories, a new food innovation center, and a state-of-the-art pilot plant, we will soon offer our customers the best facilities in the world. This way, we can advise them even better on how potatoes as an ingredient can play a role in their products.
Political interest
Our customers are not the only ones who benefit greatly from a visit to KMC. Throughout the year, many politicians have visited us to learn more about the properties of potatoes and gain insight into our circular business model. The potato itself has one of the lowest climate footprints among Danish crops. They deliver many calories per hectare and have a nutritious and healthy profile. This is precisely why I sense political goodwill towards our mission for an even more plant-based future.
The potato must be protected with new technology
Our sustainable, yet vulnerable, tuber needs protection before it can make a difference. This means we must always be at the forefront of developing new varieties and in plant protection. In the KMC Group, we aim to halve our pesticide use by 2030. The gene-editing technology CrisprCAS, in particular, can be crucial. After three years of preliminary work in the laboratory, this year – as one of the first companies in Europe – we put CrisprCAS- bred potatoes in our outdoor trial fields. Recently the
European Commission put forward a proposal to approve the technology. We welcome this, as new technologies are necessary to meet the challenges of the planet.
Climate-neutrality in 2050
In 2022/23, the KMC Group has purposefully replaced 34,773 tons of animal ingredients with potato-based alternatives. We are involved in major solar and wind projects, we take responsibility for our wastewater, and the pulp from our potatoes produces more biogas than we consume natural gas in our starch production. We are proud of these results. In the coming year, we must continue the concentrated effort to achieve our goal of being climate-neutral by 2050.
In this report, you can read more about our goals and ambitions.
Enjoy!
Jesper Burgaard, CEO
