Appropriately in the shining presence of a ceremoniously golden marquee outside company headquarters in Aldrup, Germany’s largest producer of sustainably sourced deep-frozen potato products, together with 600 guests invited from around the world, reccently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the founding of Agrarfrost GmbH & Co. KG. Among VIPs welcomed to the milestone event by Managing Directors Eike Stöver and Manfred Wulf were former German President Christian Wulff, Bundestag Deputies Astrid Grotelüschen and Franz-Josef Holzenkamp, Landtag Deputy Karl-Heinz Bley, Oldenburg District Administrator Carsten Harings, and the mayors of Wildeshausen and Oschersleben, Jens Kuraschinski and Benjamin Kanngießer, respectively.
Christian Wulff, former President of Germany (center), is given the very first anniversary pack of Back Frites by Managing Directors Manfred Wulf (left) and Eike Stöver (right). Winning codes found on certain packages give lucky consumers a chance to win prizes worth EUR 5,000,000.“Our reliable partners of many years’ standing are very important for our family company. Our relationships with the political sphere, with trade associations, with our customers and suppliers, and with the agricultural community – only within the overall setting of these good partnerships can we be successful as a company,” emphasized Eike Stöver in his commemorative address. “The most important factor for our success, however, is our workforce, and that’s what makes me especially proud as a family entrepreneur of the second generation. Every day, all our employees show their full commitment for ensuring the ultimate in potato pleasure, and this is why over the past 50 years we’ve become one of the largest producers of frozen potato products – not only in Germany, but even worldwide.”
Manfred Wulf added: “Together with our over 200 contract farmers, Agrarfrost has proven that our corporate philosophy, which banks on domestically grown potatoes and consistently sustainable production, is greatly appreciated both by the retail trade and the consumer alike. Our profits go to ensure the continued existence of some 8,000 hectares of cropland, some of which we own ourselves. This means that Agrarfrost has the full control over the cultivation process, has a secure supply of the raw materials, and is virtually independent of sourcing potatoes from external suppliers.”
Praising the many special achievements made over the years, former President of Germany Christian Wulff remarked: “Family companies like Agrarfrost form the backbone of the German SME sector. Agrarfrost’s expertise in the area of potato processing is in a league of its own, and stands for the exceptional success of the company. For the next 50 years too, I wish Agrarfrost plenty of successful potato harvests and lots of great ideas for new frozen potato products.”
The four-hour anniversary party, which also saw the premiere of the new Agrarfrost company film, was hosted by the well-known German moderator and comedian Jörg Knör, who delighted the audience with his voice impressions of famous personalities.
Salute to Reinhold Stöver
At the young age of 23, Reinhold Stöver took over the family farm in Aldrup in the early 1960s. To learn more about how to cultivate potatoes, he went on a journey to the USA, where his enthusiasm for french fries was stirred. In 1967, together with five employees, the entrepreneur began producing fries in a hall of his parents’ farmhouse. With this pioneering spirit, Stöver laid the foundation for the success story of Agrarfrost.
Today, half a century later, with a workforce of about 700 employees the company counts among Germany’s largest processors of potato products, and ranks as brand leader in the frozen french fry sector. At two production sites in Aldrup (near Wildeshausen in Lower Saxony) and Oschersleben in Saxony-Anhalt, Agrarfrost sustainably processes about 550,000 tons of tubers into value added potato products of the highest quality each year. Some 200 contract farmers with a total of 8,000 hectares of fields work to grow top quality tubers that are transformed into nutritious and delicious frozen potato specialties.
One aspect of overriding importance for Agrarfrost is its quality philosophy: from the cultivation of seed potatoes, all the way to manufacturing the final products, the entire domestic production process is fully controlled. The plentiful range of brand-name offerings – among others the popular Agrarfrost Pommes Frites, Griddies and Crazy Frites – is available at retail food stores throughout Germany and beyond.
