Meet Reijer Oudendorp - Manager Micros in Koudijs' Functional Ingredients department
Since Reijer began working at Koudijs in 2016, the company has undergone significant changes. Recently, he began his new role as Manager Micros, part of the newly established Functional Ingredients department. "Our philosophy at Koudijs is that we only use additives that truly add value to high-quality feed," he says. "They must have a specific function, such as addressing a problem, being curative or preventive during a certain period. That’s why we call them functional ingredients."
Expanding the premix business
When he started at Koudijs, Reijer's role was to expand the premix business within Koudijs' B2B market. Before that, Koudijs primarily focused on exporting concentrates and young animal feeds. "The ambition was to significantly grow the premix market," he says. "With six years of experience at another premix supplier, the transition to Koudijs felt like a logical step for me. I've now been working in this sector for about fifteen years."
Strong relationship with our customers
What fascinates Reijer about the B2B industry is that it allows him to work across different sectors. "It provides a broader perspective and actively contributes to the development of feed for feed millers," he explains. "It makes the work versatile and dynamic." The culture within Koudijs is another important aspect. "What sets Koudijs apart is our close relationship with our customers," he continues. "A good example of this is the intensive collaboration between our export managers, distributors and customers. They often spend an entire week on site to establish in-depth contact and work together on solutions. I experienced this myself when I worked as an export manager in Ukraine. Despite our significant growth, this personal approach with customers has remained unchanged”
Continuous development
When Koudijs receives inquiries from customers about issues with animals or production processes, the company works on finding or developing solutions. This is an ongoing process, as both genetics and technology in factories continue to evolve. Koudijs' internal development also plays a crucial role here. "Previously, we often purchased additives from external suppliers," says Reijer. "But we have now reached a scale where we can develop them ourselves. That’s why the Functional Ingredients department was established. We felt that we had the potential to develop better, and more cost-effective additives." A good example of this is MycoGuard, Koudijs' range of mycotoxin binders. Although these products have been available for a long time, they were not part of Koudijs' offering until recently. "Developing them isn't an easy task. It requires extensive knowledge and testing, both in laboratories and in live animals," Reijer says. "This process takes time and money, so it's crucial that we proceed carefully. Fortunately, we have a strong R&D team."
Our philosophy at Koudijs is that we only use additives that truly add value to high-quality feed," he says. "They must have a specific function, such as addressing a problem, being curative or preventive during a certain period. That’s why we call them functional ingredients.
Because Koudijs' philosophy is to use the best raw materials, it only uses additives that truly add value to high-quality feed. "My role in the Functional Ingredients department at Koudijs mainly involves communication between R&D and the market," Reijer continues. "While R&D develops the products, my role is to facilitate these processes and ensure that the commercial teams can get to work."
Cost-effective assortment of functional ingredients
In addition to MycoGuard, which has been on the market for some time, Reijer has been instrumental in the development of two other Koudijs functional ingredients so far. "OxiGuard antioxidant was released recently. This product gained momentum due to a shortage of vitamin E in the market, making it interesting as a partial substitute," he says. "Our third functional ingredient is Stimmunoguard, an immunomodulator which will be launched in the first half of 2025. We have deliberately chosen a simple and transparent approach for the product launch, avoiding excessive marketing or complexity. This approach has been well received, especially because it makes the products cost-effective."
Why buy functional ingredients from Koudijs?
When buying Koudijs products, customers can rely on knowledge sharing and training in how to use them. "We place great emphasis on explaining how our products work and how they fit into a customer's own range," says Reijer. "We' re also willing to support our customers' nutritionists and field staff by visiting them personally and providing further explanations. The fact that our parent company uses these products worldwide is proof of their effectiveness."
Looking back and to the future
The most satisfying part of Reijer's job is successfully developing products based on Koudijs' own formulations and ensuring they are sold well. "This give me great satisfaction, especially as these products determine our success," he says. "The biggest change I've experienced at Koudijs is our tremendous growth. When I first started, our department was quite small, but now I work in a team of ten providing technical support to our sales teams worldwide." This reflects Koudijs' expansion as a company, both in terms of size and its offering as a nutritional partner for B2B customers. "It's a fantastic experience to be part of this evolution," Reijer says. "We're not just copying what's already on the market but genuinely developing unique solutions. I'm confident that with the further professionalisation of our offering, we will achieve even more success."
