Norway

Interview with Country Manager Fredrik Strømmen

Den Stolte Hane produces and markets chicken products and eggs in Norway, through its own brand and through private labels. Den Stolte Hane also delivers to industry customers that produce ready-to-eat meals. Products under the Vestfold Fugl brand are offered to Foodservice customers.

The Norwegian operations continued to perform positively in 2022.

“We have been market leaders within Retail and, within Foodservice, we have been successful in creating innovative products and have secured new customers,” explained Fredrik Strømmen, who is the Managing Director of Den Stolte Hane and in charge of Scandi Standard’s operations in Norway.

Several new products were launched, including a number of coated products, under both Den Stolte Hane and private labels. During the year, price was a major issue among consumers.

“Trends ahead of 2023 point to increased demand for our own brands, as consumers are becoming more price conscious about various foodstuffs. Inflation and the economic downturn are impacting consumers and the industry at every level,” Fredrik Strømmen explained.

Targeted marketing communication

Den Stolte Hane has a number of strong market concepts and partnerships.

“As part of the Ready-to-eat concept Snack King, we are continuing to collaborate with the Norwegian Formula 2 driver, Dennis Hauger. As a part of this collaboration, he has shared his expectations for the season and his thoughts about the first race through social-media channels.”

Continued sustainable development

Norwegian consumers have stringent requirements on sustainability. In 2022, Den Stolte Hane invested in the development of sustainable smart packaging. One such example is the new pouch-packaging machine that was installed at the Stokke plant. Pouch packaging uses less plastics than trays and allows for more efficient packing, which reduces transport needs.

“As a market leader, we have a responsibility to be sustainable in the long term, which we take seriously. We are continuing to deliver on the sustainability initiatives and value-chain collaborations that we launched some time ago. For example, all of the plastics in our trays are now made from recycled materials,” Fredrik Strømmen explained.