Synnove
Synnøve Finden AS is a privately held Norwegian dairy company, founded in 1890, that produces cheese (gulost, brunost, cheddar), yoghurt, butter, juice, and bakery products at facilities in Alvdal and Hardanger, selling through all major Norwegian grocery chains and exporting brown cheese to South Korea.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1890
- HeadquartersLysaker, Norway
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Synnove does
Synnøve Finden AS is a privately held Norwegian dairy company headquartered at Henrik Ibsens gate 60C, Oslo, that produces and sells cheese, yoghurt, butter, whey-based products (brunost), juice, pasta, and bakery items across Norway under its eponymous brand and the Frukthagen Hardanger sub-brand. The company is named after Synnøve Finden, who began cheesemaking on her family farm in Finden in Sogn at the end of the 1800s and is recognized as Norway's first female cheese entrepreneur; the legal entity was founded in 1890 and continues to operate a cheese dairy (ysteri) in Alvdal using traditional Norwegian cheesemaking methods, with all cheeses produced using microbial rennet, providing Kosher, Halal, and vegetarian certification. Juice production is carried out at the Hardanger facility under the Frukthagen Hardanger sub-brand, where fruit from local Norwegian growers is pressed and concentrated via a proprietary Inndampa evaporation process that yields roughly 1 kg of concentrate from 8 kg of apples; the company also operates a proprietary 'Smaksskkala' (Taste Scale) classification system (1 Mild to 5 Kraftig) for cheese flavour intensity.
The company operates a wholesale/retail go-to-market, distributing products through all major Norwegian grocery chains including Rema 1000, Joker, Kiwi, Spar, Meny, Bunnpris, Obs, Coop Mega, and Coop Extra (with Norgesgruppen acting as a parent banner for several of these retailers) and reaching consumers directly through recipe content, sponsored-athlete engagement (Team Synnøve), and a consumer idea-submission platform (Din ide). Revenue is generated through SKU-based retail product sales at retailer-set price points; no direct e-commerce, subscription, or publicly disclosed pricing model exists. The company also exports brown cheese (brunost) to South Korea via a dedicated international site presence and has received sustained international recognition — six medals including gold at Oste-VM 2024 and five medals at Oste-VM 2025. Synnøve Finden AS is incorporated in Norway as a private limited company, and HR contact channels referencing a scandza.com email domain suggest affiliation with or ownership by the Scandza group, though no explicit parent-subsidiary structure is disclosed in the source data.
Synnove firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Synnove
- Legal name
- Synnøve Finden AS
- Website
- https://synnove.no
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1890
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Synnøve Finden AS is a privately held Norwegian dairy company, founded in 1890, that produces cheese (gulost, brunost, cheddar), yoghurt, butter, juice, and bakery products at facilities in Alvdal and Hardanger, selling through all major Norwegian grocery chains and exporting brown cheese to South Korea.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Synnove industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Dairy Products
- NAICS
- Cheese Manufacturing (311513), Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (31151), Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing (3118)
- SIC
- Dairy Products (2020)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Ripened Natural Cheese Manufacturing (Semi-Soft, Hard & Blue) (AFAHABAB), Yogurt & Cultured Dairy Products Manufacturing (Kefir, Sour Cream, Labneh) (AFAKAKAC), Yogurt & Cultured Dairy (Yogurt, Kefir, Sour Cream, Cottage Cheese) (CRADACAB)
Keywords
Where Synnove is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lysaker
- HQ country
- Norway
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Synnove business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Cheese and dairy product sales: Synnøve Finden generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of cheese (gulost, cheddar, mozzarella, brunost, specialty cheeses), yoghurt (Greek yoghurt, protein yoghurt), butter spreads (Kryddersmør), fresh pasta and bakery products, and juice/drinks under the Frukthagen Hardanger sub-brand. Products are sold through Norwegian retail chains and directly to consumers. Revenue model is primarily product/sku-based retail sales with wholesale distribution to multiple grocery chains.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels6 records
Synnove product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Synnøve Finden AS manufactures and sells Norwegian dairy and food products, including cheese (gulost, brunost, cheddar, mozzarella, specialty varieties), yoghurt, butter spreads (Kryddersmør), fresh pasta, and bakery products. The company also operates the Frukthagen Hardanger sub-brand, producing juices and concentrates from Norwegian-grown apples and berries. Products are sold through major Norwegian retail chains and exported to South Korea.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Frukthagen Hardanger: Juice and fruit drink brand sourced from Norwegian farmers in the Hardanger region, producing apple juice, fruit beverages, and concentrated fruit products.
Products and services
- Synnøve Cheese Range (Gulost, Cheddar, Mozzarella, Brunost, specialty cheeses)
Quantifiable outcome
- Five medals won at Oste-VM (World Cheese Championship) 2025
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Synnove
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Synnove technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Synnove partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- NRKminorSynnøve Finden collaborated with NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation) on a podcast episode titled 'Budeia som ble ostegründer' (The dairy maid who became a cheese entrepreneur), part of NRK's 'Historiske kjendiser' (Historical Celebrities) podcast series. The episode tells the story of founder Synnøve Finden, Norway's first female cheesemaker.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Synnove competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tine SA: Norway's dominant dairy cooperative, producing cheese (gulost, Jarlsberg, brunost), yoghurt, butter, and cream under its own portfolio; the closest direct competitor to Synnøve in Norwegian grocery shelves across overlapping SKUs.
- Q-Meieriene: Norwegian challenger dairy brand producing flavoured milk, yoghurt, and cream products; competes head-to-head with Synnøve in mainstream Norwegian dairy categories and shares similar distribution through Norgesgruppen and Coop.
- Fage International: Greek yoghurt specialist globally distributed in retail; directly comparable to Synnøve's Greek yoghurt and strained yoghurt SKUs and competes for the same health-positioned yoghurt shelf in Norwegian and European retailers.
- Lerum (Cederroth): Norwegian juice and jam brand owned by Cederroth/Orkla; a direct comparable for Synnøve's Frukthagen Hardanger sub-brand in the Norwegian fruit juice and concentrate segment distributed through the same grocery chains.
Broad incumbents
- Arla Foods: Scandinavian dairy multinational with broad cheese, yoghurt, butter, and milk portfolio; operates across the same Norwegian retail trade environment and competes in adjacencies like Jarlsberg and lactose-free SKUs.
- FrieslandCampina: Dutch dairy multinational with significant European cheese, yoghurt, and beverage portfolio; comparable in scale, product breadth, and multi-country retail distribution to Synnøve's broader dairy/JUICE positioning.
- Lactalis: Global dairy leader with the world's largest cheese portfolio (Galbani, President, Parmalat); comparable as a multi-category dairy operator with international reach across cheese and dairy products.
- Bel Group: French cheese specialist (Laughing Cow, Babybel, Kiri) operating globally in spreadable and snack cheese categories; overlaps with Synnøve's portfolio in processed, snack, and convenience cheese formats.
- Müller Dairy: UK/German yoghurt and dairy dessert specialist (Müller Corner, Müllerlight) sold across European retailers; comparable on dairy brand-led product innovation and category push in yoghurt/cream cheese adjacencies.
- Danone: Global dairy and plant-based leader (Actimel, Activia, Alpro); relevant peer given its yoghurt category leadership and adjacent plant-based dairy alternatives that compete for the same Norwegian consumer occasions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Synnove social profiles
Digital presenceSynnove financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Synnove leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Synnove funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Synnove M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Synnove
What does Synnove do?
Synnøve Finden AS manufactures and sells Norwegian dairy and food products, including cheese (gulost, brunost, cheddar, mozzarella, specialty varieties), yoghurt, butter spreads (Kryddersmør), fresh pasta, and bakery products. The company also operates the Frukthagen Hardanger sub-brand, producing juices and concentrates from Norwegian-grown apples and berries. Products are sold through major Norwegian retail chains and exported to South Korea.
Is Synnove a public or private company?
Synnove is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Synnove founded?
Synnove was founded in 1890.
Where is Synnove based?
Synnove is headquartered in Lysaker, Norway, in the Europe region.
How does Synnove make money?
One revenue line is on record: cheese and dairy product sales.
Who are Synnove's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tine SA, Q-Meieriene, Fage International and Lerum (Cederroth). Broad incumbents are Arla Foods, FrieslandCampina, Lactalis, Bel Group, Müller Dairy and Danone.
Does Synnove have an API?
No public API is recorded for Synnove.
What industry is Synnove in?
Synnove's product category is Dairy Products. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAKAKAB, Cheese Manufacturing, with a secondary code of AFAHABAB, Ripened Natural Cheese Manufacturing (Semi-Soft, Hard & Blue). Its NAICS code is 311513 and its SIC code is 2020.