Smaken av Grimstad

What Smaken av Grimstad does

Smaken av Grimstad is a Norwegian food manufacturer founded in 1917 and headquartered in Grimstad, Norway. The company specializes in canned and pickled vegetable products, including surkål (sauerkraut), rødkål (red cabbage), agurker (pickled cucumbers), and rødbeter (pickled beets). Production relies on traditional fermentation and pickling techniques adapted for industrial-scale output, with raw produce sourced from local growers in the sunny Grimstad coastal region. The company holds ISO 22000 food safety certification and operates as a small private company with 11-50 employees.

The business operates two distinct product lines. The SAG line targets Norwegian grocery retail consumers with packages in the 450-550 gram range across 45+ SKUs. The GK line targets foodservice and industrial customers (hotels, restaurants, catering, institutional buyers) with bulk packaging ranging from 0.7 to 9.2 kilograms. The revenue model is a B2B+B2C hybrid: retail shelf revenue through Norwegian grocery chains plus direct B2B sales to foodservice accounts. The company also maintains a wholly-owned subsidiary, Grønt Partner AS.

Smaken av Grimstad is geographically concentrated in Norway and has no documented international distribution. Recent operational events include a product recall of "God Gammeldags Surkål" in November 2025 and recognition as NHO Agder's "Business of the Month" for March 2026. The company's brand is anchored by a century-old heritage and a product line that has historically included taste-test-winning SKUs ("testvinnende").

Name

Smaken av Grimstad

Legal name

Smaken av Grimstad AS

Website

https://smakenavgrimstad.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1917

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Smaken av Grimstad is a Norwegian food manufacturer founded in 1917 producing canned and pickled vegetable products including sauerkraut, red cabbage, pickled cucumbers, and beets for Norwegian grocery retail consumers and foodservice/industrial customers across two product lines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Traditional Pickled and Preserved Vegetables

NAICS

Fruit and Vegetable Canning, Pickling, and Drying (31142)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFAKACAI

Pickled & Fermented Foods Manufacturing

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Processing & Manufacturing/Canned, Frozen & Preserved Foods Manufacturing

SECONDARYAFAKADAN

Pesto, Cooking Pastes & Concentrated Flavor Bases Manufacturing

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Processing & Manufacturing/Condiments, Sauces, Dressings & Spreads Manufacturing

SECONDARYAFAKACAJ

Jams, Jellies, Preserves & Marmalades Manufacturing

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Processing & Manufacturing/Canned, Frozen & Preserved Foods Manufacturing

Keywords

• Pickled vegetables
• Sauerkraut production
• Preserved foods
• Cabbage products
• Norwegian condiments

Headquarters

HQ city

Grimstad

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail Food Products: Direct sales of branded pickled vegetables, cabbage products, and preserves to consumers through e-commerce and retail stores. Products include surkål, rødkål, agurker, rødbeter, and various specialty items in consumer-friendly packaging (SAG line - 450g to 550g).
2. Food Service/Industrial Bulk Products: Sales of bulk products under the GK (Gourmet) line to hotels, restaurants, catering companies, and food processing industry. Products range from 2.9 kg to 9.2 kg packaging designed for professional kitchens and industrial use.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Smaken av Grimstad manufactures and sells traditional Norwegian pickled and preserved vegetables, with a portfolio spanning sauerkraut (surkål), red cabbage (rødkål), pickled cucumbers (agurker), pickled beets (rødbeter), and specialty items such as capers, chickpeas, silver onions, tomato purée, pizza sauce, potatoes, and cocktail berries. Products are sold under two lines: SAG (consumer retail packaging of 450-550g) and GK Gourmet (foodservice/industrial bulk packaging of 0.7-9.2kg). Production uses recipes dating back to 1917 and locally grown vegetables from Grimstad, Norway.

Product overview

Smaken av Grimstad is a traditional Norwegian food processing company producing pickled and preserved vegetables. The portfolio consists of two product lines: SAG (consumer-sized retail packaging at 450-550g) and GK (foodservice/industrial bulk packaging at 0.7-9.2kg). Core products include Surkål (sauerkraut), Rødkål (red cabbage), Agurker (pickled cucumbers), and Rødbeter (pickled beets) in both SAG and GK formats. Extended product range includes specialty items like capers, chickpeas, silver onions, tomato purée, pizza sauce, potatoes in various cuts, cocktail berries, and salad mixes. The company operates from Grimstad, Norway, with a history dating back to 1917, sourcing vegetables from local growers in the region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GK (Gourmet): A product line featuring larger bulk sizes of pickled vegetables and condiments for professional/horeca use, including cucumbers, pickled vegetables, potatoes, tomatoes, and various preserves.
• SAG

Products and services

• SAG Consumer Retail Product Line Consumer-sized (450-550g) jars and cans of traditional Norwegian pickled vegetables sold through grocery retail and the company's e-commerce storefront to Norwegian households. Core SKUs include Surkål (Sauerkraut) SAG 450g, Rødkål (Red Cabbage) SAG 450g, Agurker (Pickled Cucumbers) SAG 550g, and Rødbeter (Pickled Beets) SAG 550g. Products are made from locally grown cabbage and vegetables in Grimstad, processed within hours of harvest. Used as traditional side dishes for holiday meals (e.g., Christmas ribbe), everyday meals with sausages/meatballs/pork, and as sandwich toppings.
• GK Gourmet Foodservice and Industrial Product Line Bulk-packaged (0.7-9.2kg) pickled and preserved vegetables for hotels, restaurants, catering, and food processing industry customers across Norway. Includes Agurkmix, Aperitiffagurker, Hotellagurker, Cocktailbær, Kapers, Kapersbær med stilk, Kikerter, Pizzasaus, Poteter hele/skiver/terninger, Rødbeter staver/skiver/terninger, Rødkål, Salatmix, Sølvløk, Tomatpuré, and Surkål. Designed for professional kitchen and industrial use with ready-to-serve formats (cold or heated).

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Grønt Partner ASsubsidiaryOthersWholly-owned subsidiary company. Both Smaken av Grimstad AS and Grønt Partner AS are subject to the Transparency Act requirements and must conduct due diligence assessments for human rights and decent working conditions in their supply chains.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Kavli: Kavli is a Norwegian/Scandinavian food manufacturer producing condiments, cheeses, and spreads under long-standing Nordic brands. It is comparable as a broad Nordic incumbent operating in traditional preserved-food adjacencies with overlapping retail customers.
• Mills: Mills is a major Norwegian food manufacturer offering a broad portfolio including condiments, canned seafood, and convenience foods. It is comparable as a broad incumbent Norwegian food producer with overlapping distribution channels, though its portfolio extends well beyond pickled vegetables.
• Orkla Foods Norge: Orkla Foods Norge is the Norwegian arm of Orkla, the leading Nordic CPG conglomerate, owning multiple traditional Norwegian food brands including Stabburet and Nora. It is comparable as the dominant broad incumbent in the Norwegian traditional-foods space with scale advantages in retail and foodservice distribution.

Direct peers

• Beauvais: Beauvais is a Scandinavian producer of pickled vegetables and condiments with a long heritage across Sweden and the broader Nordic region. It is comparable because it offers overlapping pickled vegetable SKUs targeting retail and foodservice customers in the Nordic market.
• Nora Industrier: Nora Industrier is a Norwegian condiment and preserved-food producer owned by Orkla, producing traditional Norwegian pickles, sauces, and preserves. It is highly comparable because it operates in the same Norwegian pickled/preserved-vegetable category with similar B2B and retail distribution.
• Reitzel: Reitzel is a European (Swiss-headquartered) producer of pickled vegetables including gherkins, onions, and other pickled condiments with operations across multiple countries. It is comparable because its core business is industrial-scale pickling and preserving of vegetables for retail and foodservice, similar to Smaken av Grimstad's GK and SAG lines.
• Idun: Idun is a Norwegian jam and preserves brand owned by Orkla, producing traditional fruit preserves and condiments for Norwegian consumers. It is comparable because it shares the same Norwegian-traditional-preserves category, B2C retail focus, and reliance on heritage recipes for consumer trust.
• Stabburet: Stabburet is a long-established Norwegian food brand, part of Orkla Foods, producing traditional Norwegian foods including pickled and preserved items. It is directly comparable because it competes in the same Norwegian traditional-foods category with overlapping pickled and preserved SKUs and similar distribution through retail and foodservice.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/smakenavgrimstad
• Instagraminstagram.com/smakenavgrimstad

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Smaken av Grimstad