What Lerum does

Lerum AS is a privately held, fourth-generation Norwegian family-owned food manufacturer founded in 1907 by Kari Lerum in Sogndal and currently led by CEO Trine Lerum Hjellhaug. The company operates a single 28,000 sqm factory in Kaupanger with 12 dedicated production lines (six for juice/saft and six for jam/syltetøy) and roughly 135 employees, producing jam, juice, syrup, and related fruit- and berry-based products organized into sub-series such as Original (traditional sugar recipes), 80% Frukt & Bær (no added sugar, with sucralose/isomalt sweeteners and chicory fiber), and Heimefrå (homestyle). It is the stated market leader in both juice and jam in Norway and supplies both horizontal consumer products and a bulk/Storhusholdning HoReCa line.

The business model is B2C via third-party Norwegian grocery retail — products are stocked across essentially every major domestic chain (Rema 1000, Kiwi, Joker, Spar, MENY, Obs, Mega, Bunnpris, Extra, Eurospar, COOP) with no disclosed public pricing. Supporting technology includes on-site inline bottle blow-molding (~20 million bottles annually, eliminating ~500 annual truckloads of empty-bottle transport), pectin-based jam formulation, juice concentration for shelf stability, rooftop solar (170,000 kWh/year on 200 sqm), waste heat recovery, and heat pumps. The company is family-financed, organically profitable, and reports record 2024 results; growth is driven by sugar-reduction product extensions, packaging redesigns (61 tonnes of plastic removed in 2024), and sustainability-backed marketing claims reinforced by Superior Taste Awards, Plastløfteprisen, KuttMatsvinn-beviset, and Etisk handel Norge membership.

Name

Lerum

Legal name

Lerum AS

Website

https://lerum.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Lerum is a fourth-generation, family-owned Norwegian manufacturer of fruit- and berry-based juices (saft) and jams (syltetøy), operating from a single Kaupanger factory and serving Norwegian households as the country's stated market leader in both categories via major grocery chains.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fruit Jam and Juice Manufacturing

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Canned, Fruits, Veg, Preserves, Jams & Jellies (2033), Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Jams, Jellies, Preserves & Marmalades Manufacturing (AFAKACAJ)

Keywords

• Fruit jam production
• Berry juice manufacturing
• Cordial syrup products
• Preserves and marmalade
• No added sugar spreads

Headquarters

HQ city

Sogndal

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Jam (Syltetøy) and Preserve Sales: Lerum generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of jam (syltetøy) products. Product lines include Original jam (with added sugar), 80% fruit & berry jam (no added sugar with sweetener), Heimefrå traditional-style jam, and Klem (squeezable bottle jam). The company also sells seasonal products like Christmas gløgg.
2. Juice (Saft) and Syrup Sales: Revenue from juice (saft) products including cordials/squash, syrups, and concentrated juices. Product lines include Festsaft (celebration juice), Original saft, 80% no-added-sugar juice, and seasonal varieties like Haustsaft (autumn juice). Lerum Solbærsirup is Norway's most sold syrup.
3. Bulk / Foodservice (Storhusholdning): Lerum offers products for the foodservice/storhusholdning segment, providing larger quantities of juices and jams for institutional buyers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lerum manufactures and sells fruit and berry-based jams (syltetøy), juices (saft), and syrups to Norwegian consumers through retail grocery chains and foodservice channels. The product range spans three jam series (Original with sugar, 80% Frukt & Bær without added sugar, and Heimefrå traditional style) and multiple juice lines (Originalsaft, Festsaft, Hushaldningssaft, syrups), produced at a 28,000 sqm factory in Kaupanger, Norway, with 12 production lines and 135 employees.

Product overview

Lerum is a Norwegian family-owned food company founded in 1907, specializing in jams (syltetøy), juices (saft), and syrups made from real fruit and berries. The company operates as a single unified product portfolio organized into two core product categories: Syltetøy (preserves/jams) and Saft (juices/drinks). The Syltetøy range includes three sub-series: 80% Frukt & Bær Utan tilsett sukker (80% fruit & berry, no added sugar), Original (traditional recipes with sugar), and Heimefrå (homestyle traditional recipes). The Saft range includes traditional juices, syrups, Festsaft, and household juices, many available in both sugar and sugar-free versions. Additional products include Klem (mashed berry squeeze bottles), and seasonal Christmas products. The company has 135 employees at its Kaupanger factory and is market leader in Norway for juices and jams.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 80% Frukt & Bær: A product line featuring jam with 80% fruit and berry content, without added sugar, using sweeteners.
• Klem-serien
• Festsaft
• Heimefrå
• Originalsyltetøy
• Lerum Originalsaft
• Lerum Sirup

Products and services

• Syltetøy (Jam and Preserves) Core product category of jams and preserves made from real Norwegian fruit and berries, organized into three sub-series: 80% Frukt & Bær Utan tilsett sukker (no added sugar, with sweeteners), Original (traditional recipes with sugar), and Heimefrå (homestyle traditional recipes). Targeted at Norwegian families and households.
• Saft (Juice and Cordials) Core product category of juices, cordials, and syrups including Originalsaft, Festsaft, Hushaldningssaft, and syrups. Most products available in both sugar and no-added-sugar versions. Dilution-based concentrates (typically 1:4 or 1:5) for Norwegian household use.
• Solbærsirup (Blackcurrant Syrup)
• Klem-serien (Squeezable Berry Spreads)
• Festsaft (Festive Juice)
• Juleprodukt (Seasonal Christmas Products)
• Storhushaldning (Foodservice and Bulk)
• 80% Frukt & Bær Series (No Added Sugar Jams)
• 80% Solbær Eple

Quantifiable outcome

• 405 tonnes of sugar removed from products since 2015
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and moderate.

• Too Good To GominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2022Lerum partnered with Too Good To Go to place food waste reduction messages ('redningsøyeblikk') on jam jar labels. The partnership aims to reduce household food waste by encouraging consumers to use jam leftovers in smoothies or sauces. Products in the 80% jam series carry Too Good To Go messaging such as 'Lag smoothie-fest av siste rest' (Make a smoothie party of the last bit).
• ViteMeir (SmaksLab)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLerum collaborates with ViteMeir science center in Kaupanger, Sogndal, on the Frukt- og bærakademi (Fruit and Berry Academy) - a cross-curricular learning program for students in grades 5-10. Students collect unsold fruit and berries from stores and produce their own juice and jam at the center. The program also addresses food waste and provides insight into the production chain from raw material to finished product.
• Solfrid KoandamoderateGTM or Marketing PartnerOlympic gold medalist and Norway's 'Female Athlete of the Year' Solfrid Koanda serves as a Lerum brand ambassador. She carries Lerum 80% fruit and berry products during training and competitions (including the Paris 2024 Olympics). Lerum sponsors her for major competitions including the European Championships in Moldova (April 2025) and World Championships in Førde (October 2025) and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
• Etisk handel Norge (Ethical Trade Norway)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerLerum is a member of Ethical Trade Norway since 2011, committing to annual reporting on ethical trade practices. The company has developed a Policy for Sustainable Business Practice and ethical guidelines for suppliers covering human rights, labor rights, environment, and anti-corruption. 99.3% of Lerum's raw material and packaging suppliers have accepted the ethical trade guidelines.
• La Humla SuseminorOthersLerum supports La Humla Suse, an idealistic association dedicated to protecting bumblebee populations in Norway. Bumblebees are critical pollinators for cherries, apples, blueberries, currants, and blackcurrants - key fruits and berries used in Lerum's products.
• Grønt Punkt NorgeminorOthersGrønt Punkt Norge awards the Plastløfteprisen (Plastic Pledge Prize) and recognized Lerum for its 61-tonne plastic reduction in 2024 through bottle optimization and label removal.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mackays: Scottish family-owned premium jam and marmalade maker. Directly comparable in family heritage positioning, single-category specialization, and premium fruit-preserve craftsmanship.
• Hero Group: Swiss heritage jam, fruit spreads, and infant-fruit manufacturer (Hero, Schwartau, Beech-Nut). Closest international peer in jam/spreads category with similar long-heritage, family-origin positioning.
• Hartley's: Established UK jam and fruit spreads brand. Comparable in being a single-category fruit-spreads specialist selling through grocery retail; valuable peer for category-level strategy and brand benchmarking.
• Welch's: US juice-and-jam grower-owned cooperative combining fruit juice, jam, and frozen fruit. Comparable because Lerum sells both juice (saft) and jam (syltetøy) under one fruit-based brand umbrella.
• Stabburet (Orkla Foods Norge): Stabburet is the principal Norwegian CPG competitor in jam/preserves and related categories (Nora, Idun, Solo, Sunniva brands all sit within or alongside Orkla Foods Norge). Closest direct peer in product, market, and channel.
• Den Gamle Fabrik: Danish heritage jam and fruit-preparations maker, also family-origin and heritage-positioned. Comparable in Nordic artisanal jam category with similar traditional and reduced-sugar product lines.

Broad incumbents

• The J.M. Smucker Co. Large US packaged-foods company whose portfolio includes Smucker's jams, preserves, and juices. Comparable in jam/fruit-spreads manufacturing scale and grocery-retail go-to-market model, though vastly larger and diversified.
• Innocent Drinks: Coca-Cola-owned juice and smoothie brand. Comparable on Lerum's juice (saft/syrup) side, including its no-added-sugar positioning, though broader in smoothies and bottle format.
• Bonduelle Group: Major European preserved-vegetables and prepared-produce group with growing fruit/juice exposure. Comparable as a manufacturer of fruit/vegetable-based preserved consumer products with sustainability positioning.

Regional players

• Tine SA: Largest Norwegian food cooperative (dairy-led, also juices). Comparable as a Norway-only CPG player with similar nationwide grocery distribution scale and brand-heritage positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lerumsogndal
• Facebookfacebook.com/LerumAS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lerum-fabrikker

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 Lerum