Kjeldsberg Kaffebrenneri

What Kjeldsberg Kaffebrenneri does

Kjeldsberg Kaffebrenneri AS is a Norwegian industrial coffee roaster headquartered in Trondheim, founded in 1856 and now operating in its sixth generation of family ownership. The company operates a single roasting facility producing filter coffee, whole beans, dark roast variants, French press, boiled coffee (kokemalt), Nespresso-compatible capsules, instant powder coffee, and an organic line, with batch processing of approximately 250kg per batch, silo storage of green coffee, laboratory cupping for quality control, and aroma-preserving packaging immediately after roasting and grinding. Since 2015 all output has been 100% certified under Rainforest Alliance or Fairtrade, and the company claims to be the only industrial roaster in Norway producing exclusively certified coffee, supplemented by FSSC 22000, Miljøfyrtårn, and Debio certifications.

The business operates a dual go-to-market model: a retail consumer channel distributed primarily through Rema 1000 (a 50% corporate shareholder via Reitan Retail) plus Oda, Narvesen, and UnoX/7-Eleven, and a B2B/horeca channel serving hotels (Scandic, Radisson, Britannia), restaurants, catering companies, public institutions, and specialty accounts such as Nidar chocolate and Kirkens Bymisjon Trøndelag. Revenue is generated through unit-priced one-time sales of physical coffee SKUs in formats of 200-500g, with no subscription, licensing, or platform-based monetization; B2B pricing is handled through direct sales consultations led by a dedicated institutional sales manager.

The company is privately held under a 50/50 ownership split between Reitan Retail and Kjeldsberg Invest, with Jan Erik Glimsholt serving as CEO. Recent strategic emphasis has been on sustainability leadership (100% recyclable Mono PE packaging introduced in 2024 with 68% CO2 reduction, Nordic Swan-labeled cups, Transparency Act reporting) and culinary credibility (Bocuse d'Or Norge partnership from 2023), while remaining exclusively focused on the Norwegian market.

Name

Kjeldsberg Kaffebrenneri

Legal name

Kjeldsberg Kaffebrenneri AS

Website

https://kjeldsbergkaffe.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1856

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kjeldsberg Kaffebrenneri is a sixth-generation Norwegian industrial coffee roaster in Trondheim producing 100% Rainforest Alliance/Fairtrade-certified coffee for Norwegian retail (Rema 1000, Oda, Narvesen, UnoX/7-Eleven) and B2B/horeca customers including Scandic and Radisson hotels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Coffee Roasting

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Coffee & Tea (Single-Origin, Micro-lot, Premium) Processing (AFAFADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coffee (Roasted, Ground, Whole Bean) (CRADAHAG), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Certified coffee roasting
• Specialty coffee products
• Horeca coffee supply
• Fairtrade coffee beans
• Norwegian coffee roaster

Headquarters

HQ city

Trondheim

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail Coffee Products: Sale of roasted coffee products (filtermalt, kokemalt, hele bønner, espresso, kapsler, pulverkaffe) through retail chains including Rema 1000, Oda, Narvesen, and UnoX/7-Eleven. Products sold in various formats: 250g, 500g, 225g, and 200g (powder).
2. B2B / Horeca Coffee Sales: Direct sale of coffee products to businesses and organizations including hotels, restaurants, cafes, public institutions, and catering companies. The company has a dedicated sales team for the institutional market (storhusholdning) and offers product catalog for business customers.
3. Institutional Coffee Supply: Supply of certified coffee to major customers including Scandic Hotels, Radisson Hotels, Britannia Hotel, and various restaurants and cafes. Also includes supplying coffee to Kirkens Bymisjon Trøndelag.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kjeldsberg Kaffebrenneri roasts and packages certified coffee (100% Rainforest Alliance or Fairtrade) at its Trondheim facility. The company sells ground, whole bean, capsule, instant, and organic coffee to Norwegian retail consumers through major grocery chains and to the horeca/institutional market through direct sales.

Product overview

Kjeldsberg Kaffebrenneri is a Norwegian coffee roasting company based in Trondheim since 1856, offering a diverse portfolio of coffee products. The core product line includes ground coffees in multiple formats (filter, dark roast filter, boiled coffee, French press), whole beans (regular and dark roast), and instant/powder coffee. The company has expanded into capsule products (Espresso Sumatra and Lungo Arabica Blend, both Nespresso compatible), and an organic line (Økologisk Filtermalt) produced in partnership with Kolonihagen. All products feature 100% certified coffee through Rainforest Alliance or Fairtrade, with organic varieties also certified by Debio. The company serves both retail (consumer) and food service (storhusholdning) markets, with distribution through REMA 1000, Narvesen, Oda, and Uno-X/7-Eleven.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Filtermalt

Quantifiable outcome

• 68% CO2 reduction with new recyclable packaging
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bocuse d'Or Norge / Stiftelsen Norsk GastronomicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2022Long-term partnership where Kjeldsberg Kaffe is official coffee partner for Bocuse d'Or Norge and Team Norway. Partnership focuses on shared values of sustainability, quality raw materials, and world-class taste. Kjeldsberg accompanies Team Norway to Bocuse d'Or Europe 2024 in Trondheim and World Final in Lyon January 2023.
• UtviklingsfondetcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2019Collaboration to support small-scale coffee farmers in Guatemala. In May 2020, first container of raw coffee from Guatemala was shipped to Trondheim for processing and sale to Norwegian consumers. Partnership enables farmers to invest in their farms and become more climate-resilient.
• Kirkens Bymisjon TrøndelagcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Since 2008, Kjeldsberg has maintained a close partnership with Kirkens Bymisjon Trøndelag, providing coffee and coffee cups to support their guests. The company has been a sustained supporter of Dyrebeskyttelsen (animal protection) in Trondheim for over 15 years, donating 100,000 NOK prize money in 2019.
• NidarminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDelivers coffee directly to Nidar chocolate factory in Trondheim for production of Mokkabønner (coffee bean chocolates) and annual Sjokolademuseet Julekaffe (Christmas coffee) sold in Nidar Godtebutikk.
• KolonihagenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for organic coffee production. For each bag of Kjeldsberg Økologisk coffee purchased, one krone goes to Kolonihagen's initiatives for animal welfare, responsibility, and soil health.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• illy: Premium Italian coffee roaster serving retail and hospitality channels; comparable to Kjeldsberg in specialty and horeca positioning, with deeper international reach.
• Tchibo: German coffee company with retail presence in Norway offering roasted coffee and capsule systems, comparable to Kjeldsberg's multi-format consumer play.
• Nestlé Nespresso: Globally dominant capsule system owner; competes head-on with Kjeldsberg's Nespresso-compatible Espresso Sumatra and Lungo Arabica Blend capsules across Norwegian retail and horeca.
• Jacobs Douwe Egberts: Global coffee and tea multinational (owner of Friele, Gevalia, Marcilla) competing with Kjeldsberg across retail capsules, filter coffee and horeca in Norway with much larger scale and marketing budget.
• Lavazza: Italian coffee roasting incumbent with broad retail and horeca footprint; competes with Kjeldsberg especially in espresso, capsules and foodservice categories across European markets.

Direct peers

• Friele: Historic Norwegian coffee brand (founded 1896) and direct competitor across retail and horeca in Norway; now part of Jacobs Douwe Egberts, giving it similar nationwide grocery reach and B2B positioning.
• Solberg & Hansen: Specialty Norwegian coffee roastery also based in Trondheim, focused on single-origin and premium-certified coffees — a close product and category peer competing for horeca and specialty retail share.

Regional players

• Löfbergs: Family-owned Swedish coffee roaster with strong Nordic retail and foodservice presence; comparable in heritage, specialty positioning, and certified-sourcing emphasis, operating across Sweden and broader Nordic markets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/100023394292635
• Instagraminstagram.com/kjeldsbergkaffe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kjeldsberg-kaffebrenneri-as

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 Kjeldsberg Kaffebrenneri