What Kolonihagen does

Kolonihagen is a privately held Norwegian organic food company founded in 2004 in Oslo by Katrine, Jorunn, and Jon Frede. The company produces and distributes a portfolio of 100% certified organic products — including handcrafted breads and gluten-free oat products, dairy (Greek-style yogurt, ice cream), organic eggs, organic smoked ham and pork, organic oats, and specialty coffee — under Debio organic and Dyrevernmerket animal welfare certifications. All consumer packaged goods are sold exclusively through REMA 1000 stores nationwide, a channel arrangement formalized in January 2016 when REMA 1000 acquired a significant equity stake in the company. The operating model combines in-house production at an Oslo bakery (relocated to Konows gate in April 2019), contract farming relationships moving toward regenerative agriculture (formalized through the Regenerativt Norge partnership in 2022 and the Kolonihagen x Horgen farm joint venture in June 2024), a single full-service restaurant (Kolonihagen Frogner, opened January 2009), and a wholesale bakery business supplying restaurants and cantinas via a Standing Order portal.

The company's go-to-market is channel-led through a single retailer, with no direct-to-consumer e-commerce for packaged goods and a small restaurant business representing the primary physical retail. Pricing follows standard REMA 1000 unit pricing without disclosed subscription tiers. Brand-building relies on content marketing, social media, PR (including New York Times coverage and the Matprisen 2023 award), farm experience events at Horgen, and a consumer education asset — the E-stoffguiden mobile app, launched May 2024 in collaboration with Swedish nonprofit Äkta Vara, which rates food additives on a green/yellow/red traffic-light system. The company has previously wound down non-core lines, closing underperforming restaurants (2014-2016) and discontinuing its home-delivery organic meal-box service (January 2018) after significant losses. As of early 2026, Kolonihagen employs 11-50 people and is executing a stated strategic goal of localizing dairy production in Norway, evidenced by the February 2026 launch of Greek-style yogurt made from 100% Norwegian organic milk.

Name

Kolonihagen

Legal name

Kolonihagen

Website

https://kolonihagen.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kolonihagen is a Norwegian organic food company founded in 2004 in Oslo that produces and distributes certified organic bread, dairy, eggs, pork, oats, and coffee exclusively through REMA 1000 stores nationwide, while operating a single restaurant, an Oslo bakery, and a consumer additive-guide mobile app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Food Products: Sale of organic bakery products, dairy products, eggs, smoked meats, and coffee through REMA 1000 retail stores nationwide. Products include organic bread, gluten-free bread, yogurt, and cured meats.
2. Restaurant Operations: Full-service restaurant operation at Frognerveien 33, Oslo. Restaurant opened January 2009, upscale rustic dining with exposed brick and wooden beams.
3. Bakery Products B2B: Supply of organic breads and baked goods to restaurants, cantinas, and retail stores. Originally started with restaurant/cantina supply before entering retail.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Kolonihagen produces and sells a portfolio of 100% organic certified food products — including artisan bakery bread, dairy (Greek-style yogurt, ice cream), eggs, smoked ham and pork, coffee, and oatmeal — distributed primarily through all REMA 1000 stores across Norway. The company also operates the Kolonihagen Frogner restaurant in Oslo, runs the Kolonihagen x Horgen regenerative farm experience, and provides the E-stoffguiden mobile consumer-education app on food additives.

Product overview

Kolonihagen is an organic food company founded in 2004 in Oslo, Norway, that produces a portfolio of organic food products distributed primarily through REMA 1000. The core offering centers on organic dairy products (Greek-style yogurt, ice cream), artisan bakery products (handcrafted breads including gluten-free oat options), organic smoked ham and pork, organic eggs, organic oats, and specialty coffee roasted by partner Kaffa. The company also operates the Kolonihagen Frogner restaurant and the Kolonihagen x Horgen regenerative farm experience. In 2023, Kolonihagen launched the E-stoffguiden — a consumer-facing additive guide and mobile app (iOS/Android) — which is its primary digital product, designed to help consumers understand food additives using a traffic-light rating system developed with Swedish nonprofit Äkta Vara. The company also offers a Standing Order business portal for bakery wholesale customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kolonihagen Bakery — Handcrafted Organic Bread and Pastries Artisan organic bakery producing handcrafted breads and pastries using organic ingredients and regenerative-farming grains; some breads follow a three-day process from grain soaking to finished loaf. Products are sold to consumers through REMA 1000 and supplied to restaurants and cantinas through a Standing Order B2B portal.
• Organic Dairy Products (Greek-Style Yogurt and Ice Cream) Organic dairy products including Greek-style yogurt and ice cream, distributed through REMA 1000. The company is working toward 100% Norwegian organic milk sourcing.
• Organic Eggs (Dyrevernmerket-certified) Organic eggs from laying hens with animal welfare certification, with access to trees, winter gardens, and berry bushes. Sold to consumers through REMA 1000.
• Organic Smoked Ham and Pork Products Organic smoked ham and pork products from Norwegian pigs raised outdoors year-round, certified organic by Debio and animal-welfare certified by Dyrevernmerket. Sold through REMA 1000.
• Kolonihagen Coffee (Kaffa Partnership) Organic coffee roasted by Norwegian roaster Kaffa, sold through REMA 1000 in standard and limited-edition varieties including the Geisha variety.
• Organic Oat Products Organic oatmeal and oat-based products made from 100% organic Norwegian oats sourced from regenerative-farming partner farms. Sold through REMA 1000.
• Kolonihagen Frogner Restaurant Full-service rustic restaurant in Oslo's Frogner neighborhood with exposed brick walls, wooden beams, and a cobblestone courtyard; serves lunch and dinner using Kolonihagen's organic ingredients.
• E-stoffguiden Mobile App (Additive Guide) Standalone consumer mobile app for iOS and Android that helps users understand food additives using a traffic-light rating system (green/yellow/red), co-developed with Swedish nonprofit Äkta Vara.

Quantifiable outcome

• Products available in all REMA 1000 stores nationwide
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Horgen GårdcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024Kolonihagen x Horgen collaboration launched June 2024. Gudbrand from Horgen Gård: 'Because Horgen and Kolonihagen want the same thing. We want it differently.' Farm hosts activities for families to experience regenerative farming with events throughout the year.
• Äkta VaracoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Swedish nonprofit organization providing expertise on food additives. Co-developed E-stoffguiden (additive guide) with Kolonihagen. Björn from Äkta Vara helped create the guide because 'it's difficult to understand ingredient lists with additives.'
• Regenerativt NorgecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Strategic partnership to promote regenerative agriculture. Ulf from Regenerativt Norge states 'Nature is complex: it's not a single screw you can fix. Everything is connected, and regenerative agriculture is about this.' All Kolonihagen farmers work toward regenerative practices.
• Bybi (Oslo Urban Beekeeping)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Kolonihagen funds education of 5 young Oslo beekeepers through Bybi. Company shares surplus profit to support urban beekeeping. Beekeeping has struggled to attract young people with average age becoming dangerously high.
• Dyrevernalliansen (Animal Welfare Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Helle from Dyrevernalliansen explains: 'Laws that exist today don't provide good enough animal welfare. We studied research and learned from other countries: what requirements must be met for an animal to have had a life worth living?' Animals receive Dyrevernmerket certification.
• KaffacoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2017Coffee partnership launched January 2017. Kaffa is an Indian tea producer that processes and sells organic tea worldwide, delivering two tea types for Kolonihagen. First labels received September 2017. Coffee collaboration includes limited edition launches like Geisha variety.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Unil AS: Norwegian food conglomerate owning multiple CPG brands including Synnøve Finden and Nora. Relevant as a portfolio incumbent competing for the same REMA 1000 shelf space as Kolonihagen across multiple categories.
• Synnøve Finden: Norwegian dairy and meat-products company (Unil group) producing cheeses, yogurts, and prepared meats in mainstream grocery. Comparable product breadth to Kolonihagen (dairy + meat), but at conventional rather than organic positioning.
• Q-Meieriene: Norwegian dairy processor competing in yogurt and flavored milk segments via brands such as Q and Skyr. Direct overlap with Kolonihagen's yogurt launch and overall dairy category, though without the organic-specialty positioning.
• Tine SA: Norway's dominant dairy cooperative, controlling the majority of Norwegian milk processing and offering a wide organic sub-range (Tine Økologisk). Overlaps Kolonihagen's dairy ambition (yogurt, milk-based products) but at vastly greater scale and broader category.

Direct peers

• Rørosmeieriet: Norwegian organic dairy cooperative producing organic milk, yogurt, cream, and cheese sold through Norwegian grocery chains. Closest peer to Kolonihagen in organic dairy, though distributed through multiple retailers rather than a single exclusive partner.
• Bakehuset: Major Norwegian industrial bakery producing fresh and packaged bread for grocery and foodservice. Direct comparable on Kolonihagen's bakery business (handcrafted organic loaves, gluten-free oat breads), though positioned at mainstream rather than organic-premium price points.

Emerging players

• Fjordland: Norwegian prepared-meals and convenience food brand with a meaningful organic sub-line, sold primarily through REMA 1000. Overlaps with Kolonihagen on retail placement and increasingly on prepared/organic positioning.

Regional players

• Annie's Homegrown: US organic and natural CPG brand (owned by General Mills) spanning baking, snacks, and dairy analogues. Comparable as a multi-category organic CPG play distributed through mainstream grocery, though at much larger scale and with broader product depth.
• Stonyfield Farm: US-based organic yogurt and dairy brand owned by Danone, with a similar mission-driven organic positioning. Useful international benchmark for how Kolonihagen's organic-dairy trajectory could scale, though operating in a different market.

Others

• Cultura Bank: Norwegian values-based bank that extended Kolonihagen's original 2005 loan. Included as a strategic financial partner rather than a product peer, illustrating the kind of values-aligned financing that has supported Kolonihagen's growth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Kolonihagen
• Instagraminstagram.com/kolonihagen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kolonihagen

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Kolonihagen