Engesund Fiskeoppdrett AS

What Engesund Fiskeoppdrett AS does

Engesund Fiskeoppdrett AS is a Norwegian aquaculture company headquartered in Fitjar, Western Norway, producing sustainable rainbow trout across five production sites in Fitjar, Masfjorden, and Solund municipalities. The company operates 4,000-5,000 tonnes of annual production capacity and switched to 100% rainbow trout production in January 2024, a niche position given that trout represents only 5-7% of Norwegian farmed fish. Core technology centers on closed containment concrete fish farms (Lukka Anlegg) with drum filter systems that prevent sea lice intrusion and capture sludge, distinguishing it from conventional open net-pen operations. The company holds multiple license types including a green concession for closed containment, ordinary food fish licenses, a display license, and a dark-green Category C license.

The business operates three revenue streams: (1) wholesale fish production sold to seafood processors and wholesalers via B2B distribution, (2) a visitor centre (Visningssenter) at Dyrholmen in Fitjarøyane receiving approximately 4,000 guests annually for tours, boat trips, dining, and retail, and (3) value-added processed seafood products including hot/cold smoked salmon, gravlax, pickled salmon, seaweed pesto, and seaweed salt. Vertical integration is achieved through co-ownership in Vik Settefisk (smolt production), Hordalaks AS (well boat logistics via the "Hordagut"), and Vest Aqua Base, plus exclusive smolt sourcing from Osland Settefisk. The company is certified to Global G.A.P., ASC, and CSA standards, supporting wholesale and export market access.

Engesund was founded in 1987 by Lars Kleppe as a re-establishment of pioneering trout farming started in 1964, and operated as a family-owned business for 60 years. In 2024, ownership transitioned to a three-party partnership: Gilje group (40%), Troland Lakseoppdrett (30%), and Telavåg Fiskeoppdrett (30%). The current CEO Svein Eivind Gilje is the founder's grandson. The company employs 10 full-time staff supplemented by 8 seasonal workers, indicating a compact operation relative to its multi-site production footprint. Innovation initiatives include kelp cultivation (since 2016 in collaboration with Møreforsk) and a new viewing boat M/S Ingeborg for the visitor centre.

Name

Engesund Fiskeoppdrett AS

Legal name

Engesund Fiskeoppdrett AS

Website

https://engesund.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Engesund Fiskeoppdrett AS is a Norwegian aquaculture company producing 4,000-5,000 tonnes of rainbow trout annually across five sites in Western Norway, serving seafood wholesalers and a visitor centre experience business.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aquaculture (Rainbow Trout Farming)

NAICS

Finfish Farming and Fish Hatcheries (112511), Aquaculture (1125), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (3117), Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers (42446)

SIC

Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFAEAKAE

Tilapia & Warmwater Fish Hatcheries (e.g., Catfish, Carp)

Agriculture & Food Production/Animal Production & Aquaculture/Hatcheries & Fingerling/Seed Stock Production

SECONDARYAFAEANAE

Aquaculture & Fish Health Services

Agriculture & Food Production/Animal Production & Aquaculture/Animal Health & Veterinary Services

SECONDARYCRAHAHAC

Seafood Markets & Fishmongers

Consumer Products & Retail/Grocery & Food Retail/Fresh Food Specialists (Produce, Meat, Seafood)

Keywords

• Rainbow trout farming
• Sustainable aquaculture
• Seafood processing
• Fish farming Norway
• Aquaculture visitor centre

Headquarters

HQ city

Fitjar

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Aquaculture Production: Production and sale of rainbow trout (since January 2024, 100% rainbow trout production) and salmon. Annual production of 4000-5000 tonnes of trout and salmon. Fish sold to seafood processors and wholesalers.
2. Visitor Centre Experiences: Experience centre offering guided tours, boat trips, food service, and educational programs. Receives approximately 4000 guests annually. Services include aquarium activities for kindergartens, summer experiences, and special events.
3. Value-Added Fish Products: Production and retail of processed fish products including hot smoked salmon, cold smoked salmon, pickled salmon, gravlax, seaweed pesto, seaweed salt, and fish skin. Products sold at visitor centre and through pre-orders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Engesund Fiskeoppdrett AS produces and sells sustainably farmed rainbow trout (4,000-5,000 tonnes annually) from five production sites in Western Norway. The company operates a visitor centre at Dyrholmen offering guided tours, boat trips, restaurant/café service, and educational programs. It also produces and sells value-added processed seafood products including hot smoked salmon, cold smoked salmon, gravlax, pickled salmon, seaweed pesto, and seaweed salt.

Product overview

Engesund Fiskeoppdrett AS is a partnership-based aquaculture company operating sustainable rainbow trout production across locations in Fitjar, Masfjorden, and Solund municipalities in Western Norway. Established in 1987, the company produces 4,000-5,000 tonnes of rainbow trout annually using both ordinary and green/demonstration concessions. The company operates the Visitor Centre (Visningssenter) at Dyrholmen offering educational aquaculture tours, boat trips, and dining experiences. Core products include fresh rainbow trout and processed seafood (smoked salmon, gravlax, pickled salmon, seaweed products) produced at the visitor centre kitchen. The company also operates innovation projects including closed containment fish farms, kelp cultivation, and participates in the Hordalaks AS well boat venture. Ownership is shared between Gilje Group (40%), Troland Lakseoppdrett (30%), and Telavåg Fiskeoppdrett (30%).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rainbow Trout Production
• Visitor Centre Experiences (Visningssenter) Educational and tourism experience center offering guided tours of the aquaculture facility, boat trips to the fish cages aboard M/S Ingeborg, fish feeding demonstrations, aquarium activities, and culinary experiences. Located at Dyrholmen in the Fitjarøyane Islands.
• Café and Restaurant Services Food service at the visitor centre offering dishes prepared from own fish and local products. Menu items include smoked salmon salads (140 NOK), lemon salmon with potato salad (185 NOK), salmon wraps (90 NOK), fish soup (195 NOK), salmon burgers (160 NOK), and smoked salmon toast (120 NOK).
• Processed Seafood Products Value-added seafood products including hot smoked salmon (113-449 NOK), cold smoked salmon, gravlax (76-305 NOK), pickled salmon (60 NOK per glass), seaweed pesto, and seaweed salt. Produced at the visitor centre production kitchen by master chef Michael Reddington.
• Christmas Gift Packages Pre-assembled gift packages containing seafood products. Large bag (400 NOK, value 499 NOK) contains hot/cold smoked salmon, pickled salmon, gravlax, two seaweed pesto jars, and seaweed salt. Small bag (260 NOK, value 309 NOK) contains smoked salmon, pickled salmon, and seaweed pesto.
• Full-Day Tour Experience Full day tour including boat transport, guided hiking, lunch and coffee priced at 1,245 NOK per person.

Named customers3 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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hordalaks AScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2020Joint venture for well boat operations. Hordalaks AS contracted the well boat 'Hordagut' (4700 m3 cargo capacity) from Fitjar Mechanical Workshop (FMV). The boat transports over 500 tonnes of live salmon for slaughter per trip. Five partner companies including Engesund Fiskeoppdrett AS own Hordalaks AS, with total of 25 food fish licenses in Hordaland.
• Vik Settefisk AScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-owned smolt and post-smolt production facility. Engesund has operated small-scale smolt and post-smolt production at Vik Settefisk since 2011. Partnership enables control over smolt quality and supply chain integration.
• Vest Aqua Base ASminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner in aquaculture operations. Part of the collaborative network of aquaculture companies in the region.
• Osland SettefiskcoreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary smolt supplier for rainbow trout production. All smolt comes from Osland Settefisk, using mainly Osland strain (known for good health, strong growth, and high production quality) and some AquaGen strain.
• Arctic SeaweedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKelp cultivation partner that plants and harvests seaweed for Engesund. Processes kelp and sends some to Nordic Seaweed for finished product manufacturing.
• Nordic SeaweedminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProcesses kelp received from Arctic Seaweed into finished seaweed products including seaweed pesto and seaweed salt sold by Engesund.
• Blom FiskeoppdrettcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead partner in Hordalaks AS joint venture, owning 1/3 of the well boat company. One of four other aquaculture companies in Austevoll, Fitjar, and Bømlo participating in the well boat initiative.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• AquaGen AS: Leading Norwegian salmonid genetics and smolt supplier whose AquaGen strain is also used by Engesund alongside the Osland strain. Closely linked as an input supplier in the same Norwegian salmonid value chain rather than a horizontal competitor.
• Osland Settefisk AS: Primary smolt supplier to Engesund, providing the Osland strain of rainbow trout. Not a direct competitor, but an upstream partner with overlapping genetics, hatchery capability, and regional salmonid supply-chain knowledge relevant to Engesund's trout focus.

Broad incumbents

• SalMar ASA: One of the world's largest salmon producers with significant Norwegian coastal and offshore operations. Comparable to Engesund in Norwegian aquaculture licensing and salmonid production but operates at a much larger scale, including offshore farming.
• Grieg Seafood ASA: Norwegian-headquartered salmon farmer with operations in Norway, Scotland, and Canada. Operates a similar Norwegian coastal license model and salmonid production profile as Engesund, but at materially larger scale.
• Mowi ASA: The world's largest Atlantic salmon producer and a major Norwegian trout farmer. Overlaps with Engesund in salmonid aquaculture, feed sourcing, processing, and Norwegian coastal operations, but operates at vastly greater scale across multiple geographies.
• Lerøy Seafood Group: Vertically integrated Norwegian seafood group with salmon and trout farming, processing, and distribution. Comparable to Engesund across the salmonid value chain, including trout production, though Lerøy's portfolio and global distribution dwarf Engesund.
• Bakkafrost: Faroese salmon farmer with significant downstream processing and aqua-feed operations. Comparable to Engesund in salmonid aquaculture and premium-positioning strategy, although located outside Norway and substantially larger.
• Cermaq: Mitsubishi-owned salmon farmer operating in Norway, Chile, and Canada. Direct comparability to Engesund in Norwegian salmonid farming, with both freshwater and saltwater operations, though at much larger scale.

Regional players

• Nordlaks: Privately held Norwegian salmon and trout producer with operations in Northern Norway. Comparable in size, family/partnership ownership structure, and Norwegian coastal license model to Engesund, though focused further north.

Direct peers

• Blom Fiskeoppdrett AS: Norwegian salmon farming company that is the lead partner in the Hordalaks AS well boat JV alongside Engesund and three other aquaculture firms in Austevoll, Fitjar, and Bømlo. Closely comparable in scale, region (Vestlandet), and Norwegian coastal license-based salmonid operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/VisningssenterEngesundFiskeoppdrett
• Instagraminstagram.com/engesund_visningssenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/engesund-fiskeoppdrett-as

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Engesund Fiskeoppdrett AS