Viking Garn

What Viking Garn does

Viking Garn (legal entity: Viking of Norway AS, Org.nr. 989361414) is a Norwegian hand-knitting yarn wholesaler founded on October 19, 2005, by Ivar A Ullebust, the former Managing Director of Gjestal Spinneri. The company is headquartered in a 1908-built mill building in Oltedal (approximately 40 km from Stavanger) with 400m² of office space and approximately 5,000m² of warehouse, operating from a region with yarn-producing heritage dating to 1886. It employs about 45 staff supplemented by roughly 120 model knitters who prototype new designs.

The product portfolio centers on hand-knitting yarn in natural fibers (wool, merino, alpaca, mohair, linen, cotton, silk, and cashmere), sourced primarily from Peru with additional supply from South Africa, China, and Turkey. Adjacent product lines include the Snorre Exclusive Collection (premium luxury yarns), Strikkepakker (knitting kits bundling yarn with patterns), Addi German-made knitting needles, Viking Woolwash detergent, and gift items. The design organization of 6 in-house designers produces approximately 40 knitting pattern catalogs per year, covering women's, men's, children's, and baby garments in Norwegian, English, and German languages.

Viking Garn operates a B2B2C wholesale model, supplying hundreds of specialty craft stores (fagbutikker) across 14+ countries including Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, the UK, the Baltics, Poland, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Ireland, and Spain. Distribution is led by 6+ regional sales managers plus dedicated country sales leadership in Sweden, Denmark, England, and Latvia, supported by own factory outlets (Lafthuset in Oltedal; Norwegian Outlet Stavanger in Ålgård, featuring a weekly Wednesday knitting café) and a direct e-commerce storefront. Reported revenue was 150 million NOK in 2021 with 107% growth in knitting yarn sales over 2019–2021, earning the company Dagens Næringsliv Gazelle Company status for the second time. A long-term sponsorship of Team Ingebrigtsen (with a 2022 exclusive collection) supports brand presence across the Nordic region.

Name

Viking Garn

Legal name

Viking of Norway AS

Website

https://viking-garn.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Viking Garn is a Norwegian wholesaler of hand-knitting yarn, knitting patterns, kits, and accessories, serving specialty craft stores and consumers across 14+ Nordic and European countries through a B2B2C sales-led model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hand-Knitting Yarn

NAICS

Sewing, Needlework, and Piece Goods Retailers (45913)

SIC

Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130)

akta.pro primary industry

Yarn, Knitting & Crochet Supplies Retail (CRALACAF)

Keywords

• Hand-knitting yarn
• Knitting patterns
• Yarn wholesale
• Knitting kits
• Natural fiber yarn

Headquarters

HQ city

Oltedal

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale yarn distribution: Viking Garn operates as a yarn wholesaler, distributing hand-knitting yarn to specialty craft stores across Nordic countries and other international markets. The company also sells finished knitwear and knitting patterns/catalogs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Viking Garn is one of the Nordic region's largest yarn wholesalers, distributing hand-knitting yarn in natural fibers (wool, merino, alpaca, mohair, linen, cotton, cashmere, silk) sourced primarily from Peru, with additional supply from South Africa, China, and Turkey. The company also publishes approximately 40 knitting pattern catalogs per year and offers knitting kits, premium Addi knitting needles, accessories, and gift items. Products are sold both wholesale to specialty craft stores across 14+ countries and direct to consumers through factory outlets and an online store.

Product overview

Viking Garn is one of the Nordic region's largest yarn wholesalers, offering a comprehensive portfolio of hand-knitting yarn in natural fibers (wool, merino, alpaca, mohair, linen, cotton, cashmere, silk) alongside approximately 40 knitting pattern catalogs per year. The core offering centers on Garn (yarn) organized into product lines including the premium Snorre Exclusive Collection, plus complementary products: Strikkepakker (knitting kits), Addi strikkepinner (knitting needles), Tilbehør (accessories including Viking Woolwash detergent), and Gaveartikler (gift items). The company also publishes Kataloger (catalogs) containing patterns for womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, and baby garments, available both as physical catalogs and digital patterns.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Snorre Exclusive Collection: Luxury yarn collection featuring premium materials like cashmere silk, baby alpaca, mohair, and kid cotton
• Viking Woolwash

Products and services

• Garn (Hand-Knitting Yarn) Hand-knitting yarn in natural fibers including wool, merino wool, alpaca, mohair, linen, cotton, silk, and cashmere. Imported primarily from Peru, with additional supply from South Africa, China, and Turkey. Sold to specialty craft stores and individual consumers across Nordic and European markets.
• Kataloger (Knitting Pattern Catalogs) Knitting pattern catalogs published approximately 40 times per year, covering women's, men's, children's, and baby knitwear. Includes the Snorre Exclusive Collection and general Viking Garn seasonal catalogs. Individual patterns priced from kr 100 to kr 1,235.
• Snorre Exclusive Collection Premium yarn sub-brand featuring exclusive fibers such as Kid Cotton (70% mohair, 30% cotton), Cashmere Silk, and Baby Alpaca. Each collection includes limited-edition designs by in-house and external designers such as Sofie Karlstad and Benedicte Skogerbø.
• Strikkepakker (Knitting Kits)

Quantifiable outcome

• 107% sales growth 2019-2021
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• Team IngebrigtsenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term sponsor of Team Ingebrigtsen athletes. Created exclusive collection in 2022 featuring sweaters, base layers, beanies, scarves, and headbands distributed across Nordic countries and worldwide.
• Eat & MoreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for weekly knitting café at Norwegian Outlet Stavanger location every Wednesday 17:00-20:00.
• Kustom (Klarna)coreTechnology or IntegrationPayment provider integration enabling Klarna checkout, Vipps, Visa, and Mastercard payment options on the e-commerce platform.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sandnes Garn: One of Norway's largest and oldest hand-knitting yarn brands, with a comparable wholesale-to-craft-store model, broad natural-fiber assortment, and regular pattern catalog releases — directly competing with Viking Garn in Norwegian fagbutikker and across the Nordics.
• Scheepjes: Dutch premium yarn brand with a strong pattern-design and catalog engine, distributed across European specialty craft stores and online — closely comparable to Viking Garn's blend of design IP, premium fibers, and multi-country wholesale.
• Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk: Norwegian yarn manufacturer offering branded hand-knitting yarn, patterns, and knitting kits through Norwegian specialty stores — a direct regional competitor with overlapping catalog-based marketing.
• Rauma Garn: Norwegian yarn brand selling wool-based hand-knitting yarn, pattern catalogs, and knitting kits through the same fagbutikker channel as Viking Garn, with strong overlap in customer base and product mix.
• DROPS Design (Garnstudio): Norway-based yarn brand and one of the largest free-pattern publishers globally, with a similar catalog-driven content model and broad European distribution, making it one of the closest behavioral peers to Viking Garn.
• Dale Garn: Historic Norwegian yarn producer (since 1879) supplying hand-knitting yarn, patterns, and finished knitwear through specialty stores — directly overlapping Viking Garn's product range, channels, and Norwegian heritage positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Rowan Yarns: Established UK-based premium hand-knitting yarn brand with extensive pattern publications and global craft-store distribution. Comparable on premium positioning and pattern-led marketing, but operates at broader international scale than Viking Garn.
• Sirdar: Long-standing UK yarn brand offering hand-knitting yarn, patterns, and kits across European craft retailers. Comparable core product and channel, with a broader incumbent footprint than Viking Garn's Nordic base.
• Lion Brand Yarn: Large US-based yarn manufacturer and brand selling hand-knitting yarn, patterns, and kits globally through craft stores and e-commerce. Comparable in product categories but vastly larger in scale, capital base, and geographic reach than Viking Garn.

Regional players

• Novita: Finland's leading hand-knitting yarn brand, with comparable catalog and fagbutikker-style distribution in Finland. A strong peer on product and customer but focused on the Finnish market rather than competing head-to-head in Norway.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/viking-garn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Viking Garn