Denofa
Encyclopedia
Denofa AS, established in 1912 as De Nordiske Fabriker A/S (De-No-Fa for short), is a Norwegian industrial company. It has produced oil
, protein
s and fatty acid
(lecithin
) for the food processing
industry, the fodder industry
and the pharmaceutical industry. Starting with whale oil
as a basis for refinement, the use of soy later became more widespread.
The company was established on 10 May 1912. The first production facility was located in Fredrikstad
, planned and constructed by Carl Fredrik Holmboe
. In 1923 Holmboe became CEO. De-No-Fa launched a cooperation with the soap company Lilleborg
in 1925, and eventually acquired it as a daughter company. Later, a 50% stake in the company was bought by Unilever
(formerly Lever Brothers
), where Carl Fredrik Holmboe was chief engineer prior to his period in De-No-Fa. Holmboe left the CEO position in 1946.
In 1959 Unilever's stake was bought by Borregaard
. In 1960 De-No-Fa and Lilleborg was merged to form DeNoFa Lilleborg. The company owned Stabburet
from 1969 to 1985. The year after that, Borregaard was acquired by the Orkla Group
. Lilleborg was demerged in 1996 to again form a separate company, but remained a part of the Orkla Group. In 2005, 40% of Denofa was bought by Unikorn. Orkla now owns 20%, while the remaining 40% are owned by the Brazilian company Inlogs. In addition, Denofa owns 60% of the Polish company Nagrol. Denofa has also been active in Russia, and opened a sales office in Romania in 1996.
In addition to Fredrikstad, Denofa also owns a production facility in Leknes
, acquired after buying 100% of the company Marine Lipids. In 2004 it was decided to close the fat refinery in Fredrikstad. At that time the plant employed 120 people, already downsized from 450 over a fifteen-year period. The extraction plant (nicknamed X-verket) with 70 employees, located adjacent to the fat refinery, was also threatened with closing. However, it was retained following the influx of fresh capital from Unikorn. The changes marked a stronger leaning towards soy. The soybean
s are imported from Brazil; in addition grain from Norway is used.
The company currently has 55 employees, and the current CEO is Øystein Haslum.
Cooking oil
Cooking oil is purified fat of plant origin, which is usually liquid at room temperature ....
, protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
s and fatty acid
Fatty acid
In chemistry, especially biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with a long unbranched aliphatic tail , which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have a chain of an even number of carbon atoms, from 4 to 28. Fatty acids are usually derived from...
(lecithin
Lecithin
Lecithin is a generic term to designate any group of yellow-brownish fatty substances occurring in animal and plant tissues, and in egg yolk, composed of phosphoric acid, choline, fatty acids, glycerol, glycolipids, triglycerides, and phospholipids .The word lecithin was originally coined in 1847 by...
) for the food processing
Food processing
Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food or to transform food into other forms for consumption by humans or animals either in the home or by the food processing industry...
industry, the fodder industry
Fodder
Fodder or animal feed is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin...
and the pharmaceutical industry. Starting with whale oil
Whale oil
Whale oil is the oil obtained from the blubber of various species of whales, particularly the three species of right whale and the bowhead whale prior to the modern era, as well as several other species of baleen whale...
as a basis for refinement, the use of soy later became more widespread.
The company was established on 10 May 1912. The first production facility was located in Fredrikstad
Fredrikstad
is a city and municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Fredrikstad....
, planned and constructed by Carl Fredrik Holmboe
Carl Fredrik Holmboe
Carl Fredrik Holmboe was a Norwegian engineer.He was born in Kristiania as the only son of Jens Anton Holmboe and his third wife Marie Aarreberg. He had several half-brothers and half-sisters...
. In 1923 Holmboe became CEO. De-No-Fa launched a cooperation with the soap company Lilleborg
Lilleborg
Lilleborg AS is a major hygiene and cleaning article company in Norway, owned by the Orkla Group. It was established in 1833, and was one of the first companies in Norway to start manufacturing brand name products...
in 1925, and eventually acquired it as a daughter company. Later, a 50% stake in the company was bought by Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
(formerly Lever Brothers
Lever Brothers
Lever Brothers was a British manufacturer founded in 1885 by William Hesketh Lever and his brother, James Darcy Lever . The brothers had invested in and promoted a new soap making process invented by chemist William Hough Watson, it was a huge success...
), where Carl Fredrik Holmboe was chief engineer prior to his period in De-No-Fa. Holmboe left the CEO position in 1946.
In 1959 Unilever's stake was bought by Borregaard
Borregaard
Borregaard is a Norwegian company, established in 1889 in the southeastern town of Sarpsborg in Østfold county. Its main products were traditionally pulp and paper. The company later started producing chemicals based on timber as a raw material...
. In 1960 De-No-Fa and Lilleborg was merged to form DeNoFa Lilleborg. The company owned Stabburet
Stabburet
Stabburet is a Norwegian food producer founded by Gunnar Nilsen in 1943. Stabburet is a part of Orkla Foods, and has ten factories in southern Norway. It sells well-known brands, such as Grandiosa, Big One, Nugatti, Fun Light, Idun and Chef....
from 1969 to 1985. The year after that, Borregaard was acquired by the Orkla Group
Orkla Group
Orkla Group is a Norwegian industrial conglomerate operating in the Nordic region, Eastern Europe, Asia and the US. The company's main divisions are branded consumer goods, aluminium solutions, materials, associates and financial investments.-Operations:...
. Lilleborg was demerged in 1996 to again form a separate company, but remained a part of the Orkla Group. In 2005, 40% of Denofa was bought by Unikorn. Orkla now owns 20%, while the remaining 40% are owned by the Brazilian company Inlogs. In addition, Denofa owns 60% of the Polish company Nagrol. Denofa has also been active in Russia, and opened a sales office in Romania in 1996.
In addition to Fredrikstad, Denofa also owns a production facility in Leknes
Leknes
is a town and administrative centre of municipality Vestvågøy in the county of Nordland in North Norway. The town is situated in the geographical middle of Lofoten, approximately 68 km west of Svolvær and 65 km east of Å...
, acquired after buying 100% of the company Marine Lipids. In 2004 it was decided to close the fat refinery in Fredrikstad. At that time the plant employed 120 people, already downsized from 450 over a fifteen-year period. The extraction plant (nicknamed X-verket) with 70 employees, located adjacent to the fat refinery, was also threatened with closing. However, it was retained following the influx of fresh capital from Unikorn. The changes marked a stronger leaning towards soy. The soybean
Soybean
The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...
s are imported from Brazil; in addition grain from Norway is used.
The company currently has 55 employees, and the current CEO is Øystein Haslum.