{{Short description|Norwegian industrial company}} {{Infobox company | name = Denofa AS | logo = Denofa.jpg | type = | founded = | hq_location = Fredrikstad, Norway | key_people = Hans Petter Olsen (CEO) | area_served = | industry = Manufacturing | products = | revenue = NOK 2.5 billion (2022) | operating_income = | net_income = | num_employees = 75 | parent = [https://www.amaggi.com/ Amaggi] (100%) | subsidiaries = | website = [http://www.denofa.no www.denofa.no] | footnotes = }}
'''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, proteins and fatty acid (lecithin) for the food processing industry, the fodder industry and the pharmaceutical industry.<ref name=snl1>{{cite encyclopedia |year=|title=Denofa AS |encyclopedia=Store norske leksikon |publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget |location= |url=http://www.snl.no/Denofa_AS}}</ref><ref name=about>[http://www.denofa.no/?itemid=1069 About us] - Denofa official site. Retrieved on 27 October 2008.</ref> Starting with whale oil as a basis for refinement,<ref name=hist>[http://www.denofa.no/?ItemID=1090 History] - Denofa official site. Retrieved on 27 October 2008.</ref> the use of soy later became more widespread.<ref name="snl1"/>
The company was established on 10 May 1912.<ref name="hist"/> The first board consisted of P. Bogen, Joh. Gmeiner, Hugo Wetlesen, Carl Dietrich Hildisch, Helge Offerdahl and Wilhelm Nicolaysen.<ref>{{cite news|title=Nyt millionselskab. De nordiske fabriker|date=11 May 1912|work=Aftenposten|page=1|language=Norwegian}}</ref> The first production facility was located in Fredrikstad, planned and constructed by Carl Fredrik Holmboe. In 1923 Holmboe became chief executive officer.<ref name=snl2>{{cite encyclopedia |year=|title=Carl Fredrik Holmboe |encyclopedia=Store norske leksikon|publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget |location= |url=http://www.snl.no/Carl_Fredrik_Holmboe }}</ref> 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),<ref name="snl1"/> where Carl Fredrik Holmboe was chief engineer prior to his period in De-No-Fa. Holmboe left the CEO position in 1946.<ref name="snl2"/>
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.<ref name="snl1"/> In 2005, 40% of Denofa was bought by Unikorn.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |year=|title=Unikorn AS |encyclopedia=Store norske leksikon |publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget |location= |url=http://www.snl.no/Unikorn_AS }}</ref> Orkla now owns 20%, while the remaining 40% are owned by the Brazilian company Inlogs.<ref name="about"/> In addition, Denofa owns 60% of the Polish company Nagrol.<ref>[http://www.denofa.no/?ItemID=1116 Denofa in Poland] - Denofa official site. Retrieved on 27 October 2008.</ref> Denofa has also been active in Russia, and opened a sales office in Romania in 1996.<ref name="hist"/>
In addition to Fredrikstad, Denofa also owned a production facility in Leknes,<ref name="snl1"/> acquired after buying 100% of the company Marine Lipids.<ref name="hist"/> 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.<ref>{{cite news |first=Tore |last=Tindlund |title=Snart er det stille på Denofa |url=http://www.f-b.no/article/20041105/NYHET/451579382 |work=Fredriksstad Blad |date=5 November 2004 |accessdate=27 October 2008 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120801211307/http://www.f-b.no/article/20041105/NYHET/451579382 |archive-date=1 August 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The extraction plant (nicknamed ''X-verket'') with 70 employees, located adjacent to the fat refinery, was also threatened with closing.<ref>{{cite news |first=Tore |last=Tindlund |title=Ekstraksjonsverket kan bli stengt |url=http://www.f-b.no/article/20041105/NYHET/451579399 |work=Fredriksstad Blad |date=5 November 2004 |accessdate=27 October 2008 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120729124637/http://www.f-b.no/article/20041105/NYHET/451579399 |archive-date=29 July 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, it was retained following the influx of fresh capital from Unikorn.<ref>{{cite news |first=Gunnar Steen |last=Iversen |title=Kornbøndene tar styringen |url=http://www.f-b.no/article/20050120/ARBOKO/31575385 |work=Fredriksstad Blad |date=20 January 2005 |accessdate=27 October 2008 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120730201702/http://www.f-b.no/article/20050120/ARBOKO/31575385 |archive-date=30 July 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Gunnar Steen |last=Iversen |title=Fakta om: X-verket |url=http://www.f-b.no/article/20050120/NYHET/31575299 |work=Fredriksstad Blad |date=20 January 2005 |accessdate=27 October 2008 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120731153835/http://www.f-b.no/article/20050120/NYHET/31575299 |archive-date=31 July 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The changes marked a stronger leaning towards soy. The soybeans are imported from Brazil; in addition grain from Norway is used.<ref>{{cite news |first=Gunnar Steen |last=Iversen |title=Nye eiere sikrer virksomheten |url=http://www.f-b.no/article/20050120/ARBOKO/31575477 |work=Fredriksstad Blad |date=20 January 2005 |accessdate=27 October 2008 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120731122649/http://www.f-b.no/article/20050120/ARBOKO/31575477 |archive-date=31 July 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The company currently has 75 employees, and the current CEO is Hans Petter Olsen
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.denofa.no Official site]
{{Authority control}}
Category:Chemical companies established in 1912 Category:Manufacturing companies of Norway Category:Companies based in Fredrikstad Category:Orkla ASA Category:1912 establishments in Norway