Dagmar Andreasen née Rasmussen (1920–2006) was a Danish businesswoman and a politician. In 1953, she took over the management of Rynkeby Mosteri, an

apple juice Apple juice is a fruit juice made by the maceration and pressing of an apple. The resulting expelled juice may be further treated by enzymatic and centrifugal clarification to remove the starch and pectin, which holds fine particulate in suspe ...

factory which had been founded by her mother in the village of Rynkeby on the island of

Funen Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as of ...

. She introduced significant improvements, began to produce other juices, especially

blackcurrant The blackcurrant (''Ribes nigrum''), also known as black currant or cassis, is a deciduous shrub in the family Grossulariaceae grown for its edible berries. It is native to temperate parts of central and northern Europe and northern Asia, whe ...

, and successfully promoted the Rynkeby brand name. When she retired from management in 1986, the firm had 170 employees and a turnover of DKK 200 million. On the political front, representing the

Danish Social Liberal Party The Danish Social Liberal Party ( da, Radikale Venstre, , Radical Left) is a social-liberal political party in Denmark. The party was founded as a split from the Venstre Reform Party in 1905. Historically, the centrist party has played a centra ...

, she was a

Member of the Folketing In Denmark, Members of Parliament sit in the Folketing. The title is almost always shortened to the initialism "MF". Since the general election on 22 September 1953, which was the first under the Constitution of 1953, there have been 179 membe ...

from 1968 to 1975.

Early life and education

Born in Rynkeby on 6 November 1920, Dagmar Rasmussen was the daughter of the manufacturer Rasmus Theodor Rasmussen (1882–1964) and the nurse Inger née Lykkegaard (1885–1965). In December 1945, she married the restaurateur Ankjær Johannes Andreasen with whom she had three children: Inger (1946), Knud (1948) and Erik (1948). The marriage was dissolved in 1965. She was educated in the local school but left in 1934 in order to help her mother with juice production. After being trained in typing and bookkeeping in

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2022, the city proper had a population of 180,863 while Odense Municipality had a population of 20 ...

in 1940, the following spring together with her brother, she went to Ober-Erlenbach near

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

, Germany, for a course on the chemistry, biology and testing of apple must. Following six months at the Plumrose food company in Copenhagen, she was exceptionally admitted as a student at the Landbohøjskolen (Agricultural College) where she remained for at least six months.

Career

Until the end of the

German occupation of Denmark At the outset of World War II in September 1939, Denmark declared itself neutral. For most of the war, the country was a protectorate and then an occupied territory of Germany. The decision to occupy Denmark was taken in Berlin on 17 December ...

in 1945, she worked at the Rynkeby factory. After her marriage at the end of 1945, she helped her husband run the Hotel Hem Odde near

Skanderborg Skanderborg is a town in Skanderborg municipality, Denmark. It is situated on the north and north eastern brinks of Skanderborg Lake and there are several smaller ponds and bodies of water within the city itself, like Lillesø, Sortesø, Døj S� ...

but did not really like the place. In 1951, she left to help her mother run the factory at Rynkeby. Two years later, she was charged with its management. She expanded the business by producing juice from other berries, especially blackcurrants, which proved popular in Sweden and the UK. Taking advantage of government loans and the

Marshall Plan The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred over $13 billion (equivalent of about $ in ) in economic re ...

, she modernized the factory and publicized the Rynkeby brand, soon also producing orange juice as Solita. In 1967, she created a joint stock company, maintaining her position as the main shareholder. After a rather unsuccessful period working with

Faxe Brewery Faxe Brewery is a Danish brewery located in the town of Faxe. The brewery was founded in 1901 by Nikoline and Conrad Nielsen. At the time it was called Fakse Dampbryggeri, but after her husband's death, Nikoline christened the brewery Faxe Brygge ...

from 1963, business improved from the late 1960s under a contract with De forenede Bryggerier. By the early 1970s, the firm was highly profitable with some 170 employees and a turnover of around DKK 200 million. On the political front, she was a Member of the Folketing representing the Danish Social Liberal Party from 1968 to 1975, first for Kerteminde, then for Odense. Her main interest was business policy. Dagmar Andreasen died on 14 May 2006, aged 85.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andreasen, Dagmar 1920 births 2006 deaths 20th-century Danish businesspeople 20th-century Danish businesswomen People from Kerteminde Municipality Members of the Folketing 1971–1973 Members of the Folketing 1973–1975 20th-century Danish women politicians Women members of the Folketing