Gunnar Nilsen (31 March 1913 – 3 October 1984) was a Norwegian businessman, industrialist and philanthropist. He is known for founding the food processing company

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 Nugatti is a Norwegian bran ...

(now

Orkla Group Orkla ASA is a Norwegian conglomerate operating in the Nordic region, Eastern Europe, Asia and the US. At present, Orkla operates in the branded consumer goods, aluminium solutions and financial investment sectors. Orkla ASA is listed on the Os ...

) with

canneries Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container (jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although un ...

Østfold Østfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in southeastern Norway. It borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other side o ...

and in

Svolvær Svolvær () is the administrative centre of Vågan Municipality in Nordland County, Norway. It is located on the island of Austvågøya in the Lofoten archipelago, along the Vestfjorden. The town has a population (2018) of 4,720 which gives t ...

. Nilsen was born in the parish of

Glemmen Glemmen is a parish and former municipality with the city of Fredrikstad, Østfold county, Norway. History The parish of ''Glemminge'' was established as a municipality 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). A part of Glemmen with 2,013 inhab ...

in the city of

Fredrikstad Fredrikstad (; previously ''Frederiksstad''; literally "Fredrik's Town") is a city and municipality in Viken county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Fredrikstad. The city of Fredrikstad was founded in 15 ...

, Norway. He was the son of Nils Nilsen (1871–1961) and Anna Abrahamsen (1880–1953). In 1932, he opened a tobacco shop which in 1936, he expanded into a deli. In 1943, Nilsen moved into the production of food products. During the 1950s, the business continued to increase. In 1960, Stabburet built a new factory on Råbekken outside Fredrikstad. Several canned factories in and around Fredrikstad were bought up and a fish processing factory in Svolvær began. In 1962, Stabburet A/S was formed with Gunnar Nilsen as CEO. Nilsen also support a home for children with

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

, home for young people with

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...

and treatment homes for

multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...

. He was decorated Knight, First Class of the Order of St. Olav in 1972. He was the subject of a biography written by Per Øyvind Heradstveit in 1978.

References

External links

Stabburet website

Orkla Group website
1913 births 1984 deaths People from Fredrikstad Norwegian industrialists Norwegian company founders Norwegian philanthropists Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal 20th-century philanthropists {{Norway-business-bio-stub

References

Further reading

External links