TINE SA () is the largest Norwegian

dairy product Dairy products or milk products, also known as lacticinia, are food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, nanny goat, and ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food items in th ...

cooperative consisting of around 15,000 farmers and 5,600 employees. As of 2013, it has a revenue of 20.4 billion Norwegian kroner (NOK) ($3.41bn, £2.04bn, €2.50bn). The parent company, TINE SA, is a cooperative society owned by its suppliers, the milk producers who deliver milk to the company. The corporation domestically offers the entire spectrum of dairy products, and in many dairy categories, Tine faces little or no domestic competition. This monopolistic position has led to criticism of Tine when shortages occur. Tine's internationally known products are Jarlsberg cheese,

Snøfrisk Snøfrisk is a Norwegian goat cheese made by Tine. Snøfrisk is white and creamy, without any yellow pigmentation. The name translates as snow fresh. The cheese was first introduced to the public in time for the 1994 Winter Olympics. Made from ...

goat cheese,

Heidal cheese Heidal cheese ( no, heidalsost or simply ''heidal'') is a Norwegian brunost. The cheese is named after the parish of Heidal in the northern part of the Gudbrand Valley. It is dark brown. Heidal cheese is a molded cheese that was first produced at ...

, Ridder cheese, and Ski-Queen (

geitost Brunost ("brown cheese") is a common Norwegian name for mysost ("whey cheese"; da, myseost; sv, mesost; fi, mesjuusto; is, mysuostur), a family of cheese-related foods made with whey, milk, and/or cream. The term is often used to just refer ...

). Tine is the most dominant of the thirteen agricultural cooperatives in Norway.

History

Dairy cooperatives in Norway go back to 1856, with the first nationwide dairy co-op ''Den Norske Meieriforening'' (the Norwegian Dairy Association) being founded in 1881. The company dates back to 1928, when "Norske Meieriers Eksportlag" (Norwegian Dairies' Export Company) was started. It changed its name to "Norske Meieriers Salgssentral" (Norwegian Dairies' Sales) in 1942, and to "Norske Meierier" (Norwegian Dairies) in 1984. The Tine name has been used as an easily identifiable brand name since 1992 for the company's dairy products. In 2008, Tine was ranked the world's #1 cooperative by size by the International Cooperative Alliance. In 2010, the company was changed to a nationwide group adapted to the Cooperatives Act, which was introduced from 2008, and the name was changed to TINE SA. TINE SA is one of the 13 farmer-owned nationwide cooperatives that are members of the interest organization Norsk Landbrukssamvirke. The "

tine Tine may refer to: *Tine (structural), a 'prong' on a fork or similar implement, or any similar structure *Tine (company), the biggest dairy producer in Norway * ''Tine'' (film), a 1964 Danish film *Tine, Iran, a village in Mazandaran Province, Ira ...

" is a traditional Norwegian wooden container, not unlike the Shaker-style pantry box, which could be used to keep butter and cheese fresh.

Subsidiaries

Subsidiaries which are partly or fully owned by Tine: * Diplom-Is, Scandinavia's largest ice-cream producer (100% owned by Tine) * Fjordland, a ready-made food company (51% owned by Tine) * Norseland Ltd., Ireland and the United Kingdom division (100% owned by Tine) * Norseland Inc., distributes and markets Tine's cheeses in Canada and the United States (100% owned by Tine) *

Sunniva Saint Sunniva (10th century; Old Norse ''Sunnifa'', from Old English ''Sunngifu'') is the patron saint of the Norwegian Church of Norway Diocese of Bjørgvin, as well as all of Western Norway. Sunniva was venerated alongside her brother Alban, ...

, produces and distributes juice and

soft drink A soft drink (see § Terminology for other names) is a drink that usually contains water (often carbonated), a sweetener, and a natural and/or artificial flavoring. The sweetener may be a sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, a su ...

s in Norway (100% owned by Tine) * OsteCompagniet, sells and markets expensive cheeses in Norway (100% owned by Tine) * Wernersson Ost, sells and markets domestic and international cheeses in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

and Denmark (100% owned by Tine)

References

External links

Official site
{{Agricultural cooperatives in Norway Dairy products companies of Norway Agricultural cooperatives in Norway Norwegian companies established in 1928 Food and drink companies established in 1928