TINE SA () is the largest

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

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 A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

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 Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. Immune factors and immune ...

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 Jarlsberg ( , ) is a mild cheese made from cow's milk, with large, regular eyes, originating from Jarlsberg, Norway. It is produced in Norway, as well as in Ireland and the US state of Ohio, licensed from Norwegian dairy producers. It is classi ...

, Snøfrisk

goat cheese Goat cheese, or chèvre ( or ; from French language, French ''fromage de chèvre'' 'goat cheese'), is cheese made from goat's milk. Goats were among the first animals to be domesticated for producing food. Goat cheese is made around the world w ...

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). Tine is the most dominant of the thirteen

agricultural cooperatives in Norway The agricultural cooperatives in Norway ( no, Landbrukssamvirket) consists of 13 companies, each organised as independent farmer owned cooperatives. They cover four different areas for the farmers: refining and sale of produce, financial services, ...

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 A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

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 The International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) is a non-governmental co-operative federation or, more precisely, a co-operative union representing co-operatives and the co-operative movement worldwide. It was founded in 1895 to unite, represent an ...

. 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" is a traditional Norwegian wooden container, not unlike the

Shaker-style pantry box The Shaker-style pantry box is a round bentwood box made by hand. Such boxes are "associated with Shaker folklife because they express the utility and uniformity valued in Shaker culture." Description The bentwood box was originally a workin ...

, which could be used to keep butter and cheese fresh.

Subsidiaries

Subsidiaries which are partly or fully owned by Tine: *

Diplom-Is Diplom-Is AS is a Norwegian manufacturer of ice cream owned by the dairy group Tine. In 2005, the company produced of ice cream, and held a market share of 53% domestically. Among the most notable own brands are Royal, Dream, Krone-Is, Pin-Up, L ...

, Scandinavia's largest ice-cream producer (100% owned by Tine) *

Fjordland Fjordland is a Norwegian food manufacturer that produces easy made dinners, margarine, yogurt and other dessert dairy products. It is owned by the three agricultural cooperatives Tine, Nortura and Hoff and uses raw products from the three own ...

, a ready-made food company (51% owned by Tine) * Norseland Ltd.,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

division (100% owned by Tine) * Norseland Inc., distributes and markets Tine's cheeses in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

(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 Juice is a drink made from the extraction or Cold-pressed juice, pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat ...

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 ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of 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