About Us

Kavli was established in 1893 when Olav Kavli opened a tiny (but tasty) cheese store in Bergen, Norway. In 1924, Olav opened his first factory. This is where the magic happened, and he developed the world’s first spreadable cheese — Primula! Since then, the business has grown tremendously. ​

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Today, Kavli Holding AS owns and runs food businesses in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the UK, employing more than 900 employees that manufacture and market brands with annual sales of more than €400 million. Our most popular brands are Kavli, Q-Meieriene, Skyr®, Primula, Castle MacLellan, Eriks, Johnny’s and Planti.

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Kavli has a unique purpose: We create value for good causes, in a sustainable way.

All our profits go to Kavli Trust, which distributes funds to good and deserving causes. This creates proud employees and consumers that want to make a difference.​

About Our Owner

Both founder Olav Kavli and his son Knut Kavli were socially conscious citizens. In 1962, the O. Kavli and Knut Kavli Charitable Trust, today called Kavli Trust, was established and made the sole owner of Kavli Holding. From the outset, the purpose was ”to promote humanitarian work, scientific research and culture”.

In order to give back to society and make a difference, Olav Kavli wanted business success based on a long-term perspective, which Kavli Trust can provide as an owner.

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In 2021 profits from Kavli Holding enabled Kavli Trust to distribute €9,5 million to good causes. The foundation supports a broad spectrum of projects, but prioritises two thematic areas:

   1) Child and adolescent mental health

   2) Climate and environment

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To read more about all the great work done by Kavli Trust, please visit (www.kavlifondet.no).