Tine ba

TINE SA is Norway's largest producer, distributor and exporter of dairy products with 11,400 members (owners) and 9,000 cooperative farms. Our goal being to provide the consumers with food that provides a healthier and positive food experience.

TINE has several wholly and partially-owned subsidiaries, both in Norway and abroad. In addition to the dairy business, TINE is involved in the production of food products such as juice, ice cream and fresh convenience dishes.

This activity mainly takes place through wholly-owned subsidiaries such as Diplom-Is and Ostecompagniet, and partially-owned subsidiaries such as Fjordland.

TINE’s goal is for an even bigger share of turnover to come from dairy activities and sales of speciality cheeses in markets outside of Norway. TINE’s subsidiaries in Sweden, Denmark, the UK and the USA are working actively to achieve this objective.

Jarlsberg® is currently TINE’s biggest export commodity. Approximately 60 percent of Jarlsberg® produced in Norway is exported. In addition, the Jarlsberg® produced in the USA and Ireland is sold on the international market. Furthermore, processing, manufacturing and packing of other types of cheeses take place at TINE plants in the UK and Sweden.

With steep hills down to the fiords, high mountains, small pieces of land, cold winters and short summers, Norway may seem an unlikely place to have active farming across the country. The key to achieving this is a tradition of family farming that has continued for centuries.

So far, society and politicians have supported family farming as a tool to achieve the highest possible national self- sufficiency based on national resources. And farmers have achieved access to the market by creating and developing strong farmer-owned cooperatives.

Forestry is also an important part of family farming, as a substantial proportion of the cultivated forest in Norway is family owned and often combined with other agricultural production. Only a low percentage of farming families are able to earn enough income from traditional production on the farm. In most parts of the country, farming has traditionally been combined with other activities such as fisheries and logging.

Today, one or several members of the family usually have another occupation besides taking part in running the farm. However, the family lives on the farm and contributes significantly to the activity and economy in rural communities.

Norway covers a distance of 2,500 kilometres from the southern part to North Cape at 71 degrees north. The climate and conditions for agriculture differ significantly from south to north and from the fiords to the mountain areas inland. Population density is low, with a total population of 5 million inhabitants. An increasing proportion of the population lives in cities and urban areas.

Only 3 percent of Norway’s total area is arable land, and 30 percent of this can be used for grain production and vegetables. The rest of the area can only be used for grass production. In addition, sheep and cattle graze in the mountains during a short, but intensive summer.

Three percent of Norway’s total area is arable land

With a very few exemptions, Norwegian farmers produce for the domestic market. Still, the country’s degree of selfsufficiency is less than 50 per cent on an energy basis. Norway thus has a substantial net import of food, and national food security is an important issue.

Norway has a national objective to maintain domestic production and, within existing multilateral trade commitments, cover the national demand for those products that naturally grow in the country. The agricultural sector also has many social objectives. To meet society’s needs, agriculture must produce safe and healthy food of high quality in the light of consumer preferences, and produce public goods such as viable districts, a broad range of environmental and cultural benefits, and secure long-term food production.

Norwegian agriculture mainly covers the domestic demand for milk and milk products, pig meat, poultry and eggs. Norwegian farmers produce 80-90 per cent of the national demand for beef and sheep meat. The national market share for grain and potatoes is approximately 60 per cent. Only 25 per cent of the demand for vegetables, fruits and berries is produced in Norway.

The TINE Group is owned by a cooperative of Norwegian dairy farmers. The main objective of the cooperative is to provide its owners with the best possible price for their milk and to create an organization with the power to evolve and adapt for the future.

Throughout TINE's long history, going back more than 160 years, we have built the business on diligence as regards both technical food and production expertise, with more than 1,300 product lines in our portfolio, produced at 31 dairies spread right across Norway.

TINE has two central warehouse locations and two terminals, in addition to several Norwegian and foreign fully and partly-owned subsidiaries. The majority of TINE's international activity is in the USA, Canada, Australia, Germany, Sweden and the UK.

As a corporate citizen, TINE takes active responsibility with regard to social and environmental factors. The group aspires to give back to the local community. Activities TINE is involved in include sports events for juniors and sponsoring the Norwegian Red Cross.

The "tine" (pronounced teeneh) is a traditional Norwegian wooden container to keep butter and cheese fresh. Dairy products were traditionally produced on farms using different wooden vessels. These were often attractively carved and occasionally richly decorated in the traditional Norwegian "rose painting" style.

Today, the TINE trademark is strongly linked to the top quality of TINE's products.

In a cooperative, the owners receive their share of the profits through the payment they receive for the milk they supply. Each member owns one share in TINE. TINE currently has around 11,400 members (owners) and 9,000 cooperative farms.

Rausjødalen Setermeieri is both Norway’s and northern Europe’s oldest cooperative dairy, and Europe’s first communal dairy north of the Alps. Rausjødalen Setermeieri is regarded as the birthplace of TINE and laid the foundations for the development of the dairy cooperative in Norway.

In a cooperative, the owners receive part of the profit based on the sales that they have made, not a return on invested capital. It is the farmers’ milk deliveries that form the basis for running TINE cooperatively.

• The advantage for the owners is guaranteed milk sales to a modern industry that works to achieve the highest possible payment for the raw ingredient and democratic control over the company.
• The advantage for the industry is stable, long-term ownership.

A cooperative is an organisational form similar to other company forms. A cooperative is the most effective organisation for many small companies that need to perform certain tasks together. It looks after the interests of its members as purchasers and sellers of goods and services.

The TINE cooperative is based on the principles of cooperatives:

• Voluntary and open membership
• Democratic control by the membership
• The financial participation of members
• Autonomy and independence
• Training, education and information
• Cooperation between cooperative societies
• Social responsibility