2021 in numbers
- 352 MNOK Revenue
- 42 MNOK EBIT (adj)
- 8716 tons Production volume (1)
- Kristiansand Locations
- 31 No. of employees
- 29 % Share of female employees
- 20 % Share of female managers
- 4.5 2.0 / 2.5 % Sick leave Short term/long term
Who we are
Sørlandschips was founded in 1990 when one of the founders returned to Kristiansand from the US with a plastic bag filled with potato chips. Now, still located in Kristiansand, Sørlandschips holds the number two market position and is the most preferred chips brand in Norway.
Sørlandschips’ emissions are over three times higher (per good produced) than other brands in the Scandza portfolio. A key part of making potato chips is frying. As frying requires a large amount of energy, it is in general more energy consuming than the processes done at the other production sites. However, energy consumption is high on the agenda and it is recognised that continuous improvements related to optimisation of production processes are key to reducing energy use. In 2021 Sørlandschips invested in production equipment expected to reduce energy consumption by 5-10% from 2022.
All soil, rock and sand washed from the potatoes must be deposited for 40 years to prevent possible agricultural diseases from spreading. This is categorized as a landfill, but will be good topsoil when it can be used by the next generation!
A snapshot of Sørlandschips in 2021
Sørlandschips is aiming to be the most sustainable chips brand on the market. One of our most important measures is to reduce food waste along the value chain. That’s why we use 95% of the potatoes the farmers harvest – saving 5 millions of potatoes each year. Keeping the peel on saves another 10 million potatoes a year.
Our new chips bag consists of more than 50% paper, reducing 80 tons of plastic annually. Since 2016, we have managed to have 64 kilos of chips on every pallet. This makes transportation more effective and reduces the amount of heavy lifting in the stores.
The Diversity Award is the state’s award for outstanding use of immigrants’ skills in working life, and we are proud to have been nominated for this prize in 2021. Sørlandschips has at any given time around five people taking a trade certificate or receiving work training in collaboration with NAV. In addition, the factory is made available for language training for refugees.
Sustainability going forward
Sørlandschips will continue to focus its efforts on being the most sustainable chips brand on the market, dealing with all the different sustainability aspects that come with it. We will continue to track and report our progress in line with the requirements from Scandza. Furthermore we will run our business aligned with the Scandza governance framework and participate in all centrally organized initiatives.
1Products includes chips and chocolate, the Poppa range of healthier snacks, as well as house brands like Bondens (Rema 1000) and Tynn&Sprø (Norgesgruppen).