Gunnar Nilsen (31 March 1913 – 3 October 1984) was a Norwegian businessman, industrialist and philanthropist. He is known for founding the food processing company

Stabburet Stabburet is a Norwegian food producer founded by Gunnar Nilsen in 1943. Stabburet is a part of Orkla Foods, and has ten factories in southern Norway Southern Norway (; lit. "The Southland") is the geographical List of regions of Norway, ...

(now

Orkla Group Orkla ASA is a Norwegian conglomerate operating in Europe, Asia and the US. At present, Orkla operates in the branded consumer goods, aluminium products and financial investment sectors. Orkla ASA is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange and its he ...

) with canneries in

Østfold Østfold () is a county in Eastern Norway, which from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 was part of Viken. Østfold borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other ...

and in

Svolvær (Norwegian language, Norwegian, ), , or is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town and the administrative centre of Vågan Municipality in Nordland County, Norway. It is located on the island of Austvågøya in the Lofoten archipelago, alon ...

. Nilsen was born in the parish of

Glemmen Glemmen is a parish and former municipality with the city of Fredrikstad, Østfold county, Norway. History The parish of ''Glemminge'' was established as a municipality 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). A part of Glemmen with 2,013 inhab ...

in the city of

Fredrikstad Fredrikstad (; previously ''Frederiksstad''; literally "Fredrik's Town") is a List of cities in Norway, city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Østfold Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipal ...

, Norway. He was the son of Nils Nilsen (1871–1961) and Anna Abrahamsen (1880–1953). In 1932, he opened a tobacco shop which in 1936, he expanded into a deli. In 1943, Nilsen moved into the production of food products. During the 1950s, the business continued to increase. In 1960, Stabburet built a new factory on Råbekken outside Fredrikstad. Several canned factories in and around Fredrikstad were bought up and a fish processing factory in Svolvær began. In 1962, Stabburet A/S was formed with Gunnar Nilsen as CEO. Nilsen also support a home for children with Down syndrome, home for young people with

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, spasticity, stiff muscles, Paresis, weak muscles, and tremors. There may b ...

and treatment homes for

multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...

. He was decorated Knight, First Class of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

in 1972. He was the subject of a biography written by

Per Øyvind Heradstveit Per Øyvind Heradstveit (26 May 1932 – 11 May 2004) was a Norwegian television journalist and non-fiction writer. Personal life Heradstveit was born on 26 May 1932 in Skjold in Ryfylke and grew up in Hardanger. He was a son of farmer Arne A. ...

in 1978.

References

External links

Stabburet website

Orkla Group website
1913 births 1984 deaths People from Fredrikstad Norwegian industrialists Norwegian company founders Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal 20th-century Norwegian philanthropists {{Norway-business-bio-stub

References

Further reading

External links