The company was originally founded in 1987 by Bjarne and Tore’s father, and Bjarne joined in 1989, putting in long shifts to help the company grow. But it was only around the year 2000 that the company we see today was born, when the two brothers relaunched the company and brand name. Bjarne and Tore have found that they work well together and have developed their distinctive roles in the company. “Tore is our quality & technical guru, and I excel in logistics,” Bjarne says with a smile. Through clever recruitment, they have built a team that delivers consistent quality every day.
“Right from the start, we knew what we wanted the company to be,” Bjarne said. “It can all be summarised by two words: Quality and Consistency.”
This philosophy of quality is visible in everything they do; The staff are all highly qualified in their trade, the machinery and equipment are modern and well maintained, the company’s finances are solid year-by-year, they partner only with suppliers that subscribe to the same philosophy of quality and can deliver first-rate raw materials, and the line of products produced at Fana Kjøtt is second to none.
In fact, the company even won a prize for their “pinnekjøtt” recently.
“We are still a relatively small company with great flexibility in how we serve our customers,” Bjarne explains. With a small and efficient organisation with skilled people, Fana Kjøtt can respond quickly to customer requests and deliver high quality products with short lead times – which has been greatly appreciated by their customers. Customers and partners that visit the production facility in Sandbrekkevegen, are struck by the structure and tidiness. Production equipment is new and well maintained, there is no garbage lying around and there is that aura of professionalism you find in companies that are comfortable and confident about what they are.
Talking to Ronny Pettersen, Head of Production and Purchasing at Fana Kjøtt, confirm perhaps the key element in the success of the company: “The company really invests in the people working here,” he says. Not only does the company take the entire staff on an annual trip somewhere far away – they have been to places like Dubai, New York – but even more important is that the entire company, understands and supports the company culture of pride, passion, and quality. “We want everyone to feel proud of working at Fana Kjøtt,” Bjarne explains, “only then will they truly deliver the quality we strive for.” And if employee loyalty is a sign of pride, Fana Kjøtt has succeeded on this point as well; of the twelve people working at the company, the newest employee started four years ago, and many have been with the company almost since the beginning. “We all know when to joke, and when to buckle up and put in that little extra effort to deliver to our own standards,” says Ronny. “The owners are more like a playing/coach than traditional managers,” to use football terminology.”
By ensuring they have built a solid foundation for the future, the people at Fana Kjøtt are excited about the future. Bjarne is visibly proud when he talks about the journey Fana Kjøtt has been through so far and looks forward to the next twenty years of exciting opportunities. “We must ensure that we remain proactive and don’t get complacent,” he underlines, “we want to keep the positive chaos we have created as an organisational structure and culture today, but also ensure we have the financial and organisational resources to continue our development also in the future.”
