Pet food business network paves the way forward

What is required to succeed?

Throughout the day, the participants heard exciting presentations from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority by Ann-Cecilie Hansen, Innovation Norway by Bente Bjørkedal, Peil by Frank Dypshavn, NMBU by Øystein Ahlstrøm, and Tollak K. Krogsæter from Hofseth Biocare.

The contributions from both participants and speakers pointed to several crucial conditions for the Norwegian pet food industry to succeed:

• Clear frameworks for approval and documentation – to ensure safety and trust all the way from raw materials to consumer.

• Market understanding and positioning – where brand building and storytelling help to highlight Norwegian marine raw materials.

• Experiences from established companies showed how high innovation power and long-term market work can open new doors internationally.

Business networks and speakers gathered for professional presentations.

A common opportunity – and a joint effort

Bente Bjørkedal from Innovation Norway summarized why cooperation is critical for success:

Bente Bjørkedal from Innovation Norway.

"Cooperation should create synergies that strengthen the participating companies’ innovation capacity and competitiveness. To achieve good cooperation, it is important to agree on what to work towards, have a good plan, and that all participants are equally active and engaged."

The gathering concluded with a workshop where the companies discussed strategy, activities, and focus for the way forward. The engagement was strong – around both the innovation potential and the need for a coordinated market effort.

Stian Frivåg from Orkla Health Ocean. The image is sourced from fiskeribladet.no

Stian Frivåg from Orkla Health Ocean was very satisfied:

"We gain a lot from being part of a network where we can exchange experiences and expertise. Even though we may be competitors in certain areas, we undoubtedly benefit greatly from collaborating where we have common interests. A physical gathering like this is important for building trust and a solid foundation for further sharing to benefit all parties."

The way forward

After a content-rich day of varied professional insights and good discussions, the members of the network are now even clearer about what they want and can clearly envision the way towards a main project. It is clear that the players agree that the network provides added value - and that it will continue to develop now that the pre-project is nearing completion.

The pre-project is financed by Innovation Norway.