The locally produced chocolate from Hof has found its way into many homes and the demand for this sweet temptation is only growing. Now the team behind Odin chocolate is looking to expand the factory so they can increase production tenfold.

-"It's really nice to work with chocolate - it makes everyone happy.

This is according to Kristoffer Klausen, Sales Manager at Odin Chocolate. He is one of two full-time employees in the small chocolate factory in Hof, in addition to some part-time employees.

-"We distinguish ourselves from our competitors by making bean to bar - that is, chocolate from cocoa beans, and not from cocoa mass as most producers in Norway do. This gives the chocolate a very good taste.

The company was established in 2021.

It all started in the garage of entrepreneur Tor Bjarne Henriksen. The plan was to make Inca cocoa, but there was just one small problem.

-"Tor Bjarne wanted to be healthy, so he wanted to make Inca cocoa. But it didn't taste very good, so he made chocolate instead," says Kristoffer.

Martin Henriksen and Kristoffer Klausen now run the shop. Tor Bjarne remains as chairman of the board.

Focus on good ingredients

In their premises in the center of Hoff, the two friends have more than enough to do. Here they produce, distribute, market and sell their locally produced chocolate.

Chocolate is made by roasting the cocoa bean, in the same way as coffee beans. Similar to roasting the coffee bean, a higher temperature and a stronger roast produces a darker and more bitter taste. A weaker roast produces a milder and more prominent cocoa flavor.

-"For example, when we make dark chocolate, we make the chocolate from beans rather than pulp, which means it doesn't taste as bitter," Kristoffer explains.

The cocoa beans are imported from South America.

-"We want it to be as natural as possible, so our chocolate has few good ingredients. Here, quality is paramount at every stage and we only use good ingredients.

High demand

Everything is produced and packaged at the factory in Hof. And it's not on the customers. Demand is now so high that they want to scale up production.

Now, they will increase production tenfold to meet demand.

-"We produce around 200-300 bars of chocolate a day. The goal is now to increase this to 2,000 bars per day. We have high demand, so it's really all about production now," Kristoffer explains.

The chocolate can be found in selected stores and on their website.

At the start of 2023, they signed an agreement with NorgesGruppen. Odin chocolate is now available in 30 of their stores. In addition to this, Kristoffer spends a lot of time in stores and at various festivals to promote the chocolate.

-"The response has been very good," he says.

Help from Kobben

Kristoffer contacted Kobben for help with the next phase they are now entering. "A lot of exciting things are happening, and it's good to have people you can consult with," he says.

-"To increase production, we need more machines. We need capital for this, so we are now in contact with investors.

He says the help from Kobben has come in handy.

-"We have received very good help from Kobben. Among other things, we have received good help with the practicalities. In addition, they have the network, which comes in handy.

Read more about the company here!

Written and published October, 2023.