Royal Dansk

Royal Dansk
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryFood
Founded1966; 59 years ago (1966)
FateMerged with Kjeldsen to form Kelsen; Royal Dansk became a brand
Headquarters
Helsingør
,
Denmark
ProductsButter cookies
Owner
ParentKelsen Group A/S
Websiteroyal-dansk.com

Royal Dansk (meaning "Royal Danish") is a Danish brand of butter cookies, manufactured by Kelsen Group A/S.[1] It is known for its distinctive royal blue round tin container.[2] Since 2019, the brand is owned by Italian conglomerate Ferrero SpA, after it acquired the Kelsen Company for $300 million.[1]

Overview

The "Royal Dansk Company" was started in 1966 in Helsingør, Denmark.[2] In 1990 it merged with another biscuit company, Kjeldsen, whose butter cookies are particularly well known in Hong Kong and China.[2] The merger formed the company Kelsen.[2] Kelsen was acquired by Campbell in 2013,[3] and then sold to Italian manufacturer Ferrero in 2019 for $300 million.[4][5]

The blue tin box features an image of the Hjemstavnsgaard farmhouse on the island of Funen in Denmark.[2] The container has become a part of popular culture, with many people having kept the tin box and used it for storing other items (most commonly sewing supplies) and thus disappointing curious children hoping for a cookie treat.[6][7][8][9][10][11]

References

  1. ^ a b "Ferrero Buys Danish Cookies From Campbell". iItaly.org. 12 July 2019. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Sen, Mayukh (14 December 2017). "The Enduring Appeal of Royal Dansk Butter Cookies". Vice. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  3. ^ Zacks (12 August 2013). "Campbell Closes Kelsen Group Acquisition - Analyst Blog". www.nasdaq.com. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Campbell Soup shares rise after beating profit estimates on cost cuts". CNBC. 30 August 2019. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  5. ^ Watrous, Monica (24 September 2019). "Ferrero affiliate completes Kelsen acquisition". Food Business News. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  6. ^ Mejia, Paula (27 March 2018). "What's in Your Royal Dansk Cookie Tin?". Atlas Obscura. Archived from the original on 25 May 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  7. ^ Taylor, Sonia. "Reddit discovers the world's most popular repurposing hack". Nine.com.au. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  8. ^ Mejia, Paula (12 April 2018). "Sewing Kits, Umbilical Cords, and Mold: Here's What You Keep in Royal Dansk Tins". Atlas Obscura. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  9. ^ Madarang, Catalina Ricci S. (1 June 2018). "How Danish butter cookie containers became sewing kits". Interaksyon. Archived from the original on 4 January 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  10. ^ Donnella, Leah (16 October 2015). "'Fess Up, Grannies, You Ate The Butter Cookies". NPR. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  11. ^ Tait, Amelia (1 November 2017). "Seriously: Why Does Everyone's Mum Use That Same Cookie Tin for Sewing Stuff?". Vice. Archived from the original on 29 October 2022.