Thirty years of dried food

In 1989, he made his first attempts to freeze-dry his wife's casseroles so he could take them with him on trips. The result was a gentle freeze-drying method that preserved the ingredients' flavour and texture.

Innovation Norway, then known as the Norwegian Industrial Fund, became involved early on and contributed to the project. Through a government research and development contract (now called Innovation Contracts), the Norwegian Army Supply Command became a partner in a year-long collaboration to develop new field rations to replace the tinned food then known as ‘dead man in a tin’.

Since then, we have supported Drytech as it has grown and expanded into new markets. The company is now in its third phase of growth since it was founded, and we have supported every phase with expertise, capital and networks, both in Norway and internationally.

Having the Norwegian Armed Forces as a demanding customer also opened the door to selling field rations to the armed forces of several other countries. Drytech has also succeeded in the consumer market with its widely recognised ‘Real Turmat’ brand.

‘It has been a long-standing partnership. Innovation Norway has supported us through many phases and has been an invaluable resource,’ says Trond Hansen, Rolf Hansen’s son and the current CEO of Drytech.

In 2019, the company moved into a newly built, future-ready factory. Drytech is now embarking on a major transformation project to make the company more sustainable, focusing on areas such as food waste and resource use. We are supporting this project too.

‘Innovation Norway is helping to fund the project and has also introduced us to manufacturing communities in Raufoss and Kongsberg that are at the forefront of digitalisation. Innovation Norway has played an important role in our success. They have opened doors, used their network to explore markets and identify key customers, and connected us with the right centres of expertise,’ says Drytech’s CEO.