Taking chocolate to the world

'We are not doing this primarily for ourselves, but to create jobs and something the village can be proud of and that people will enjoy. We want to bring people together in pleasant surroundings – quite simply, to spread and create chocolate joy,' says Iris Aune from Jentene på Tunet.

Iris Martinsen Aune is a chef and nutritionist from Northern Norway who has become Selbu's answer to Willy Wonka. Her husband, Eivind Aune, is a farmer with an MBA in Marketing who gave up the cowshed to complete their chocolate adventure. In summer 2020, they opened an impressive chocolate factory in Trøndelag. They now welcome all chocolate lovers to their farm, where they offer a range of flavours of their signature product, Sjokoladefryd. The idea began in 2015, when the couple ran the Selbutunet course and conference centre and needed something to do on days when they had no guests. They made chocolate as a dessert for the course and conference menu. Their guests loved the chocolate and began buying more and more to take home. It was not long before the couple sold the course and conference centre to focus fully on chocolate production. They founded Jentenepaatunet AS and received their first grant from us in 2018. Since then, we have provided advisory, business development grants and investment grants. 'Business development costs money and requires expertise. Innovation Norway has helped us reduce risk and ease cash flow challenges through grants, as well as providing expertise and acting as a sounding board. They have also given us valuable visibility in the market,' says Eivind. Jentene på Tunet has grown from two to more than 500 retailers in a short time. Retailers – including grocery shops, hotels, delicatessens, cafés and restaurants – account for 70% of sales. Direct sales to corporate customers account for 15%, while the remaining 15% comes from direct sales through the online shop and the company's own farm shop. The company has its strongest presence in Central Norway, but works with retailers throughout the country. The Selbu-based company is also strongly committed to its local community. In addition to its 12 permanent employees, it provides part-time work for a large group of local young people, as well as work experience and language training for several newcomers to Selbu municipality. Jentene på Tunet takes a deliberate approach to diversity in its recruitment, and several employees have an immigrant background.

The company has grown rapidly in a short time, doubling its turnover every year since it was founded. Working with us, Jentene på Tunet planned and converted its farm building into a chocolate factory. Both the applicant and our adviser thought that the 1,000-square-metre building would provide plenty of space. 'We moved “home” in June 2020, into a fully renovated farm building, and we are already expanding into another building,' says Eivind. Although a great deal has happened in a short time, the couple believe their chocolate journey is still only just beginning. They see many opportunities and dream of taking their chocolate beyond Norway's borders. A strong core team has been crucial to their growth: Iris in product development, Eivind in sales and business development, and a growing number of skilled colleagues. They believe the market potential is considerable, but time and money limit the pace of growth. The company has many ideas for new products and also envisages selling products from other producers through its well-established and growing retailer network. 'Chocolate from many countries is sold in Norway, but there is very little Norwegian chocolate abroad. We want to lead the way in changing that! We have already registered “Northern Lights Chocolate” as a trademark throughout the EU,' says Eivind of their ambition to expand internationally. They have been in touch with our international office in London and received export advisory from their adviser at our Trøndelag office. 'The financial support is one thing, but having someone to ask, someone behind us who pushes us and always believes in us, means so much. Especially now that we are about to start exporting,' says Iris of our support.

Jentene på Tunet won medals at the International Chocolate Awards four years in a row (2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020), and its Northern Lights Chocolate earned the company the title of 'Newcomer of the Year' at the Trøndelag Food Festival in 2017. In 2020, the company won two gold medals, three silver medals and a special award at the International Chocolate Awards, with the jury naming its chocolate 'the best in Scandinavia'. The company also won the national Business Development Award in Agriculture in 2020. 'Jentene på Tunet is a strong example of the exciting creativity and innovation taking place in and around agriculture,' said Minister of Agriculture and Food Olaug Bollestad.