Holli Mølle wins the 2023 Business Development Award in Agriculture

'Thank you to Innovation Norway and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food for this award. It recognises what we have achieved so far and gives us a boost for what lies ahead,' said proud award winner Trygve Nesje after the minister had read out the jury's reasons.

The winner processes organic Norwegian grain from no fewer than 55 different grain producers into new, high-quality grain products enjoyed by a growing number of customers. Through a long-term, innovative approach, the company has successfully harnessed the resources of the farm and the agricultural sector in a profitable way.

The award was presented by Minister of Agriculture and Food Geir Pollestad at Internationale Grüne Woche in Berlin on Thursday 18 January. The winner receives NOK 250,000 from us.

The other nominees for this year's National Rural Development Award were Åkerkvinnene, winners of the regional award for Vestfold and Telemark, and Bonsak Malt, winners of the regional award for Trøndelag. Read more about all the finalists.

The winner established a mill on the family farm in Spydeberg, Østfold, in 2007, but the family’s milling tradition stretches back several centuries, to the 1700s. The company is a well-established food producer that makes and sells flour and grain products from Norwegian-grown grain. It uses spelt, heritage grains and wheat, all organically grown.

Through its operations, Holli Mølle has helped increase demand for organic flour products. This has, in turn, boosted organic grain production in Norway and increased the share of Norwegian grain in domestic consumption, which is important for Norway's self-sufficiency. The company has contracts with 55 grain producers. The raw materials are fully traceable, allowing the flour to be labelled with the farm where the grain was grown. By using Norwegian-grown, organic raw materials, the company helps reduce transport, pesticide and artificial fertiliser use, thereby improving environmental sustainability.

The company makes a conscious effort to use local workers and suppliers when upgrading or expanding its operations, and is also strongly committed to social inclusion. This includes employing people who face barriers to entering the workforce and recruiting a large proportion of its employees through NAV.

Each year, we award the Agricultural Business Development Award on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. The award recognises those who have built a successful business or industry based on rural and agricultural resources. Each county selects a winner, who receives NOK 50,000. The county winners then compete for the national award of NOK 250,000. Here you can see the regional award winners.

Agder: Størdal Gård, Tvedestrand – meat processing and sales, food service and catering

Innlandet: Monssveen gaard, Brøttum - food production and dairy

Møre og Romsdal: Svinvik gard, Kvanne - restaurant operations

Nordland: Stavsmarken farm and sausage maker, Vega - slaughter and food processing

Oslo: Metervare - sausage maker

Rogaland: Torvholen farm, Jæren – farm and dementia centre

Troms and Finnmark: Mør local food producer, Vadsø - sustainable food production

Trøndelag: Bonsak Malt, Levanger - producing malt from Norwegian grain

Vestfold and Telemark: Åkerkvinnene, Larvik – collaboration on experience destinations

Vestland: Indrefjord farm, Hyllestad – dairy production and rural services

Viken: Holli Mølle, Spydeberg - processing organic grain