Scan Magazine | Special Theme | A Taste of Norway
Tradition runs through everything Aron Mat does, with the mother as a symbol of this, honouring the hardworking mothers and housewives that traditionally were the head of the household. “We want to pay homage to all these women who worked so hard to keep local food culture alive and created a tradition for new generations,” says Aronsen.
Award-winning quality In 2002, Aron Mat was the first meat producer in Norway to receive the prestigious Speciality Mark for unique taste. The official labelling system recognises locally produced, high-quality foods and is evaluated and approved by an independent and experienced jury with high professional food competency. “As a producer focusing on local Norwegian ingredients and raw materials as well as local recipes, it was an honour to receive this distinction 15 years ago. We are proud to say that, today, nearly all our products bear this quality mark,” says Aronsen. And he has every reason to be proud. Over the years, Aron Mat has won sev-
eral awards, including gold for their honey-glazed fenalår in the Norwegian championships for meat products. Their staple product, the lamb roll, is a bit of a star in its own right – it is responsible for almost a fourth of the total lamb roll sales in Norway. “It is evident that we are a significant player in this category, which is interesting as it was never meant to be a core product,” Aronsen comments.
Tackling food waste Last year, Aron Mat made a bold move and decided to reduce the size of their main products from 900 grams to 600 grams. “The reason is simple – we throw away too much food in today’s society,” Aronsen says. “As a business committed to sustainable practices, we want to contribute to reduced food waste.” In 2007, the company also introduced a resealable zip-lock on all their cold cut meat packaging, another step in reducing food waste. “The zip-lock allows the meat to stay fresh for longer. We were actually the first in Europe to intro-
duce this kind of packaging for cold cut meats,” Aronsen affirms. Another important factor in Aron Mat’s sustainability philosophy is knowing not only where the meat they use comes from, but also what food the animals have been fed. “We are currently taking part in a research project on feeding regimes, and what we have uncovered is that there are substantial differences in the end product’s taste depending on what the animal was fed. Our goal is to produce products exclusively from meat that has a sustainable national feeding regime,” says Aronsen. A lot has changed since Aron Mat’s humble beginnings in a small village in Arctic Norway, but one thing will never change: “We will always stay true to Norwegian food culture and make sure that old traditions are kept alive through our products,” Aronsen concludes.
Web: www.aronmat.no
Middle: The lamb roll, Aron Mat’s most popular product, is responsible for almost a fourth of the total lamb roll sales in Norway. Bottom left: CEO Espen Aronsen with his award-winning ‘fenalår’. Bottom right: Aron Mat was born in the small Arctic village of Grøtfjorden in northern Norway.
Issue 109 | February 2018 | 49