The Hub of Nortura's Plus-Product Ecosystem
Photo: Sune Eriksen
Nortura is Norway’s largest producer of meat and eggs. About two-thirds of the animals slaughtered at their facilities are processed directly into food products for Norwegian consumers. The remaining third consists of what we at Norilia call plus-products. These are hides, skins, wool, intestines, offal, bones, and eggshells.
We call them plus-products because they are still raw materials of significant value. The name signals that when these resources are handled properly, they represent a "plus"—for the farmer, for consumers, and for Norilia.
Norilia Directs the Global Flow of Plus-Products
Norilia serves as the link between Nortura and the market, managing the global flow of plus-products. Nortura has developed a complete ecosystem of subsidiaries that handle, refine, and sell these co-products to ensure that the resources are utilized to their fullest—and also to create value for Norwegian farmers.
Norilia is the hub of this ecosystem, operating an annual volume of approximately 150,000 tons. Around 70 percent of these raw materials are sold on international markets as high-quality and sought-after products.
In this way, Norilia helps create products that the needs and values.
70 Years of Experience
For 70 years, the Nortura group has been creating value from plus-products. Already in the early 1950s, departments were established to handle hides, skins, and wool in what was then called Norges Kjøtt- og Fleskesentral—now Nortura.
In the early 2000s, Norilia was spun off as its own company, carrying with it decades of experience and expertise.
Norilia operates three dedicated facilities that receive, classify, quality-assure, and prepare plus-products for the market:
● a wool station,
● a hide and skin facility, and
● a natural casing plant.
Many plus-products are also shipped directly from slaughterhouses to the market. Norilia manages the entire value chain—from logistics to delivery—ensuring the products meet customer expectations for quality.
We collaborate closely with slaughterhouses to ensure raw material quality is aligned with our customers' strict demands.
More Sustainable Use of Resources
All plus-products from Nortura are integrated into circular product flows, ensuring they are fully utilized. Efficient resource use is a vital contribution to more sustainable operations, and Norilia plays a key role in making that possible.
You can read more about Norilia’s unique position in Nortura’s sustainability report (Norwegian only).
Innovation, Product Development, and Research
Norilia continuously works to explore new markets and applications, ensure quality, and manage logistics efficiently. We put strong emphasis on research and innovation and are actively involved in numerous research projects.
Many of these projects aim to develop new bioprocesses and apply new technologies to transform raw materials into innovative and sustainable ingredients. We also work to improve and streamline our own operations.
The creation of Bioco and the processing facility at Nortura Revetal are direct results of such initiatives.
This is how the ecosystem that refines and utilizes the plus-products from Nortura’s meat and egg production works:
