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TINE Norway

The “tine” (pronounced teeneh) is a traditional Norwegian wooden container used to keep butter and cheese fresh.  Today this mark guarantees that TINE’s products are of the highest quality.

The road to TINE

At the end of the 19th century, a great expansion in dairy farming in Norway led to an increased need for co-operation within the industry.  The first nationwide organization, Den Norske Meieriforening (the Norwegian Dairy Association), was founded in 1881.

The forerunner of TINE, insuring sales and exportation of the Association’s products, was established in 1928, under the name Norske Meieriers Eksportlag (Norwegian Dairies’ Export Company).

In Canada

It was in 1963 that Norwegian cheese began to be actively sold in Canada.  G.A. Wagner, TINE’s new agent at that time, placed the first order for shipment in July of that year.  It consisted of 25 cases of Norwegian Gouda, 15 cases of Norwegian Edam and 10 cases of Jarlsberg®.  It was shipped on July 24th via the vessel “Makefjell”.  More orders followed later that year, and so the “Jarlsberg® story” began in Canada.

Today Jarlsberg® is one of the top imported branded cheeses sold in this country.

Jarlsberg® Secret Recipe

The original Jarlsberg® is based on a secret Norwegian recipe from 1956 – so secret that only a handful of trusted people know of its whereabouts and custodians. The combination of traditional cheese-making and modern technology gives the cheese an edge; appreciated by both world class and amateur chefs.