A cooperative with values
Danish Crown is a cooperative jointly owned by more than 15,000 farmers, and the fourth largest company in Denmark. These farmers have two major interests in the company. Firstly, they supply the livestock to Danish Crown’s many slaughter-houses and for further processing. Secondly, they also own the company and are therefore interested in generating maximum profits.

Danish Crown’s success in establishing a global business system requiring large investments is largely founded on the ties and the values that still exist in a cooperative.

Willingness to change
Danish Crown operates in a sector in which orders are received in the evening and products are shipped in the morning. Rapid adaptability is essential in order to remain competitive. The ability and willingness to change – both in terms of operations and products – is also essential in order to adapt to the market in time.

The road to a global position as an international food company has been achieved via a carefully planned development strategy, in which product development has been one of the key areas.

Danish Crown all over the world
When a pig is slaughtered at one of the Danish Crown slaughterhouses in Denmark, it is already known which parts of the pig will be processed in Germany, Russia, the Netherlands and Japan. The head goes to one place, the hind quarters to another, the streaky bacon to a third, the shoulder to a fourth, and spare ribs to a fifth. It depends on the meat percentage, cut, weight, animal welfare conditions, and consumer requirements.

The global workplace
Danish Crown has its roots in Denmark, but given that over 90 per cent of production is sold abroad, it is the international, rather than the domestic marketplace, which is most significant. Danish Crown must therefore constantly adapt to remain competitive.

Bringing DC quality home
The way Danish Crown is working with the best chefs is a bit like Formula 1. The major car makers invest in innovation in collaboration with the elite of motor racing. Danish Crown similarly learns a lot from our collaboration with some of the world’s best chefs. They are good at demanding the best quality, and they do not compromise. Danish Crown passes on this experience to consumers in the form of new ingredients and products.