Hjem-IS facts for kids
Hjem-IS (in Denmark and Norway), Hemglass (in Sweden), and Kotijäätelö (in Finland) all mean "Home Ice Cream." This popular brand sells ice cream across the Nordic countries. It's famous for its unique way of delivering ice cream right to people's homes. You'll often see their bright blue ice cream vans driving around. Unlike many ice cream trucks that sell single servings, these vans sell ice cream in bigger boxes. In Sweden, the vans play a special tune that sounds a bit like the Laurel and Hardy theme song. In Denmark, the vans ring a bell to let everyone know they're nearby!
The Story of Home Ice Cream
The idea for Home Ice Cream started in Sweden. A man named Eric Ericsson founded Hemglass in 1968. The company grew quickly and began selling ice cream in other countries too. It came to Denmark in 1976. Later, in 1993, it expanded to Norway and Finland. For a while, there was a main company called Hjem-IS Europa A/S. This company was based in Kolding, Denmark, and operated from 1991 to 2008. Home Ice Cream also sold its products in some parts of the United Kingdom from the late 1980s until the early 2000s.
Changes in Ownership
For many years, from 2002 to 2013, the Home Ice Cream group was part of a very large food company called Nestlé. But on December 31, 2013, Nestlé decided to sell off its Home Ice Cream businesses. The parts in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden were sold to three different companies. Sadly, the Finnish part of the business was closed down.
The Swedish company, Hemglass, was bought by a company called Varsego Sverige AB. In 2014, the Norwegian division was taken over by Isbjørn Is. The Danish company, Hjem-IS Denmark, was sold to a group of four investors. They combined it with their own company, Viking Is. Later, in 2017, this combined ice cream business was sold again. It was bought by another ice cream maker called Premier Is, which had also been part of Nestlé before. Premier Is is now owned by a company called Food Union.
