Aarhus Oliefabrik A/S

Aarhus Oliefabrik A/S (Colloq.: Oliemøllen) was a company and oil mill in Aarhus, Denmark. Established in 1871 it was one of the largest employers in the city through the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Aarhus Olie produced vegetable oil and press cakes for agricultural consumption, with large export markets in Russia. At its height, the mill installation in Aarhus employed one in ten workers in the city, while its products made up a third of exports through the Port of Aarhus and a quarter of rail exports.[1][2]

Aarhus Oliefabrik A/S

Aarhus Oliefabrik at M. P. Bruuns Bro, 1935
Type	Public limited company
Industry	Manufacturing
Founded	1871
Founder	Otto Mønsted
Headquarters	Aarhus , Denmark
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Vegetable oil, Press cake

The mill quickly gained a reputation as a welfare oriented company that established social security systems ahead of public legislation and made vacation and free time available for its workers at an unusual rate for the time. With a large number of employees, an active social life and an internal powerplant of its own, Aarhus Oil mill functioned as a small city within the city to some extent.[3]

In 2003, the company and its subsidiaries were reorganized as Aarhus United A/S and in 2005 it merged with Swedish Karlshamns AB to form AarhusKarlshamn AB.[3]

History

Aarhus Oliefabrik was established in 1871 under the name Arhus Palmekærnefabrik in the street of Jægergårdsgade. The venture was supported by some of the foremost businessmen at the time, such as Hans Broge and Otto Mønsted.[1]

The initial installation produced vegetable oil from palm kernels, seeds, nuts and fruits with press cakes as a byproduct, all sold as animal feed. In the 1880s, the company expanded with a factory in Liepāja, Latvia which was then sold off in 1892, while the factory in Aarhus was restructured to produce margarine oil based on copra, sesame, peanuts and palm kernels. The oil industry at the time was characterized by a few large, international corporations and Aarhus Oliefabrik followed this pattern. The company bought production facilities and established subsidiaries across Europe, especially England, while trade companies and trade posts were established in countries producing the necessary raw materials.[1][3]

In 1942, the oil mill was bombed by the Royal Air Force, when a plane got lost and spotted a target of opportunity in the Port of Aarhus. The pilot attempted to drop five 500 kilogram bombs on German ships, but he missed and the mill suffered extensive damage. The facility was quickly rebuilt and resumed production after the war.[4]

References

1. "Aarhus Oliefabrik" (in Danish). Aarhus University. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
2. "Aarhus Oliefabrik A/S" (in Danish). Encyclopedia: Den Store Danske. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
3. "Oliefabrik" (in Danish). Aarhus Municipality. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
4. "Aarhus Oliefabrik A/S" (in Danish). Den Gamle By. Retrieved 24 August 2015.