TEATIME TREATS Bisca A/S, Denmark’s largest producer of cakes and biscuits, is the company behind the well-known brands, Bakkegaarden and Karen Volf. Last year, Bisca was acquired by the Norwegian consumer goods company Scandza AS, which is majority owned by the private equity firm, Lindsay Goldberg. Joseph Altham reports on an acquisition that has strengthened Scandza’s position as a leading Scandinavian consumer goods company.
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isca supplies a delicious range of teatime treats to the Scandinavian consumer, from Danish cookies to marzipan cakes. The company’s production facilities are located in the pretty market town of Stege, on the Danish island of Møn. Bisca employs around 460 people, the majority of whom work at the company’s 35,000 m2 production site. With total annual sales of 728 million Danish kroner, Bisca is the market leader in Denmark in the biscuits and cakes segment. Bisca has a strong presence in the Norwegian and Swedish markets and also exports to Britain, Finland and Russia. High production values have helped Bisca to earn the trust of the Scandinavian
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consumer. The company has obtained IFS (International Food Standard) certification and is also certified to the standards of the British Retail Consortium. However, Bisca is especially proud to hold the royal warrant, as a Purveyor to the Royal Danish Court. Craftsmanship and high quality are vital to Bisca’s success, but the company also emphasises sustainability. In 2008, Bisca launched a programme of energy-saving measures in partnership with the energy efficiency specialist, Danfoss Solutions. By the spring of 2010, Bisca succeeded in reducing its energy consumption by 17 per cent and lowering its annual carbon emissions by 1320 tons.
Products and brands Bisca is a company with a long history. The Karen Volf brand dates back to 1890, when Karen Volf started a cake-making business in the town of Hellerup, near Copenhagen. Today Bisca offers a selection of tempting cakes under the Karen Wolf label. These include Danish truffle cakes, which are made with fruit and rum, bite-sized lemon cakes and Dark Delights, little cakes that have an orange cream filling and are covered with Belgian chocolate. The company is equally famous for its traditional Danish cookies. Sold in attractive-looking 400g boxes, Bisca’s Danish cookies come in five different shapes, including vanilla ring, vanilla star and pretzel.
