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![]() The Hjemstavnsgaard farmhouse on the island of Funen, pictured in 2006 | |
Company type | Subsidiary |
---|---|
Industry | Food |
Founded | 1966 |
Fate | Merged with Kjeldsen to form Kelsen; Royal Dansk became a brand |
Headquarters | , |
Products | Butter cookies |
Owner |
|
Parent | Kelsen Group A/S |
Website | royal-dansk.com |
Royal Dansk (meaning "Royal Danish") is a Danish brand of butter cookies, manufactured by Kelsen Group A/S.[1] It is known for its distinctive royal blue round tin container.[2] Since 2019, the brand is owned by Italian conglomerate Ferrero SpA, after it acquired the Kelsen Company for $300 million.[1]
The "Royal Dansk Company" was started in 1966 in Helsingør, Denmark.[2] In 1990 it merged with another biscuit company, Kjeldsen, whose butter cookies are particularly well known in Hong Kong and China.[2] The merger formed the company Kelsen.[2] Kelsen was acquired by Campbell in 2013,[3] and then sold to Italian manufacturer Ferrero in 2019 for $300 million.[4][5]
The blue tin box features an image of the Hjemstavnsgaard farmhouse on the island of Funen in Denmark.[2] The container has become a part of popular culture, with many people having kept the tin box and used it for storing other items, most commonly sewing supplies.[6][7][8][9][10][11]