Sardines
King Oscar
King Oscar traces to Norway's 1873 Stavanger Preserving Company and was branded in 1902 under a royal warrant from King Oscar II; now owned by Thai Union, it is one of the world's most recognizable sardine brands, with a wide current range of sardines, brisling, mackerel, salmon, mussels, anchovies and tuna, and its core sardine canning moved to a company-owned plant in Gniewino, Poland in 2008 alongside its continuing Svolvær, Norway facility.
At a glance
| Country | Norway |
|---|---|
| City | Bergen |
| Founded | 1873 The company traces to the Stavanger Preserving Company, founded in 1873 in Norway's 'Canning Town.' The King Oscar brand name and royal-warrant labeling began later, in 1902, when King Oscar II granted Chr. Bjelland & Co. permission to use his name and likeness on sardine tins — which is why some King Oscar materials cite 1902 as the brand's start. Both dates are corroborated by King Oscar's own history page and Wikipedia. |
| Company | Heritage sardine brand (owned by Thai Union Group) |
| Price | $$ — mid-range |
| Species | Sprattus sprattus (European sprat) representative — named on the label |
| Owner | Thai Union Group |
Notable facts
- Carries a royal warrant dating to 1902, when King Oscar II granted Chr. Bjelland & Co. permission to use his name and likeness on sardine labels.
- Traces to the Stavanger Preserving Company, founded 1873 in Norway's 'Canning Town.'
- Its brisling are small, wood-smoked, with soft edible bones.
- 11 Norwegian canneries merged in 1981 to form Norway Foods, which held the brand; later owned by Rieber & Søn ASA (1996), Procuritas Capital Investments (2010), and Thai Union Group since 2014.
- Core sardine production moved to a company-owned facility in Gniewino, Poland in 2008; the company also continues to operate a plant in Svolvær, Norway.
- Current range extends well beyond the classic brisling tin to include EVOO sardines in multiple flavors, Mediterranean-style and skinless & boneless sardines, mackerel, salmon, mussels, anchovies, kipper snacks, and yellowfin tuna.
Behind the tin
Moroccan skinless & boneless sardine SKUs only of King Oscar are packed at Aït Melloul cannery (Agadir), Aït Melloul, Agadir — not the brand's whole range.
The brand is owned by Thai Union Group.
Origin
King Oscar's roots go back to 1873 and Norway's Stavanger Preserving Company, part of the wave of canneries that built Stavanger into "Canning Town." The brand name itself dates to 1902, when King Oscar II granted Chr. Bjelland & Co. a royal warrant to use his name and likeness on sardine tins — a piece of branding that has outlasted the monarchy that granted it.
Eleven Norwegian canneries merged in 1981 to form Norway Foods, which carried the King Oscar name through ownership by Rieber & Søn (from 1996), Procuritas Capital Investments (from 2010), and finally Thai Union Group, which acquired it in 2014 and still owns it today. In 2008, King Oscar moved its core sardine canning to a company-owned facility in Gniewino, Poland, while continuing to operate a plant in Svolvær, Norway — meaning the "Norwegian" tin on the shelf may well have been packed in Poland. Despite the ownership changes and production shifts, King Oscar remains one of the broadest sardine lineups on the market, running from the classic wood-smoked brisling through a wide range of EVOO, Mediterranean, mustard, spicy, low-sodium, and skinless-boneless variants.
Products
Brisling Sardines
Tiny wood-smoked brisling — mellow and smoky.
Where to buySardines in Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Standard EVOO sardine tin, part of the brand's core current range.
Where to buySardines in EVOO with Lemon
Lemon-flavored EVOO sardines.
Where to buySardines, Mediterranean Style
Herb/vegetable-style seasoning.
Where to buySardines in Dijon Mustard
Dijon mustard sauce variant.
Where to buySardines in EVOO with Spicy Cracked Pepper
Cracked black pepper heat.
Where to buySardines in Zesty Tomato Sauce
Tomato sauce variant.
Where to buySardines in EVOO with Jalapeño Peppers
Jalapeño heat.
Where to buySardines in Water, Low Sodium
Low-sodium, packed in water.
Where to buySkinless & Boneless Sardines in Olive Oil
Skinless and boneless preparation, separate product line from the classic bone-in tins.
Where to buyTiny Tots Sardines in EVOO
Smaller-format sardine tin marketed for snacking.
Where to buy
Compiled from public reporting and the brand's own materials.
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