Danish Crown: farmer-owned pork and beef cooperative
Danish Crown profile: the farmer-owned meat cooperative from Randers, Denmark, with pork, beef and processed meat and DKK 65.4 billion revenue in 2024/25.
Danish Crown is a farmer-owned Danish meat group that slaughters and processes pigs and cattle delivered by its cooperative owners.
Denmark · Farmer-owned
Danish Crown is a farmer-owned food company based in Randers, Denmark. As a cooperative, it is owned by the producers whose livestock deliveries supply its slaughter and processing operations. The group sells pork, beef and processed meat products and is organised into business units including Danish Crown Industry, Danish Crown Foods and Danish Crown UK, with Danish Crown Beef run as a further unit. Its brands include Friland, Norland and Danish Veal.
For farmers, Danish Crown is both the buyer of their animals and a business they own. Members deliver pigs and cattle, which are slaughtered, processed and sold as fresh and processed meat. Farm income depends on the payment for each delivery, made up of a base price, quality deductions and any supplementary payments, so it is linked to how well the cooperative performs. Membership terms, animal welfare requirements and collection schedules shape everyday dealings.
Size of the business
Group revenue for the 2024/25 financial year was approximately DKK 65.4 billion. This covers the whole Danish Crown group rather than the single Danish Crown A/S company.
What does the company offer?
Danish Crown sells pork, beef and processed meat products, and works with livestock farmers who supply the cooperative.
How should a buyer make contact?
Danish Crown organises its business by country and business unit, and its website lists the local contacts for each market. Livestock suppliers and meat buyers deal with different parts of the cooperative. Enquiries are handled most smoothly when they state the intended application, the scale of the project and the timing required.
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