Olav Kavli

Who was Olav Kavli?

Olav Kavli was a Norwegian business man who founded the Kavli company.

Ole Knudsen Kavli was born at Årø in Bolsøy, in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. Kavli grew up on Ytre Årø, a small farm east of Molde. As an 18-year-old he went to Bergen, where he took trade school courses.

As a 21-year-old in 1893, he established a delicatessen in Bergen. He soon established connections with trade with the United Kingdom, Sweden and Denmark with trade to the United States in 1910. He founded Kavli Holding AS. in Sandnes in 1914.

The major breakthrough came in 1924 when he succeeded at creating the world's first durable soft cheese with a long shelf life. He named it after the first flowers of spring Primula. Today, the company he founded sells produce in 30 countries from plants located in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, England and Scotland.

Kavli died in Bergen.