Friele (Kaffehuset Friele; ) is a Norwegian coffee manufacturer and brand based in Midtun, a commercial and residential district of the borough of Fana in Bergen, Norway. Friele is the largest producer of coffee in Norway. It is part of JDE Peet's.[1]
Company history
The company was started in 1799 when ship captain Herman Friele (1763–1843) landed in Bergen to start trading. He bought a property in Bergen and established an import business with emphasis on coffee. Towards the middle of the 19th century, coffee consumption was growing due to falling prices from increased global production. [2] Herman Friele ran the company until his retirement in 1835, when his youngest son Berent Friele (1810–1897) took over. In 1862, he took two partners on board; his son Herman Friele (1838–1921) and son-in-law Alexander B. Grieg. The company name was also changed to B. Friele & Sønner. Friele and Grieg owned the company together until 1897, when Grieg left and Friele's son Berent Friele (1862–1902) became partner. In 1900, the older Friele took another son Herman (1877–1961) on board as partner, and retired himself.