Kristiansand, Norway-based Norwegian Seafood Group has launched its premium salmon brand VÅRLAKS in U.S. retailer Lowes Foods as part of a broader plan to make the U.S. the brand’s main growth market.
While Europe remains an important market for VÅRLAKS, the company recently expanded its U.S. presence, launching in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.A.-based Lowes Foods, which operates nearly 100 stores in the Southeastern U.S.
Lowes is testing the salmon in 25 stores, and the company is hoping to expand to additional locations, VÅRLAKS Unit Leader Pieter Kapitein said.
“This is an important step in the further expansion of VÅRLAKS within the American retail market and a strong example of the growing demand for differentiated, premium salmon concepts,” Kapitein said.
VÅRLAKS, which sources its salmon from family-owned farms above the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway, is already available in multiple U.S. states, and Kapitein said the Lowes partnership marks just the latest step in its plans to continue expansion in U.S. retail and foodservice.
“We are building the market selectively rather than trying to become a commodity supplier everywhere. Our focus is primarily on retailers and partners that see value in provenance, premium positioning, and consumer education,” Kapitein said.
VÅRLAKS is a brand under the Norwegian Seafood Group, formerly operating as Visscher Seafood, which was established in 1986. VÅRLAKS launched in 2019 and was established as a dedicated unit within the group, allowing it to focus fully on brand development, retail partnerships, and international growth.
The decision to create a dedicated VÅRLAKS unit was a “direct result of the growth we were seeing and the opportunities we believe exist for the brand,” Kapitein said.
The company does not disclose harvest volumes, but Kapitein said VARLAKS has substantial room to grow and the company works closely with its farming partners, allowing it to scale as demand increases.
“Being part of Norwegian Seafood Group gives us access to the sourcing capabilities, infrastructure, and international network needed to support that growth, while VÅRLAKS itself remains a dedicated business with the personal approach and close farmer relationships that are central to the brand,” he said.
VÅRLAKS translates roughly to “our salmon” in Norwegian, reflecting the idea of connecting consumers more closely to the families, locations, and people behind the salmon.
“Rather than selling salmon purely as a commodity, our focus is on building a recognizable consumer brand around origin, transparency, quality, and storytelling. A major part of VÅRLAKS is also what happens after the product reaches the retailer. We put a lot of focus on in-store education, staff training, consumer storytelling, and marketing support. We want the seafood teams behind the counter to understand where the salmon comes from and be able to explain that story to customers,” Kapitein said, including the fact VÅRLAKS salmon is fully traceable from egg to plate and raised without antibiotics or GMOs.
