17 April 2024
Under the Radar: From cherry supplier to cherry wine and juice maker - Frederiksdal’s founder on how a slump in cherry prices kickstarted the firm’s transformation process
It’s literally cherry on the cake to speak to a company said to be the only in the world so far that produces wine from – not grapes, but cherries!
Our guest for today is Frederiksdal, a Danish firm that specialises in beverages like juices and wines made from Danish Stevns Cherry.
These are not the sweet cherries we eat during summer time, but those that taste sour with high sugar and acid content.
Such cherries are called Grapes of the North. They are not eaten directly but are said to be perfect for making items like sauces, juices, jams or even wines.
Back to Frederiksdal, the firm is named after the Frederiksdal Estate in Southern Denmark which grows these cherries.
It traces back to 1756 and has been owned by the Krabbe family for three generations, who used to sell the cherries to juice manufacturers.
But as life would have it, cherry prices tumbled in 2006, prompting its third generation owner to make the cherries farmed into wine and juices on its own instead.
The story takes itself forward from there, as the firm grows to become one of the biggest wineries in Nordic cities, shipping its products to all parts of the world. So how has Frederiksdal’s value proposition changed over the years and how has that transformation process reaped benefits for the firm?
Meanwhile, the company had said in a media report that its key export markets now include Singapore, China, the US and Japan. But what is driving export demand right now and what will continue to be its key drivers of growth?
On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Harald Krabbe, Founder, Frederiksdal.

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