Hofseth's most modern feeding barge is named after Ivar Heggen from Valldal. Perhaps more than anyone else in the country, he was a pioneer in fish farming.

As early as 1917, he began experimenting with aquaculture in earth ponds. At the age of 21, he traveled to Denmark to study hatching and rearing in pond fish facilities. Inspired, he immediately returned home to establish his own hatchery.

Over time, he supplied eggs to buyers across the country and provided extensive consultancy services. Ivar Heggen remained passionately involved in aquaculture throughout his life. In an interview in 1972, he stated
- Fish farming will become one of our largest industries -we are only at the beginning.

Ivar Heggen emphasized the importance of not just harvesting from the sea, but also cultivating it.

Early in the 1950s serious attempts at fish farming began in Norway. Two of those inspired by Ivar Heggen were the brothers Karstein and Oddmund Vik. Hofseth have named the facility closest to the village of Sykkylven, where they operated.

The brothers had land near Vikelva. At the river's mouth, they dug a reservoir for breeding salmon brought from the fjord. They discovered that salmon could be fed in captivity and could reproduce.

By 1955, the Vik brothers had dug three earth ponds: one for seawater, one for fresh water, and one for brackish water. It was found that trout thrived equally well in seawater, and rainbow trout farming in seawater took off in the 1960s. From 1959, they experimented with releasing trout and salmon into floating cages. This was one of the first steps in the development of sea-based aquaculture.

Many people came to Sykkylven to learn from and buy fry from these aquaculture pioneers. In 1959, Karstein, Oddmund, and Olav Vik established the company Nor-Laks, where they produced both smolt and market-size fish.

Hofseth has named the aquaculture site near Stranda in Storfjorden after Lars Opshaugvik, locally known as Lui. He bought Nor-laks and was one of several in the 1970s who both saw the opportunities and worked to develop salmon and rainbow trout farming. The company was later merged into Fjordlaks. In 2016, Hofseth acquired Fjordlaks Aqua and has since continued the proud history of aquaculture in Storfjorden.

Hofseth was established in 2002 based on a vision that more of the fish should be processed close to where it is farmed. Roger Hofseth, our Founder, acquired a closed dairy in Syvde in 2003, on the southern coast of Sunnmøre, which he transformed into a processing facility for salmon and trout. Early in 2005, the first fish was processed.

Roger Hofseth saw an opportunity early on in North America. Together with Geir Even Håberg, he traveled across the continent to promote Norwegian salmon. The first major contract came in Canada in 2006. Today, Hofseth has a large sales office in Tennessee with close to 20 employees, and no one else delivers more salmon directly to the USA than Hofseth.

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Hofseth AS merged with Seafood Farmers of Norway.  This marked the establishment of Hofseth International AS. The processing plant located at Valderøya near Ålesund specializes in smoked salmon and trout, slicing and packing ready-to-eat smoked products, and also delivers a wide range of frozen products.

Roger Hofseth started the biotech company Hofseth Biocare by purchasing the estate of Green Earth Industries from bankruptcy in Midsund and embarking on a biotechnology venture.

Many of the most valuable nutrients are found in parts of the fish that do not become finished products. Hofseth Biocare utilizes by-products from salmon production to create human grade nutrition products. Today, Hofseth Biocare excels in preserving the quality of lipids, proteins, and calcium from fresh salmon off-cuts like no other.

Over one billion Norwegian kroner has been invested in research and development to produce tomorrow's medicines from marine sources. Hofseth Biocare was listed on the stock exchange in 2011.

Hofseth Europe have a sales office in Hamburg, a key distribution hub in Europe. This strategic location allows us to efficiently serve our European customers and streamline our distribution processes. In addition to our Hamburg office, we have sales offices in France and the UK, further enhancing our presence and accessibility in the European market.

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Salmon from Hofseth's factories took the top spot when The Washington Post named the best farmed and wild salmon. A panel of chefs tested both wild and farmed salmon. The farmed salmon took the first five places, and at the top was the salmon produced at Hofseth's factory in Syvde.

The Japanese food company Yokohama Reito (Yokorei) invests in Hofseth. This marked the beginning of a very good partnership that gave Hofseth and Hofseth Biocare the financial flexibility to grow. The Japanese company would also play a crucial role in enabling Hofseth to invest in aquaculture a couple of years later. The good collaboration with the Yokorei continues today.

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Increased volume to the USA market led to the establishment of a dedicated distribution company in the USA in 2014, with its headquarters in Chicago. Hofseth North America (HNA) was 51 percent owned by Hofseth and 49 percent owned by Co-Founder and CEO Matt Mixter. In 2024, HNA has 20 employees, and the company is today wholly owned by Hofseth, with its headquarters in Tennessee.

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Hofseth acquired Fjordlaks' processing plant in Ålesund. The facility was upgraded, and a new fresh fish line was constructed. The entire factory project was completed in 2016.

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Hofseth acquired Fjordlaks' licenses for salmon and trout farming in Storfjorden. This included hatcheries in Tafjord and Stranda, as well as a harvest plant in Ålesund. A milestone for the Hofseth group, now controlling the entire value chain for salmon and trout production in close proximity on Sunnmøre.

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The traditional pens are being replaced with modern, circular pens and feed barges. The Skjortneset facility was the first to be completed that year. Over the next few years, all of Hofseth's facilities will be upgraded. By 2022, all facilities were upgraded, strategically positioned at optimal distances to minimize the occurrence of sea lice.

Main Office in Singapore. In 2019, Hofseth initiated a strong focus on the Asia region with the establishment of Hofseth Asia. With a team of 6 based across Singapore,Shanghai, and Bangkok, Hofseth is ideally placed to be close to the customer and take advantage of growing demand in the region of high quality Norwegian seafood. Since 2019 the sales into Asia have been growing at double digits each year, both within China, and South East Asia. Our product range is diverse, from fresh whole trout, to retail portion programs in leading Asian retailers.

In 2021, a new modern growth center was built in Stranda, where the fish are fed remotely from shore using underwater cameras in the pens. This allows us to observe the fish's behavior and appetite, enabling us to provide the right amount of feed at the right time. All facilities were connected to the growth center in 2022.

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In August 2022, Hofseth's aquaculture visitor center opened at the Atlanterhavsparken in Ålesund. The center attracts 150,000 visitors annually from both Norway and abroad, making it a significant venue for learning. This initiative was developed in connection with the allocation of a display permit.

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In October 2022, the aquaculture display barge named Ivar Heggen was opened at the Vindsnes location in Storfjorden. People from around the world visit here to see and learn more about how we produce seafood in Norway. On the same day, the fully electric boat Hofseth Zero was christened, transporting people to and from the display fleet. This initiative was developed in connection with the allocation of a display permit.

Hofseth believes in growth in closed facilities along the coast. Together with Ovum, we are testing through development licenses how the fish thrive in the Egg. In autumn 2023, we harvested the first fish, which showed promising results. The salmon lived the first part of its life in the Egg and the latter part in an open pen.

In 2023,phase 2 of the Tafjord Settefisk construction was completed. With the new post-smolt facility, salmon and trout will be able to grow under controlled conditions and reach nearly one kilogram before being released at the local fjord sites. By keeping the fish longer on land, it is expected to reduce the need for sea lice treatments significantly.

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