Jotun is one of the world's leading paint manufacturers, and this is where it all started. Odd Gleditsch Sr. began selling marine paints to shipowners and Sandefjord's whaling fleet in the early 1920s, then purchased Jotun Kemiske Fabrik in 1926. The company's first breakthrough was Arcanol, an anti-corrosion marine paint launched in 1932 that set Jotun apart from competitors. The original factory mascot was a penguin.
In 1972, Jotun merged with three rivals, including Bergen-based Fleischers Kjemiske Fabrikker, which had created Drygolin in 1948. Drygolin became Norway's bestselling exterior house paint, and its advertising slogan "I Drygolinvær er det Drygolin som holder" (in Drygolin weather, it's Drygolin that holds) became one of the most recognized catchphrases in Norwegian advertising. Fleischers had its own beloved mascot, a Bergen street kid, who competed with Jotun's penguin for decades before the two companies joined forces.
A devastating fire destroyed the Sandefjord factory in 1976, killing six workers and injuring eleven. The tragedy reshaped the company's approach to workplace safety. Jotun rebuilt, opened a state-of-the-art factory in 2013, and a major new headquarters and R&D centre in 2020. Still owned by the Gleditsch family after a century, Jotun now operates in over 100 countries.
In 1972, Jotun merged with three rivals, including Bergen-based Fleischers Kjemiske Fabrikker, which had created Drygolin in 1948. Drygolin became Norway's bestselling exterior house paint, and its advertising slogan "I Drygolinvær er det Drygolin som holder" (in Drygolin weather, it's Drygolin that holds) became one of the most recognized catchphrases in Norwegian advertising. Fleischers had its own beloved mascot, a Bergen street kid, who competed with Jotun's penguin for decades before the two companies joined forces.
A devastating fire destroyed the Sandefjord factory in 1976, killing six workers and injuring eleven. The tragedy reshaped the company's approach to workplace safety. Jotun rebuilt, opened a state-of-the-art factory in 2013, and a major new headquarters and R&D centre in 2020. Still owned by the Gleditsch family after a century, Jotun now operates in over 100 countries.
