We interviewed Jørgen Johansen, marketing manager at Thermocold KFD AS.
Why did you start making cooling products?
When we started our entrepreneurial business in 1986, the idea was simple. We believed that the products on the market were rough and industrial-like, and that these should be lighter, more flexible, easier to keep clean, more stylish with two grilles in the wall, make less noise and have more installation options.
We saw great potential for a product more suited to the private market – not an adapted commercial kitchen model.
Which product or cold room that you have built are you most satisfied with?
A few months ago it was the cooling corner – a revolution in terms of power consumption. Now there are some brand new, all-black wine rooms with glass doors. They are easy to use and can be installed as Plug and Play. These will arrive in the summer or early autumn.
Which product is best for individuals – what do you recommend?
We have seven standardized cold rooms in complete packages with everything.
What we specialize in is that we tailor the cold rooms. For example, you can have a cold room built under the stairs or in a storage room – exactly as the customer wants and at a reasonable price. In addition, the new EC6 unit, with even lower power consumption and noise level. These are better suited to element rooms for the private market.
How big is the largest cold room you have built?
It's quite large – from small boxes under the bench in the boat to large refrigerated rooms where you can drive trucks in.
How do you think wine should be stored?
- Shorter storage [drinking wine] should have about 17℃ and slightly high humidity.
- Longer storage of wine should have a humidity of around 75–85% and 12–15℃.
- Low vibration and no sunlight.
Do you have products that are suitable for hunters?
Yes, we call it a tenderizing room. If you shoot a deer, you can't eat it right away - it has to hang and tenderize a bit. Deer (big game) should be cooled slowly and adjusted to the humidity so that the meat doesn't get a dry skin, or, in the case of high humidity, a thin mucous membrane.
Which industries buy from you?
Kitchens, building materials, refrigeration installers and appliance repairers.
Which product is best suited for a professional kitchen?
Professional cooling corner – with much higher cooling performance. Most of our products can be adapted to commercial kitchen consumption by adapting the unit to the performance requirements.
When it comes to hygiene and antibacterial surfaces, we make no distinction between private and commercial kitchens.
Why haven't there traditionally been many cooling corners in Norway?
The competitors are keeping their cards close to their chest, but we have estimated that from 1995–2013, 4–5,000 refrigerated corners were sold each year, largely due to an unfortunate angle that refrigerated corners are banned. But it was never banned, but the journalists explained this poorly. It was only refrigerated corners that do not have A+ [energy consumption] that were banned.
Why don't we see as much cooling corners as before?
Corner refrigerators have been a very big product for many years, but since the media blew up major regulations banning corner refrigerators back in 2013, sales dropped drastically for everyone – one of the manufacturers also had to shut down production. The truth was that only an energy class was introduced for the product, and at first none of the manufacturers had the required class A+, but we fixed that, but by then the damage was done.
For us, the refrigerated corner is one of the products that increases the most every year, but unfortunately there are still people and retailers who believe that it is still prohibited, even though we now find that most people have begun to realize that the product is both 100% legal and brilliant, laughs Jørgen.
I heard you make cooling products for storing corpses, could you tell me a little about that?
Yes, we make cold rooms for most things and we are probably Norway's largest manufacturer of coffin coolers, which we sell a lot to hospitals and care centers. This is a coffin cabinet that is adapted to take good care of those who have a lot to give away.
We could create our own system that was simpler and cheaper, we who make all sorts of strange things. We designed our own system that takes care of hygiene rules etc., and we are much cheaper than other players. We have also started selling to England, which is a new market for us with this product.
The wine room is not only a storage space, but also a hobby room