In Sweden, we eat about 17 million tubes of Kalles every year and if you would squeeze out the total amount it would add up to 1.6 turns around the world. Having been around since 1954 Kalles is definitely one of the most well-known Swedish food brands and today, Kalles is stronger than ever. The brand has developed into something of a national symbol that almost all Swedes have a personal relationship with. Good or bad, because lets be honest, Kalles has a very distinctive taste and not everyone loves it. Sweden however, is a caviar-loving nation where 7 out of 10 people say they eat caviar. Every second tube of caviar sold is a Kalles and 9 out of 10 people in Sweden are familiar with Kalles. That’s about the same number of people who know who the king is (who is also called Kalle, Kalle with a C). As a matter of fact, When Carl XVI Gustaf was elected to the Swedish Gastronomic Academy in 1999, he took the opportunity to highlight Kalle's caviar, because it "deserved it", and revealed that he uses Kalle's when he makes caviar soufflé, which apparently the Swedish royal family all love. We're very happy to hear this.

Kalles is made from roe from cod. The cod is fished mainly in northern Norway (Norwegian Sea & Barents Sea) and roe from both small and large suppliers is used, as long as it’s good quality, it’s good enough for Kalles. The roe is then mixed with sugar and salt, filled in barrels and then sent, by boat, to “Kalles’s rock room” in Bohuslän where the roe will mature for about 9-12 months. The maturing process is important in order for Kalles to develop that delicious and specific taste it always has. The process takes at least six months, but for the best Kalle’s taste, up to two years. Roe is like a vintage wine, the longer it is stored the better the taste, and only the best taste is good enough for Kalles! 

There’s only one Kalles! (or eight to be precise)

1. Kalles Original

2. Kalles Lätt (50% less sugar)

3. Kalles Randiga (A mix of Kalles kaviar and cream cheese)

4. Kalles Randiga med Ägg (A mix of 2. Kalles kaviar and cream cheese and egg)

5. Kalles Guld (More roe and exxxxtra smoky)

6. Kalles Krav (Like the original but with 100% sustainable ingredients)

7. Kalles Mild (Like Kalles but milder, for beginners...)

8. Kalles Vegan (the newest addition, for vegan friends of Kalles)

1850: Salted cod roe with a strong taste becomes popular. A kind of model for Kalle's kaviar.

1910: Someone accidentally mixes oil in the salted cod roe and a new era of salted caviar begins.

1940: The first smoked caviar sees the light of day.

1954: A farm trader sells his recipe for mildly smoked caviar to Swedish seafood brand Abba for SEK 1,000. Abba is starting to sell the caviar in unmarked tubes and the caviar is selling better than expected, especially among young people. The advertising agency suggests that the tube be decorated with a boy with a popular name. But who?- Why not the son of the director of Abba Seafood? This is how the young boy Carl became Kalle with the whole Swedish people. As a thank you for lending his face to the tube, Carl was promised free Kalles kaviar for the rest of his life. It is still delivered to his door today.

1955: Kalles Kaviar is actively marketed under the motto: “Alla är barnsligt förtjusta i Kalles” ("Everyone is childishly fond of Kalles"). The success is a fact. No less than one million tubes are sold in the first year.

1985: In one month, 144 tubes of Kalles are sold in a store at a Sunwing Resort in Rhodes. At the same time, a medium-sized grocery store in Sweden sells about 80 tubes.

1999: Carl XVI Gustaf is elected to the Swedish Academy of Gastronomy. He then takes the opportunity to emphasize Kalles' kaviar, because it "deserves it", and reveals that he uses Kalles when he makes caviar soufflé - to the great delight of the royal family, of course.

2004: Kalles Kaviar turns 50 and the Swedes buy 17 million tubes this year. Every other caviar tube sold is a Kallestub and as many as 96% of the population knows Kalles. That's about as many who know who the king is (who by the way is also called Kalle, sort of..)

2005: The Swedish people eat about 2,600,000 kilos of Kalles. That’s about 173 million sandwiches.

2014: Kalles celebrates his 60th birthday in grand style in Kungshamn. Attending is of course Carl Ameln, Kalle himself, together with his wife, sons and grandchildren.