Our history

Vikan was founded in 1898 by A. P. Pedersen, who was raised just a few kilometres from our present headquarters here in Denmark. As part of a farming family who consumed the fruits of their own labour round the table after work, Pedersen had an instinctive awareness about the importance and value of hygiene.

Over the subsequent decades, Vikan grew, went international and moved into exciting new business areas. But hygienic cleaning in the food and beverages industry has always remained our core focus.

Time Travel

Never seen before images. Fun facts you'd never have guessed. Enjoy the ride! Welcome to Vikan's History, chronologically told.

Take the journey

125 years’ anniversary

2023 marked Vikan's 125 years' anniversary. To celebrate the occasion, we reached back into the archives for stories that
illuminate some of the major themes and waypoints that have marked our journey thus far. Follow the links below to read these stories and,
we hope, gain insight into how the past 125 years have helped shape who we are today.

Anniversary Vikan Hand Brush Scrubbing Surface in the food industry

A material difference

We talk a lot about design at Vikan, partly because our design advances have moved hygienic cleaning forward – repeatedly. Less told is the story of the materials that comprise our cleaning tools. These materials provide a whole new perspective on Vikan’s history.

Innovation before it was innovation

For many of us at Vikan, the most fascinating part of our founder’s memoir, is his account of the process he followed in developing the first Vikan cleaning tools. Why “fascinating”? Because it so closely resembles our approach to innovation today.

People versus technology?

Not at Vikan. Our company has always been a pioneer in both cutting-edge technologies and a modern, humanistic view of human labour. Read our founder’s thoughts on “the worker”, and you might discover a thing or two about why we at Vikan are the way we are.

Vissing Foundation

Vikan is majority owned by the Vissing Foundation, a charitable organization that supports three purposes; Medical Research, Sustainable Energy Research, Marginalised children and young people.

Learn more

Vikan - the story behind the name

What’s in a name? Plenty, but to understand Vikan’s name, you have to know a little Danish. Find out how we went from being “Skive Børstefabrik” to “Vikan” – and what both names really mean.

Go to blog post

Stay up-to-date

First name *

Last name *

Email *

Company/Organisation *

Country *

I hereby give Vikan permission to register and process my personal data as detailed in Vikan's Privacy Policy. I can withdraw this permission at any time. Privacy policy *

I would like to receive emails from Vikan regarding products, offers, news and events (Max 2-4 times per month). I can always withdraw my consent via the unsubscribe link in all emails. *

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Vikan.com

Featured campaigns