DAT-Schaub and the history of the Danish casing industry
From German craftsmanship and Danish cooperative thinking to global business
The intestine technician profession is closely tied to one particular company: DAT-Schaub. The company's history stretches back more than 130 years and tells how the intestine industry in Denmark grew from local slaughterhouses to a global business.
§Two tracks that met
The history has two starting points. In 1893 the German company Schaub & Co established a branch in Esbjerg, and in 1907 a branch in Copenhagen followed. At the same time, the Danish cooperative slaughterhouses in 1913 founded their own sales company for casings, 'Danske Andelsslagteriers Tarmsalg' (DAT). The two tracks — German Schaub and Danish cooperative DAT — developed side by side for decades.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1893 | Schaub & Co establishes branch in Esbjerg |
| 1907 | Schaub & Co opens branch in Copenhagen |
| 1913 | The cooperative slaughterhouses establish Danske Andelsslagteriers Tarmsalg (DAT) |
| 1972 | DAT and Schaub merge to form DAT-Schaub |
§Fusionen i 1972
In 1972 the two companies merged into what we today know as DAT-Schaub. The merger combined the Danish cooperative tradition with an international corporate structure and was the starting shot for the global growth the company has had since.
§Why it matters for the trade
Because such a large part of the Danish and international natural casing industry is concentrated in one company with roots in both German craftsmanship and Danish cooperative thinking, the casing technician trade in Denmark is closely linked to this one company's history and development. This also explains why the education is offered precisely at the Slaughterhouse School in Roskilde, close to the heart of the industry.
- 01The craft has roots back to 1893 and the German company Schaub & Co.
- 02The Danish cooperative movement created its own intestine sales company in 1913
- 03The two tracks merged in 1972 to form DAT-Schaub
- 04The company is today part of Danish Crown with global production
“A trade with few practitioners can still be part of a global business — that is exactly what has happened with the Danish natural casing industry.”