Et innrammet diplom holdes fram sammen med en bukett røde og rosa blomster. Den matte rammen og det glinsende papiret bak glasset kaster lyset ulikt.

Trond Hamran awarded Norske Trevarer's honorary distinction for 2026

At the annual meeting in Fredrikstad on 5 June, Norske Trevarer's honorary distinction was awarded to Trond Hamran, managing director of Hamran Snekkerverksted in Snartemo, Hægebostad.

The honorary distinction is Norske Trevarer's highest award and is given to individuals who have made a particularly significant contribution to Norske Trevarer.

Kontorpulten strekker seg i vinkel langs veggen, med en lenestol plassert midt ved den brede platen. Åreretningen følger kanten i hele lengden, og platen møter en lysere sokkel under.

From the valley to the Prime Minister's office

Hamran Snekkerverksted was founded in 1930 by Trond Hamran's grandfather as an ordinary joinery in inland Agder. Under Trond's leadership, the company has been transformed into a leading kitchen manufacturer with international renown. The major breakthrough began with the delivery to the underwater restaurant Under in Lindesnes, which was featured in Wallpaper and the Wall Street Journal. It continued with one of Norwegian history's most demanding and confidential projects: the delivery of lecterns in southern Norwegian oak, as well as ceiling and panelling for the cabinet meeting room in the new government quarter, and not least the desk and interior fittings for the Prime Minister's office.

Trond Hamran is the third generation to run Hamran Snekkerverksted, but the business today is a completely different one from the one his grandfather founded. With 40 employees, record results and a turnover of NOK 87.6 million in 2025, the company is living proof that quality craftsmanship and long-term thinking pay off.

- When you turn 56, you ask yourself: what have I really spent my life on? Would I do it again? Yes. What has driven me is the wish that what we do should mean something - for the craft, for the material, for those who come after us. The government quarter and the Prime Minister's office became, in many ways, visible proof that Norwegian oak and Norwegian joiners belong in the foremost rooms. But I couldn't have achieved any of this without my colleagues at Hamran - a fantastic team. When I started in 1991, it was all old-timers. I had one goal: to make Hamran a young company, with apprentices, with joiners - not a factory, but a workshop. Today most of them are under 40. That's something I'm proud of. Thank you so much for the award, says Trond Hamran.

Tømmerstokkene ligger lagvis i en høy vegg, med endeflatene vendt utover i ulike bredder. Noen stokker er merket med tall, og årringene trer tydelig frem i morgenlyset.

Created Southern Norway's only hardwood sawmill

Alongside the growth of the joinery, Trond Hamran established Lauvverket AS, a sawmill with one clear ambition: to save Norwegian oak from being reduced to chips and firewood, and instead turn it into locally sourced raw material that can become sustainable, distinctive products. Lauvverket received Innovation Norway's Business Development Award in Agder, and the vertical link between sawmill and joinery has become a model in the industry.

Runde bord i heltre står spredt i rommet, vendt mot et stort vindu med grønt lys fra vannet utenfor. Stolenes freste rygger fanger lyset, mens bordplatene speiler det matte skjæret fra dypet.

A dedicated association member and industry builder

Through many years on the board of Norske Trevarer, Trond Hamran has contributed knowledge and engagement far beyond his own company. He has also become an important spokesperson who has raised the profile of the Norwegian wood products industry and put Norwegian design on the map.

- Trond is the kind of leader who doesn't talk about the challenges. He solves them. When he wants Norwegian oak for his interiors - he builds his own sawmill, which can now supply hardwood for furniture production to all our members. For Norske Trevarer, Trond Hamran is exactly the voice we need: someone who leads by example, and in doing so raises Norwegian raw materials, Norwegian design and Norwegian craftsmen on the national agenda, says managing director Hilde Widerøe Wibe of Norske Trevarer.

Norske Trevarer congratulates Trond Hamran on an honorary distinction he has thoroughly earned.