Polarbröd facts for kids
| Industry | Bread Production |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | , |
Polarbröd is a Swedish company that makes bread. Their main office is in Älvsbyn, a town in northern Sweden. Polarbröd is actually the third biggest bread company in Sweden! They are famous for their soft, round, flat breads. They also make special sandwiches called renklämma. These sandwiches use their bread with reindeer meat. They started making renklämma in the 1960s.
On August 23, 2020, a big fire started at the company's factory in Älvsbyn. Sadly, the building could not be saved.
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A Long History of Baking
Polarbröd's story goes back more than 140 years! Five generations of the same family have been baking.
The Start in Älvsbyn
It all began in 1878. A baker named Johan Nilsson came to Älvsbyn. He had learned to bake in Piteå. Johan and his wife, Hilda Nordström, opened a bakery in Älvsbyn. They baked bread for the people living there. They also baked for the water navvies. These workers were building paths for floating logs down rivers.
Later, workers building the Northern Main Line railway also bought bread from Johan. For the first few years, Johan rented the bakery. But in 1885, he bought it. After the railway was finished in 1893, the workers left. This meant fewer customers for the bakery.
New Ideas and New Bread
Johan Nilsson passed away in 1912. His son, Frans Gustav, took over the bakery. It had many debts at that time. In 1926, Frans Gustav built a new bakery. He created a new kind of thin, soft cake. It was made with rye flour mixed with wheat flour, water, salt, and yeast. He called it the "Tioöreskakan," which means "Ten-öre cake." This was because it cost 10 öre.
The bakery closed in 1959. Frans Gustav Nilsson died the next year. But the family's baking story wasn't over!
The Birth of Polarkaka
Frans Gustav's youngest son, Gösta Nilsson, ran a café in Älvsbyn with his wife, Greta Stålberg. After some years, they started trying out new versions of the "Tioöreskakan." They called their new bread "Älvsbykaka."
Greta had a clever idea. She would spread butter and smoked reindeer meat on the bread. Then she would freeze it. This way, she could quickly thaw and serve it to guests. She called this sandwich "Rågstrut" (rye cone). Later, it became famous as the Renklämma.
Gösta and Greta Nilsson decided to open a special bakery just for this soft rye cake. They named the bread "Polarkaka." In 1972, their new company, Polarbageriet AB, was officially formed.
Growing Bigger
In 1977, a brand new bakery opened in Älvsbyn. The company kept growing through the 1980s and 1990s. The business stayed in the family. Gösta and Greta's granddaughter, Karin Bodin, took over running Polarbröd.
The 2020 Fire
On August 23, 2020, a very large fire broke out at the main bakery in Älvsbyn. The factory could not be saved. After the fire, Polarbröd planned to make more bread at their second factory in Bredbyn. This way, they could still bake all the different types of bread. Polarbröd has plans to build a new factory in Älvsbyn as soon as possible.
Where Polarbröd Bakes
Polarbröd has factories in different towns:
See also
