The history of Grov snus
An ambitious young man, Willhelm Hellgren began his career as an office clerk in the Aspelins tobacco factory in Stockholm. Hellgren used this position to learn as much as he could about the inner workings of the tobacco industry, making plans to open his own factory in the future. In 1840, Hellgren was able to realize his dream, and with continued hard work he was the owner of Sweden’s third largest factory and had a chain of retail tobacco outlets throughout Stockholm and the island of Södermalm. Parting the company he started in 1851, Hellgren left the company under control of his partner Johan Bäckström. Thanks to his careful planning and attention to detail, Bäckström was able to propel Grov to an established and respected snus brand within all of Sweden, and in his heyday Grov was the fifth most popular brand of snus on the market. After purchasing several tobacco operations within Sweden, Hellgren soon gave the snus market leader Jacob Ljunglöf (the maker of Ettan Snus) a serious run for his money, selling four other brands alongside Grov. In 1915, all Swedish Snus operations were monopolized by the state, and as a result the production of Grovsnus was relocated from Stockholm to a town known as Härnösand 428km to the north in the region of Norrland where Grov was most popular. At the time, Grov was sold in halfkilo metal tins which resourceful Norrland residents recycled to use as food storage tins or as a makeshift frying pan!
Grov snus under Swedish Match
After the demonopolization of Swedish Snus companies, Swedish Match purchased the rights to the Grov brand and it continued to be sold in its original loose form until 1983, when portioned Grov was introduced to the market with much fanfare. Years later in 2003, a third type of Grov (Grov White) became available for sale alongside the previous two varieties. Swedish Match also manufacturers small quantities of Grov Kardus, which is loose Grov packaged using the traditional method found in Hellgren’s time. On occasion, Swedish Match also releases special edition Grov cans with round metal tins just like in 1967 when the first round snus tins with metal lids were sold. The most recent addition to the Grov family is Grov Stark Portion, which was launched by Swedish Match in 2013. Stark Portion retains the same quality taste of the original Grov, but has a higher nicotine content for those who are looking for a stronger buzz. Today Grov Snus continues to have a very loyal following in Sweden, with many people having used Grov as their brand of choice for over ten years. Originally a rugged snus geared towards men, Grov continues to keep its rugged outdoorsy character characteristic reminiscent of its roots in Norrland, but is increasingly being enjoyed by members of both sexes.
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