Jakobssons snus

Humble Beginnings

Drawing inspiration from his great grandfather (an 18th century snus connoisseur from the island of Gotland), Henrik Jakobsson founded Gotlandssnus AB in 2002 with the help of his mentor Kent Sänd. In 2003, Jakobsson added the first brand to the Gotlandssnus lineup, Gotlandssnus Anis loose. Gotlandssnus’ second product, a Christmas themed snus called Julesnus was released just in time for Christmas with Jakobsson distributing 700 boxes of Julesnus to local stores. In 2005, Henrik decided to expand his operations and moved his company to a larger production facility in Roma on the island of Gotland. Located in an old sugar refinery, the new factory allowed Henrik to produce portioned snus alongside the existing loose offerings. By the end of 2005, Gotlandssnus Fläder Portion, Gotlandssnus Anis Portion, and Gotlandssnus Original Portion were being produced in this facility. Gotlandssnus also began to source locally grown Alida tobacco to use in their products.

Rapid Expansion

In 2008, Gotlandssnus AB debuted a new global product line called Jakobsson’s Snus. With four types of snus available under the Jakobsson’s banner, Jakobsson’s Snus pays homage to Henrik’s great grandfather Jakob and his love of fine snuses. This new brand was met with much fanfare internationally, and many distributors across the world began to include Jakobsson’s Snus in their offerings. Due to the brand’s continued rise in popularity, a third Gotlandssnus factory was constructed in 2009. When the factory opened, it also began producing two new types of nicotine free snuses called Sprilla and Tobacco & Nicotine Free.

Continuing to expand rapidly, Jakobsson’s Snus made its way into American markets and started to be distributed in retail locations across the United States in 2010. Jakobsson’s Wintergreen Strong Portion was released in the same year, first in the USA and then later on in Sweden. In 2011, Gotlandssnus’ founder Henrik was named Regional Entrepreneur of The Year in celebration of his company’s increasing prosperity. 2012 saw the introduction of Gotlandssnus Summer Portion, a unique snus with a taste of wild strawberries. In a special agreement in July of that year, tobacco giant Swedish Match began distributing Jakobsson’s Snus throughout Sweden.

Present and Future

2013 has already seen a flurry of activity from Gotlandssnus with the addition of two new products to the Jakobsson’s lineup. The first is Jakobsson’s Melon Mini Portion, a mini format intended to compliment the popular Jakobsson’s Melon Strong. Secondly, Jakobsson’s Dynamite Extra Strong launched and has a smokey tobacco taste with a great nicotine kick (19mg of nicotine per portion!). Today, Gotlandssnus continues to grow under Henrik’s leadership, and the company recently received the honorable DI’s Gasellpris award in Sweden for its continued growth and development.