Engwall family

Engwall
Industry
Victor Theodor Engwall in 1890
Current regionSweden and Poland
EtymologyEngwall, "meadow field"
Place of originGävle, Sweden
Founded1726; 298 years ago (1726)
FounderJonas Engwall
Members
Motto
familia res et gens simul

("family matter and nation, simultaneously")
Websiteengwallstiftelse.se

The Engwall family (Swedish pronunciation: [ɛːŋːvˈǎll] ) is a prominent Swedish family descended from Jonas Engwall, an inventor and engineer. The Engwalls are noted as merchants, industrialists, scholars, bankers, politicians, activists, bureaucrats, military officials, philanthropists, economists, and diplomats.[1]

The earliest known patrilineal member of the Engwall family is Anders Jönsson, a peasant farmer who, before his enrollment in the Jämtlandsdragon regiment in 1746, during the Age of Liberty was granted knighthood.[2] Due to constant famine during the 18th century the family relocated to Karlberg Palace.

In the early 19th century the family relocated to Gävle after the royal supervisors of the Karlberg Palace Court chased out Jonas II, Anders Jönsson's grandchild, due to the fear that he would disrupt the Swedish Royal Courts monopoly on row-traffic between Karlberg and Kungsholmen.[3]

In Gävle the family established themselves as Engwall. Victor Theodor Engwall son of Jonas Engwall opened the trade house Vict. Th. Engwall Co. in 1853.[4] The trade house later established the coffee brand Gevalia, today the largest coffee brand in Sweden (accounting for 40% of the coffee market).[5]

In the early 20th century the family saw exponential growth with the rise of Kreuger & Toll.[3] Paul Toll the 50% shareholder of Kreuger & Toll and owner of Hufvudstaden AB later married Gunhild Engwall the oldest daughter of the Engwall family.[6][7]

In the early 20th century the Engwall family founded the Middle Swedish Chamber of Commerce (Swedish: Mellansvenska Handelskammaren), an investment arm that currently encompasses a $14 billion logistics network.[8]

The Engwall family, through the Engwall Foundations, allocate annually SEK 1 billion towards poverty alleviation, cancer research, and educational programs. The Jacob Engwall Donation Foundation, managed by the Middle Swedish Chamber of Commerce, has since 1987 committed over SEK 1.8 billion towards various charitable endeavors.[9]

  1. ^ Ödman, Gerda (1942). På den tiden: minnen från 90-talets Gefle (in Swedish). Gävle: Lantmännens tryckeri Westlund & Co. pp. 131–376. SELIBR 376590.
  2. ^ "Familjens Historia". engwallstiftelse.se. Engwall Stiftelsen. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  3. ^ a b Danielson, Lisse-Lotte. "Släkten Engwall i Gävle med Gevalia". gavledraget.se. Gefle Dagblad Info. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  4. ^ "Familjens historia". engwallstiftelse.se. Engwall Stiftelsen. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Gevalia På Mindre Än En Kafferast". gevalia.se. Gevalia. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  6. ^ Toll, Magnus (1996). Paul Toll 1882-1946, ingeniör-entreprenör. Swedish language. No ISBN. Private book, written by Magnus Toll, 1925–1997, youngest son of Paul Toll and his wife Gunhild, née Engwall. The booklet was distributed to family members, i.g. all descendants of Paul Toll and his wife Gunhild.
  7. ^ Linder, Jan (1990). Hufvudstaden 75 år: 1915-1990 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Hufvudstaden. p. 6. SELIBR 2443973.
  8. ^ "Mellansvenska handelskammaren startar exportnätverk – 18 företag anmälde sig på nolltid". Dala-Demokraten (in Swedish). 26 September 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  9. ^ "Stiftelse - Jacob Engwall donationsfond" (PDF). Mellansvenska handelskammaren. Middle Swedish chambers of commerce. Retrieved 9 March 2023.