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INTERVIEW WITH THOMAS GUSTAFSSON
“Constant focus on value
creation, with humanity
and respect”
At the end of the year, Thomas Gustafsson left the operational side at
Mellby Gård after 24 years in the Group, most recently as Vice President
and Board member of several companies. He remains a senior advisor and
chairs the boards of Duni Group and Kappahl.
He is stepping down on his own initiative but will continue to “I also learned at Brämhults that Rune’s favourite subject is
play a role in the Mellby Gård Group. price,” says Thomas Gustafsson. “We couldn’t say we were the most
“We’ll have the privilege of benefiting from Thomas’ delicious if we didn’t have the highest prices. When Tropicana raised
knowledge and commitment in the future, albeit in a new role,” says their prices by one krona, we raised them by one krona and fifty öre.”
Johan Andersson, Chairman of the Board of Mellby Gård. “I’m pleased
that Thomas is also remaining at the helm of two of our largest After a few turbulent years, Brämhults was on a roll. The brand
companies.” enjoyed a boost and sales grew. When the question of expansion
outside the Nordic region came up, they realized they needed to
Thomas Gustafsson first came into contact with Mellby Gård at integrate the company in an international structure.
the turn of the millennium, when juice manufacturer Brämhults was
looking for a new CEO. “After a lot of discussion, Brämhults was purchased by the German
juice company Eckes Granini,” says Thomas Gustafsson. “I went off to
“Initially, I met with Anders Bülow, who was Chairman of the Board Germany for three years, but Mellby Gård was my home.”
and the person in charge of recruitment,” says Thomas Gustafsson.
“I met Rune later in the process at the office in Ribersborg, Malmö. INITIATED DUNI GROUP ACQUISITION AGENDA
We had several exciting meetings and over time, I felt inspired to take When it was time for a new CEO at Duni Group, Thomas Gustafsson
on Brämhults.” was asked to take over. Duni needed to establish itself outside
Europe and launched an acquisition agenda in Asia and Australia.
He came from group management at the Spendrups brewery and
saw many similarities between that company and Mellby Gård. The “When I later left Duni Group to work full-time in Mellby Gård, I
owner-led environment suited him. was worried about not having enough to do, which I told Johan and
Rune about – and I’ve had to eat my words a number of times,” says
“I enjoyed the meetings and the creative, business-like discussions,” Thomas Gustafsson. “The package included chairing Duni Group,
says Thomas Gustafsson. “I got the job – and since then I’ve had 24 Kappahl, Smarteyes and Oscar Jacobson.”
fantastic years in the Group.”
THEORY BECAME PRACTICE AT BRÄMHULTS RESULTS FOCUS WITH HUMANITY AND RESPECT
His time at Brämhults was incredibly instructive in his opinion. Thomas Gustafsson is hugely grateful for his years at Mellby Gård.
“You can do a lot in theory, but transforming Brämhults meant doing “The Group focuses on long-term value creation, but also humanity
it in practice,” says Thomas Gustafsson. “We restructured all aspects and respect,” says Thomas Gustafsson. “You never say ‘this is how
of the business in a short space of time. The fact that we had the it is’, but ‘this is what I think’. You listen and form an opinion, and
confidence to do this so quickly was down to two things: our product everyone is recognized and valued.”
was the most delicious on the market, and we had the full support of
the owners and the Board.” He goes on to say, “I’ve worked closely with Johan for many years,
and more recently with Gustav and also Erik on the boards of Mellby
Anders Bülow introduced him to the Mellby model, and Brämhults Gård and Smarteyes. The entire family shows trust and has a great
provided solid evidence that it works – and of how it works. It is deal of confidence in the individual; it’s assumed that everyone wants
about showing trust, focusing on what generates value, working with the best for the company. Now I’m focusing on being a member of
simplicity and taking a long-term perspective. a number of boards for an indefinite period. But I haven’t said I’m
quitting, just that I want a situation that’s a bit different. If it gets too
boring, I’ll have to call Johan and tell him again that I want more to
do,” concludes Thomas Gustafsson.
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