
L. O. Smith’s many businesses: from railways to large-scale agriculture
L. O. Smith has gone down in history as the brännvin king. But spirits were not the only thing he was interested in. Strategically, L. O. Smith built up a […]
L. O. Smith has gone down in history as the brännvin king. But spirits were not the only thing he was interested in. Strategically, L. O. Smith built up a […]
Smith was the first person in Sweden to introduce a new method for purifying vodka on a large scale. He wanted to get rid of the unpleasant-tasting and unhealthy fusel […]
We often think of L.O. Smith as Sweden’s one and only vodka king. But in fact he was far from the only producer of vodka and other alcoholic drinks. Get […]
The Swedish press loved the successful, feisty business man L.O. Smith. He was not scared to cause a stir – even when his opinions opposed the authorities. In addition, his […]
At the age of 10, Lars did not want to be a burden to his benefactor Mr. Smith any longer. After getting his approval, he took up employment with the […]
The PR success at Skottsberg’s shop did not pass unnoticed. Within one year, Smith was offered an annual salary of SEK 300 from the competitor Cervin. The 11-year-old Smith kept […]
After finding accommodation in Stockholm, L.O. Smith’s next challenge was to find a job. He went to a Mr Åkerman on Stora Badstugatan (today’s Sveavägen road). After demonstrating his results […]
L.O. Smith needed a job. At Skeppsholmen in the Old Town of Stockholm, he ran into an acquaintance from home. Apparently the acquaintance had such a bad hangover that he […]
You could say that L.O. Smith became the king of vodka by chance. In the wake of the economic crisis that hit the United States and the rest of the […]
Having made a fortune on spirit trade, L.O. Smith decided to start producing his own vodka. He had seen the harmful effects of bad liquor in his life and was […]
By the time Stockholm’s five-year alcohol policy expired, L.O. Smith had already started his own business in Karlshamn. The company exported spirits to Spain, but the profit was so modest […]
Listen to the fascinating story of the king of vodka, his fight against the public liquor stores, and Reimersholme’s glory days as an industrial island. The podcast is in Swedish.