9. The 1940’s
1940’s: the decade of World War II and a tragic fire
During the Second World War, Porvoo was bombed on several occasions. When the sirens went off, the residents ran to bomb shelters, one of which was located in the basement of the Brunberg-Lindfors factory.
The war kept people in constant fear and the shortage of raw materials made life difficult.
The shortage of raw materials hit the sweets factory hard. Most of the raw materials, such as cocoa, liquorice and sugar, were import goods.
Sweets were also considered a luxury people would not spend their scant amount of money on.
At first, Brunberg-Lindfors tried to pull through by manufacturing products from available raw materials. One such product was carrot liquorice.
In the end the factory had to accept the situation. The machines were shut down and the factory grew quiet, waiting for better times to come.
One day a bomb fell on the adjacent Town Park. Splinters hit and damaged windows and walls of the wooden house – Lennart Brunberg’s family home.
The stone building was unharmed.
A fire takes Lennart Brunberg’s life
When the war was over, the machines of the factory were restarted. However, a new horrible tragedy hit the factory, this time it was a fire which took Lennart Brunberg’s life and destroyed the family’s home.
The fire supposedly started from a hot pad and spread to the office and delivery premises of the factory..
The whole town was shocked. Lennart Brunberg was a much appreciated manager of the sweets factory and a person with his heart in the right place.
The children of Lennart Brunberg and Valborg Brunberg, Börje Brunberg and Ulla Somervalli (born Brunberg) were forced to step into their father’s shoes, an almost impossible task, as the country’s economy was in a sorry state after the war, the shortage of raw materials continued, the machines were old-fashioned and the buildings in poor condition from the fire – and it was hard to get financing.
Slowly the activities of the factory started to move forward.
Börje Brunberg is appointed managing director
In the autumn of 1946, a year and a half after Lennart Brunbergs death, the factory started functioning again, little by little, along with the increasing availability of raw materials from abroad. A lot of products were, however, rationed long after the war ended.
In 1947 Börje Brunberg was appointed Managing Director.
It seemed almost a miracle that, as early as in 1949, the sweets factory managed to reach the impressive production numbers of 400 tons. During the war, people had not been able to satisfy their craving for sweets and therefore the sweets were now flying off the shelves.
The assortment was very much reduced compared to before the war. The production line included unusual products such as, for instance, chocolate powder and marmalade in a jar.
The cookbooks of hard times proved that there was always a way to satisfy the sweet tooth, however difficult the situation was.
Read these too
1. Bakery founded
(1870-1890) About 150 years ago... A.W. Lindfors sets up his bakery in 1871 By the river of Porvoo, in the town with the red wooden houses along the waterway and the curvy cobblestone roads, the population enjoyed a period of economic recovery in the 1870’s. Around 3 500 residents lived in Porvoo, the majority still in [...]
2. Family enterprise
An enterprise for the whole family The family of A.W. Lindfors consisted of his wife, Wilhelmina (born Saarinko) and seven children: Ivar, Karl, Adolf, Axel, Viktor, Aina and Sigrid. They were all engaged in the bakery business and later on in the sweets factory, in one way or another. It really was a family business [...]
3. Sweets factory founded
A.W. Lindfors sets up a sweets factory In the spring of 1897 the baker A.W. Lindfors informed that he was going to produce sweets, chocolate and marmalade and other products included in the bakery range. The factory was named A.W. Lindfors sweets and marmalade factory. He wanted the factory to satisfy the craving for sweets [...]
4. Ivar Lindfors
August Ivar Lindfors, head of Division to the National Board of Trade Ivar Lindfors (21.6.1872-26.4.1950) was a true all-rounder in the business world. In addition to the A.W. Lindfors sweets and marmalade factory, he was head of Ab Ivar Lindfors Oy (since 1918), a metal and construction company with office in Helsinki. Image: porssitieto.fi As [...]
5. Years 1906-1920
Lindfors sweets factory grows steadily (1906-1920) After the death of A.W. Lindfors, Ivar Lindfors continued developing the factory. The subsequent years were prosperous. In 1907 a 16 year old apprentice, Lennart Brunberg was employed. The young man learnt how to make sweets and little by little he started dreaming of a factory of his own. [...]
6. Brunberg sweets factory founded
Lennart Brunberg sets up his own sweets factory in 1922 The 1920’s was a decade of grand festivities and belief in the future, a period of reconstruction of Finland. During prohibition illegally imported alcohol from Estonia could be bought in the restaurants. The improvement of alimentation and health services and new inventions made life easier. [...]
7. Lennart Brunberg
Lennart Brunberg – sweets manufacturer and music lover Lennart Brunberg (1891-1945) was not only a manufacturer of sweets; he was also a cultural personality, aware of his social responsibility. Closest to his heart was music. He played the violin and the cello and sang in the choir of the sports association Akilles, led by the [...]
8. The 1930’s
The 1930’s – Brunberg survives the recession The 1930’s was a decade of social upheaval. The Finnish people were twice put to the test: first after the stock market crush and the second time when World War II broke out in September of 1939. However, the decade also held hope and belief in the future. [...]
10. Börje Brunberg
Börje Brunberg, an innovative nautical enthusiast Börje Lennart Brunberg (born 1924) was a popular and determined managing director who tirelessly and purposefully managed to get the Brunberg sweets factory back on its feet after the war and the death of his father, Lennart Brunberg. Börje Brunberg was an enterprising and innovative person with a dream: [...]
11. The 1950’s
The 1950’s: Kisses, television sets and second-hand bags In the post-war era the cities grew and living conditions improved. Many moved into the new houses called “rintamamiestalo” - modern detached houses built after the war for the families of soldiers who fought in the battlefront - and started a family. New trends came from around [...]
