It all began back in 1895

The history of Papyrus began back in 1895 with the acquisition of a paper mill located in Mölndal on the Swedish west coast. Since then, the company has grown to become a leading European paper merchant.

The first paper mill in Mölndal, just outside Gothenburg in the west of Sweden, was established in 1653. Production was gradually industrialised and towards the end of the 19th century, Mölndal could boast the most technically advanced paper mill in Sweden.

The Swedish Wallenberg dynasty bought the mill in 1895 and made it famous under the name Papyrus. In connection with the merger of Stora and Enso in 1998, the Papyrus brand was chosen as the name for the European merchant operation. The old mill in Mölndal has now been closed for many years and today, Papyrus is recognised as a leading European merchant offering customers efficient supply solutions for paper products.

Becoming a Pan-European organisation
The history of Papyrus clearly illustrates the development of the industry during the 20th century – a transition from a small scale business in a fragmented market to consolidation and Pan-European operations. This development gained momentum in the 1980s – partly because new EU rules paved the way for the shift and partly due to the markets in Eastern Europe opening up. Papyrus had simply reached a point in history where the concept of a domestic market no longer made sense. Papyrus was not always a large company; it was formed by an array of merchant operations that were significant in their home markets, but were too small to make any impact on a European scale.

Many success stories over the years
Today, Papyrus is a proud company with many success stories, competencies and a clear commitment to providing customers with first-class service. Papyrus respects and understands its customers’ business needs and offers support whenever and wherever the company can. This is a commitment shared throughout the organisation and across Europe.