New generations mean new drinking habits. For younger consumers it’s important to make conscious decisions, both regarding what you drink, but also for when, where and with whom you drink it. That means the market for Ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages has exploded. We had a chat [...]
Responsibility for people requires good judgement of character with a great knowledge and skillset to help key talents within the organization to develop their careers. We had a chat with Kerstin Lindström, VP Human Resources, about the challenges of being the rebel in the group, [...]
The story of Absolut Paper and the vision to create a recyclable and fully bio-based paper bottle continues together with PABOCO. We’ve heard rumors of major progress in the project, so who better to talk to than The Absolut Company’s own Future of Packaging Director [...]
The pandemic has been hard on everyone, but in the Philippines and Mexico, things have been really challenging. We had a talk with Lynne Millar, Purchasing Director at Malibu and Kahlúa operations at Pernod Ricard, on the status of the Malibu initiative the Coconut Commitment [...]
As a kid, he wanted to explore space and as an adult he has made it a mission to make the world a better place. Through marketing, inclusivity and meaningful communication, Charl Bassil, Global Vice President Marketing, has set an example on how to use [...]
Achieving high set goals require a great ability to translate vision into practice. And when The Absolut Company’s ambitious sustainability goals are to become a reality, two of the keys are to both improve and refine the machines and processes – without this affecting production. [...]
Safeguarding a 50 billion SEK investment might be considered a heavy workload. But for Lars Ljungholm, VP General Counsel, and his team at The Absolut Company, it’s just another day at the office. It’s his job to make sure things are played by the book [...]
Blockchain is more than a goldrush for bitcoin-miners; it’s an efficient tool for tracing your tracks in a secure and reliable way. That’s why it can be so useful for brands that need to keep a close watch on their ingredients’ trail. At The Absolut Company [...]
The Absolut Company has the motto Passion for Progression, which sort of acts as a halo for fostering and retaining an innovative company culture. What’s your take on this?– I think that our Passion for Progression-value rings very true. I was amazed when I realize [...]
Jesper Åström is a digital mastermind and a long-time friend and contributor to The Absolut Company. He was also recently named one of 30 most influential creatives in Sweden. We sat down and had a talk with him on creativity, data driven campaigns and his [...]
Coming out of the sessions, I had goosebumps. This was people coming together to solve really complex problems, and it gave me tons of new ideas for potential solutions in my local community.” says Phenyo Mogamisi. What he is describing is his experience from having [...]
With rebellious roots dating back to the 80’s, Absolut is not afraid to take a stand in matters that matter. For John Tran, Director of Sustainability at Pernod Ricard in the US, this is his everyday mission. To advocate for changes that will help make [...]
Air pollution and fine dust is a real problem in South Korea. Through an expressive art collaboration, Absolut wanted to raise awareness and address this issue in an expressive way. And by using a special, pollution absorbing paint, the artwork did a lot of good [...]
If you are a big player in a small town, it is important to always keep a close track on your responsibilities. For Anna Schreil, VP Operations at The Absolut Company, this is old news. Over the years, she has together with her team consistently [...]
Iain Griffiths is the co-founder of anti-waste punk pop-up Trash (fka Trash Tiki), Global Sustainability ambassador for Pernod Ricard and one of the bar industry’s most brilliant and alternative thinkers. We had a chat with him on how the pandemic has affected the industry, current [...]
During covid19 there’s no better thing than to turn to nature if you want to escape quarantine solitude. In Sweden, for the second year in a row, Visit Sweden together with Primus, Fjällräven and local tourism organizations are offering hungry tourists the opportunity to dine [...]
Mastering digital transformation within an innovative company might seem like an easy task. But to stay relevant in a globalized market, while at the same time advocating Nordic values, you need to stay on top of more than just tech developments. We had a talk [...]
The artworld has taken a hit by the covid pandemic. But the experience has also helped to broaden the need for artistic commentaries and accelerated the online purchase behavior for customers around the world. It’s a pivotal moment for the online art space, if you [...]
A passion for controversial campaigns, long term impacts of the pandemic on the spirits industry and why she would never post a tweet on national security. Paula Eriksson, VP Corporate Affairs and Communications at The Absolut Company, doesn’t shy away from tough questions. We had [...]
Going from strategy to action isn’t always as smooth ride. Especially when it comes to making major sustainability-changes in an organization. But for Vanessa Wright, Group VP Sustainability & Responsibility at Pernod Ricard, making a real difference has been a strong driving force to getting people [...]
Reconsider, redo and always rethink what you do. Those three mantras can perhaps summarize Absolut’s CEO Anna Malmhake’s view on how to stay on top in an industry where traditions and heritage constantly must be balanced against having the courage to stick your neck out [...]
Desperate times call for desperate measures, or so they say. And for Ann Mukherjee, Chairman and CEO for Pernod Ricard North America, business in the US, as well as in the rest of the world, is indeed looking grave at the moment. But if you [...]
Ever since the black-ops initiative Our/Vodka opened its first distillery in the German capital Berlin in 2013, the outspoken ambition has been to build a global business through local relevance. But it takes a lot of commitment, courage and dedication to walk the walk and [...]
The Culinary Olympics is one of the world’s most prestigious cooking competitions with traditions dating back to the last turn of the century. After months of hard work, everything that the National Culinary Teams have been practicing is put to the test in one big [...]
Roughly half-an-hour drive north of Stockholm lies a special farm, Torsåker Farm. What makes it special is that besides being a farm it’s also a research and development centre aimed at transforming the whole chain in food production into becoming more sustainable. Torsåker Farm is [...]
Bill Mehleisen started his career at Wall Street as a high-achieving young man seeking success and growth. Today, his life looks a lot different, focusing his work around a more holistic approach to life, spanning from self-development at Burning Man to helping organisations create regenerative [...]
Johan Swahn is one of Sweden’s most sought-after sensory designers and holds a PhD in sensory marketing. However, instead of working with car doors, he specializes in culinary experiences. Together with his wife, Charlotte, he runs a culinary sensory agency since 2017 and is also [...]
It was never Andreas Sundgren Graniti’s plan to produce ice cider – not even traditional cider. Instead, he was looking to combine his two separate desires of making wine and living in the northern parts of Sweden. However, in this business you quickly learn that [...]
Rebecca León and Rico Dynan started working together in 2014, when they joined Absolut’s Brand Advocacy team. Thanks to their distinct backgrounds – Rebecca studied law and went through Pernod Ricard’s graduate program, while Rico worked as a bartender for over a decade – they’re [...]
Lovisa Kragerud was hired last year as TAC’s first ever Corporate Archivist & Chief Storyteller. She is now on a three-part mission – to build an archive from scratch, dig deeper into the company’s almost 150-year history, and make it accessible for future generations. She’s [...]
Keeping up with the times and peering into the future is part of our DNA, and one of our favorite ways to do that is to visit the annual TNW festival in Amsterdam. TNW founder Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten has been featured by us before, [...]
Nan Kjellberg is well-aware that our planet is in a critical state. She was raised by parents who were environmental activists and she works everyday with sustainability, so you wouldn’t hold it against her would she have a gloomy outlook on the future. But it’s [...]
Had it not been for a certain Frenchman’s passion and personality, Absolut would probably never have achieved the success it did in the US – and ultimately the world. His name was Michel Roux and between 1979 and 1994 he was responsible for marketing and [...]
Colin Kavanagh knows what an organisation needs to drive its digital transformation and stay relevant over time. The Irishman has tons of international experience and has worked all over the world, including Ireland, France, Brazil, Canada and Sweden – always for Pernod Ricard, most recently [...]
”Having full traceability within our value chain is a key requirement for Malibu and Kahlua and we have been mapping the ingredients used in our products for several years. Doing so gives us the transparency we need and it enables us to assess any Environmental [...]
Absolut Vodka turns 40 on 17 April this year, and the transparent beverage, bottled in Åhus in southern Sweden, has become America’s largest vodka import and the third best-selling vodka in the world. Every year, almost 100 000 boxes of both the pure and the [...]
It’s been forty years since the first bottle of Absolut Vodka left the Åhus distillery. It made the long journey across the Atlantic to end up in some of Manhattan’s trendiest night clubs and most extravagant gay bars of that time. The rest is, as [...]
Surprisingly enough, it’s not that surprising that US-born Tad Greenough moved to Sweden. For one, his wife is Swedish, but an equally important reason is that Tad has a history of continuously venturing out of his comfort zone to wherever there’s a story that needs [...]
Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten is having breakfast at the At Six Hotel, while scrolling on his phone. The dutch entrepreneur, who is in Stockholm for The Absolut Company’s Tomorrow’s Thought Leaders gathering, is browsing for clothes in a French online store. This behavior is one [...]
Kelly Caul is a familiar face around The Absolut Company’s head office in Stockholm. No wonder – her job is to foster an inspiring and inclusive company culture and that means being in close contact with all different areas within the company. Her job, she [...]
Growing up in South Africa during the end of the apartheid regime made Charl recognize the importance of change and social justice. As the son of two Lebanese immigrants, he also embodies the multiculturalism that has characterized the country for decades. In January, he will [...]
Sandra Johansson works and lives in Stockholm. The last three months, however, she’s spent in Dubai as part of the Pernod Ricard Group exchange program Talent 4 Talent. The program has been dubbed ‘a Tinder for your career’ because of its simple design: two colleagues [...]
A chat about sustainability with Josephine Sondlo bartender at Bar Homage in Stockholm. In May of 2017 she was announced as being the number one bartender in Scandinavia and later that year she placed herself in the 7th place of the best bartenders in the [...]
A chat about sustainability with Gagan Gurung the bar manager at Fang Fang Gagan Gurung has always dreamt of becoming a chef because of his love for flavors, herbs and spices. But when he realised that the same creativity of experimenting with flavors can be [...]
Talking sustainability with the Tin Roof Drink Community Claire Sprouse and Chad Arnholt, based in Brooklyn, are the duo behind the Tin Roof Drink Community, set out to inspired and to share information within the cocktail industry on how to reduce waste in all steps [...]
A chat with bartender Tom Egerton of Potato Head. Already at the age of twelve, inspired by his older brother practising flairing with a Malibu bottle in their backyard, Tom knew what he wanted to become. 17 years later they’re still both in the trade [...]
A chat with bartender Hampus Thunholm of Fäviken. Hampus wasn’t supposed to get into the line of bartending, instead he wanted to become a chef. But at his first day in the kitchen he was tricked into getting behind the bar – the reason – [...]
A chat with the Absolut Home Site Manager. Johan Trollnäs is excited and so are we. Absolut Home has opened its doors to visitors! We’re proud to introduce our world class culinary and culture destination, built on legacy, local community and our purposeful company culture. We [...]
The Market Activation team for Malibu and Kahlúa works together with around 30 different markets, involving hundreds of people around the globe. Naturally, being part of such a global and decentralized organization comes with challenges. Differences in culture, language and values can easily lead to [...]
We’ve only been open since August and already Villan, the restaurant at Absolut Home, has been solidly booked out. To say the least, we are humbled by and proud of the success of our very own culinary experience. For that, we have the community of [...]
How would you like running a business partly based on the mythological character Sisyphus? Condemned to an eternity of useless efforts and unending frustration? Olle Larsson is the entrepreneur and business man who says ‘Sure, let’s give it a try’. Well, it would be harsh [...]
In the next few years, we will probably see “creatives” increasingly taking over the role previously held exclusively by designers and stylists. The designer will have to move beyond just creating products, to instead tell compelling stories. From the crowded balcony of the Absolut Iconic [...]
From her current studio in Berlin, Duong approaches her work from a perspective of trying to expand our binary preconception of womenswear and menswear. “If you want to have your own brand, you need to be passionate about being an entrepreneur. Find your own process [...]
Per Götesson seeks to use the intersection between streetwear and luxury fashion to create a space where new ideas of masculinity can be born. “I believe masculinity can be very sensual, and very far from the aggressive norm so often portrayed in today’s society.”, he [...]
Fashion Week Stockholm is just around the corner, and this year The Absolut Company is inviting an exclusive guest list of fashion aficionados to a very special treat. For the first time in many years, Absolut is opening its vault of iconic fashion items from [...]
This year marks the 10-year anniversary of The Absolut Company – at least as a company name. We wanted to hear the insiders’ story, so we had a chat with Björn von Matérn, Eric Näf and Paula Eriksson, who have all been at the company [...]
Pelle Sjönell has become an admired name in the global communications industry for his disrupting creative work – currently as BBH’s worldwide chief creative officer – but also his commitment to driving positive change in the marketing industry and society at large. He is actively [...]
The Next Web, brainchild of Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten, secured its position as the leading European tech conference with its 2018 instalment. Two intense days with seven topic tracks and 15,000 visitors provided clear insights into where our digital society is headed. We put our [...]
We won’t lie to you. A few of the executives at Absolut were a bit nervous when the new campaign ‘The Vodka With Nothing To Hide’ launched in February. After all, the film features 28 employees who bare all to show the transparency in the production [...]
On New Year’s Eve, Absolut Vodka hosted 100 parties in 100 different cities acrossChina to celebrate culture and creativity. Fanny Magnusson, Frida Hyséus and Rebecca León from the global brand team was invited to the celebration involving over 10 000 participants and 4.9 million online viewers. [...]
