Johan describes his role in a short list:
“The salesman, the mechanic, the managing director, and something of a consultant on research and development.”
One machine changed everything
Johan grew up in Sweden and trained as a mechanic. After five years in the field, he moved to Norway in 2010 to work for a company selling wood grinders. Before long, he was selling the machines as well as fixing them.
One customer was the newly established Bøn Biobrensel. Johan supplied a large grinder in 2011, then spent the next year helping to get both the machinery and the business running.
When the company struggled to grow, Johan was offered the chance to become a co-owner and take over. In 2013, he left machinery sales behind and committed fully to Bøn.
The early years were modest. Johan sold some wood chips, but mostly travelled with the grinder to take on jobs for other companies. In 2014, Bøn started working for Geminor as a subcontractor, beginning a cooperation that has grown ever since.
Joining Geminor
As a business owner, Johan worked long days. When he started a family and was expecting his first child, those days were hard to combine with family life. “It made sense to join a group, so I did not have to do everything alone. And the cooperation with Geminor had always been very good,” he says.
In 2019, Johan sold the company to Geminor. Since then, the partnership has worked both ways. Bøn gives Geminor dependable on-site expertise and helps build trust with customers. Geminor gives Bøn a stronger position in the market, and Johan a wider network of colleagues.
“We come in work clothes, and we can do the same jobs as the customers. That gives us a different kind of respect.”
Today, what began as a one-man company now has around eight employees in Bøn and supports about 14 full-time jobs, including subcontractors. The team also helps run Geminor’s hub in Landskrona, Sweden.
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New opportunities
Johan’s practical experience also makes him a natural part of Geminor’s research and development work. When the group wants to test a new idea, Johan and his team help turn it into real-world trials at hubs and customer sites.
Alongside machinery services, Bøn is growing its wood-chip business. Recent Sustainable Biomass Program certification opens the door to customers with strict sustainability requirements and gives the company more room to develop certified supply chains.
Johan sees the two sides of the company developing together: practical services built on years of experience, and new trading opportunities strengthened by Geminor’s market reach.
Building the right team
After more than ten years of running Bøn Biobrensel, Johan has learned that a business needs more than good machines and customers. Above all, it needs the right people.
“It took time to build the right team. Today we have a whole team of skilled and devoted employees, and that makes me very proud and excited for the future.”