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The founder Jakob Johansen Alveberg; the sailor, missionary, businessman and Mjøskapteen: Jakob Alveberg born October 31, 1872, grew up in Skudeneshavn at the extreme southern tip of Karmøy, Norway.
When he finished elementary school at the age of 15 (1887), he signed on as a cook on a herring boat in Nordland for a year. The following year he wanted to go to sea, also known as the blue swamp, and at the age of 16 he boarded the lumber ship Allegro to Sydney, Australia.
For 16 years he sailed at sea, and his last voyage in 1903 was in the English Channel where they encountered a terrible storm. No one thought they would survive, and as a result of this traumatic experience he became a personal christian and left the seafaring life. Jakob Alveberg attended Framnes Missionary School in Hardanger for 5 years until 1908, and in 1909 he spent six months studying medicine in Oslo, which was required before one could become a missionary.
In 1909 he traveled to China with 11 other missionaries and the following year he accompanied a sick missionary home to Norway. He then moved to Gjøvik and was in the service of the China Mission.
In 1913 he was employed by Opplandske Dampskipsselskap AS as captain of the Mjøsbåtene Mjøsen, Kong Oscar, and from 1914 the paddle steamer Skibladner – The White Swan of Mjøsa was 100 years old in 1955. Sailed as captain until 1946 and was present at the 92nd anniversary in 1947. Being a captain was a seasonal job and worked in parallel with the business in Oslo.
As sea captain Jakob Johansen Alveberg, he established the company in 1917 that still bears the same name today. In the beginning, the company was involved in selling lifeboats and some coatings aimed at the maritime sector. This was in the pioneer days of chemicals and Alveberg became a pioneer in the field. Marine and industrial coatings and paints became the main products, and when the war was over these were the only products sold from the company.
From the early days, the niche around specialization for competitive prices has been the goal, and the highest demands for specialized expertise have been important throughout the generations. Alveberg has had a focus on the best solution for the customer as a mantra since 1917.
From the commercial letter dated June 25, 1918, it is quoted:
"After having proven that you are in possession of the prescribed qualifications, you are hereby granted a commercial license for the merchant trade in the city of Kristiania. The commercial license comes into force immediately."
When the war broke out, Jakob set off with 4 horses and a cart to empty the ship of instruments and inventory. He took with him deck chairs, tablecloths, pictures, tableware, and 2 bronze salute cannons weighing 50 kg each. He did all this in 2 hours. During the war, the company was closed, as the family was involved in the resistance movement.
Reidar Jakob Alveberg, son of Jakob Johansen Alveberg, was described as a very strong and tough man. During the war years he was admitted to Ullevål Hospital where he played terminally ill for 1 year, this to avoid German interrogation experts. He drank his own blood and put a lung out of function. He recovered relatively quickly after liberation in 1945.
In 1952 and 1956 he was part of the Olympic squad in bobsleigh, and in 1994 he set off on the new bobsleigh track in Lillehammer. Reidar Jakob Alveberg took over the company in 1945.
After the war, the company supplied paint for 20,000 jerry cans of spek TUA-D. The company also made a major acquisition with profits, when the company invested in cheese wax from England, which was popular after the war.
In an interview from 1945 where Skibladner celebrated his 90th birthday, Jakob Alveberg states the following;
"Last year on the bridge, now I want to stop as I am starting to get old and the place should be left to young people. Besides, I have a business in Oslo that I have to look after."
In 1954, Alveberg was the first company in the world to sell tar epoxy.
In 1947, Alveberg became the first company to test fire-retardant and protective paints and coatings.
From an interview in 1952 at the age of 80, Jakob says;
"I had a shipping business in Oslo which in recent years has been significantly expanded and has been taken over by my sons."
Jak J Alveberg AS was established in 1917. This was the pioneering era of shipping where the need for coatings was great. From the very beginning, our corporate philosophy was clearly defined. Our philosophy: “We want to offer the best, long-term solution to the problems of our customers – not just sell paint by the bucketful.” Our philosophy: “We want to offer the best, long-term solution to the problems of our customers – not just sell paint by the bucketful.”
