The story
Founded by Wilhelm Edner in 1919.1
The Bona story started in the 1890s, when Wilhelm Edner opened a grocery shop in Malmö, Sweden selling coffee and various household products. The years went by, the business developed and, during the 1910s, floor wax, a completely new product on the Swedish market at the time, came into the picture. In August 1919, Wilhelm Edner registered a company called Aktiebolaget Bona. This is the date that Bona AB, the floor care company, was founded, since then the company has exclusively worked with the treatment of wooden floors.
From the company's foundation, Bona produced wax-based floor care products; later expanding their product range to include finishes, sealers, and other wood floor care products, as consumer demand evolved. Throughout the 20th century, Bona invested in research and development to improve its products and establish itself as a prominent player in the wood flooring industry.
Throughout the 1990s, Bona expanded its international operations by establishing subsidiaries and distribution networks in 90 countries globally.
In 1997, Bona's American division (then-known as BonaKemi) made a partnership with Orange Glo International (purchased by Church and Dwight in 2006) for their Orange Glo-branded products, such as the Orange Glo Wood Cleaner & Polish, and later the Orange Glo Hardwood Floor Refinisher, followed by other Orange Glo products.
From 2007 to 2020, Kerstin Lindell served as the president and CEO of the company. In 2021 she transitioned to the role of chairman of the board, while Pontus Cornelius assumed the position of president and CEO. Magnus Andersson held the CEO position at Bona AB from 2022 to 2024. Since August 2024 Kerstin Lindell has stepped back into the executive spotlight, serving as interim CEO alongside her responsibilities as chairman of the board.
From Wikipedia’s article on Bona AB, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5