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The rune stone at Hamra was originally situated three kilometres south - east of Hamra Farm. Now it is beside Magasinet, next to the Viking graves. The inscription reads: “Björn and Holm erected this stone in memory of Kättilbjörn, their father. God save his soul”.
Becoming farmers was the best thing we ever did
One could say that the company had a secret weapon in the early days, and that we still use it today: Hamra farm. By investing in a dairy farm in 1894, Gustav de Laval and John Bernström gave us a source from which we could draw inspiration. Their strategic decision ensured that the company could test its separators and milking machines, develop new ways of producing high quality milk, and create a model farm with the best cows, conditions and equipment. This kept us close to our customers – and guaranteed that we understood their needs on a real, operational level. It also inspired us to develop solutions that would improve everyday life for farm workers, animals and dairy consumers around the world.
In 1894, when John Bergström and Gustaf de Laval began looking for land in the Stockholm area, their aim was two-fold. They wanted AB Separator to have a dairy farm of its own – a model farm
After much searching, they found the perfect location in Tumba, about 20 km outside the city.
From the start, Hamra aimed to be a farm like no other. At the time, much of the Swedish population lived in poverty. Mortality rates were high. Tuberculosis was rampant. Cows suffered from disease and poor nutrition and as a result, milk was often dangerously infected by the time it reached consumers.
But Bernström and de Laval wanted to take a more modern approach to farming – one that would increase productivity, eradicate tuberculosis and improve animal welfare.
Getting rid of tuberculosis was a difficult goal to reach. Between 1894 and 1896, the company put SEK 50 000 into research studies and into building a technical-agricultural laboratory, but it wasn’t enough. So in 1898, double that amount was invested in a new dairy that would be better for people and animals – and where the de Laval separator could be tested hands-on and used to improve milk quality.
In the 1960s Hamra farm underwent a radical change. The Separator factory and head office, which had been in Stockholm from the beginning, were moved out to a new building in the valley below the dairy.
In 1961, the agricultural school was transformed into an industrial college and the new factory inaugurated, closely followed by a new head office and laboratory in 1964. Finally, the company was united in the fields of Hamra as originally planned by John Bergström and Gustaf de Laval.
Hamra has continued to play a role as a major source of inspiration, research and development for the company. In the 1980s an additional SEK 12. 6 million was invested to build the Experimental Barn, renovate the Big Barn and add new research facilities equipped with the latest technology. In 2002, the VMS (voluntary milking system) barn was completed and provides state-of-the-art solutions and visitor areas.
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