Maria Johanna "Ninni" Kronberg (1874–1946) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

inventor. In 1933, Kronberg invented the patent for

powdered milk Powdered milk, also called milk powder, dried milk, or dry milk, is a manufactured dairy product made by evaporating milk to dryness. One purpose of drying milk is to preserve it; milk powder has a far longer shelf life than liquid milk and do ...

, which ultimately led to the founding of the Semper AB company, a food product manufacturing company. XLM

Early life

Kronberg was born in Gävle in 1874 as the daughter of Viktor Berggren and Caroline Louise Stuart. Educated by governesses throughout her youth, Kronberg never received high school qualifications. In 1896 at the age of 22, Kronberg married

wholesaler Wholesaling or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers (wholesale businesses) and related subordinated services. In ...

Erik Kronberg. The couple were well-off in Gävle and ran a large household. Kronberg took pleasure in many things such as handicrafts, painting, sailing and travelling. Erik Kronberg took over his father's business, B.G. Kronbergs Spannmålsaffär & Maltfabrik, after his death in 1901. In 1915, this became a limited company called A.B. Kronbergs Maltfabrik. Ninni Kronberg actively supported her husband with the business. In 1922, the business went bankrupt. The Kronsbergs experienced tension in their childless

matrimony Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

, and finally divorced in 1925. During this time, Ninni Kronberg moved in with a friend named Gudrun Juel-Westrup and her husband, the diplomat Wilhelm Westrup, at the Rydsgård estate in Skåne.

Career and Inventions (powdered milk)

At the Rydsgård estate, Ninni Kronberg was able to create a Practic yeast agent. Kronberg created this yeast product with her knowledge from her time working at her ex-husbands company. With her previous knowledge from her ex-husband's company. Following the invention, Ninni Kronberg founded a company together with the Westrups called AB Practic Comp Ltd which launched her product. After further research, Ninni Kronberg was awarded her first

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...

in 1927. She then developed a milk serum, a big step towards her invention for long-lasting powered milk. After working for several years, in 1934, Ninni Kronberg submitted a patent for a newer and better method for the production of a longer-lasting powdered milk. In 1937, Ninni Kronberg was awarded 25,000 SEK ( Swedish Krona) by the Swedish Ministry of Agriculture for her invention.

Axel Wenner-Gren Axel Lennart Wenner-Gren (5 June 1881 – 24 November 1961) was a Swedish entrepreneur and one of the wealthiest men in the world during the 1930s. Early life He was born on 5 June 1881 in Uddevalla, a town on the west coast of Sweden. He w ...

, the founder of

Electrolux Electrolux AB () is a Swedish multinational home appliance manufacturer, headquartered in Stockholm. It is consistently ranked the world's second largest appliance maker by units sold, after Whirlpool. Electrolux products sell under a variety ...

a Swedish

home appliance A home appliance, also referred to as a domestic appliance, an electric appliance or a household appliance, is a machine which assists in household functions such as cooking, cleaning and food preservation. Appliances are divided into three ...

manufacturer, realised the potential of Kronberg's powered milk. In 1938,

created Svenska Mjölkprodukter AB (SMP) to produce Ninni Kronberg's

. SMP built a production plant in

Kimstad Kimstad is a locality situated in Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 1,510 inhabitants in 2010. On 12 September 2010, Kimstad became the scene of a railway accident when an X 2000 high-speed train collided with a crane uti ...

and production began on September 1, 1939. Although production began during the outbreak of World War 2, putting a stop to all exports, the factory produced powdered milk for Sweden's emergency food supply allowing the company to get off on a good start. During the 1940s Ninni Kronberg face multiple legal disputes. Ninni Kronberg sued the C. Bert Lilja & Co private bank and the estate owner Erik von Geijer for attempting to illegally acquire her contract with Svenska Mjölkprodukter AB. The court ultimately sided with Kronberg.

Death and legacy

Ninni Kronberg died on 1 October 1949 at the age of 75. In 1963, SMP changed their name to Semper and now focuses on the production of powdered milk and

baby food Baby food is any soft easily consumed food other than breastmilk or infant formula that is made specifically for human babies between four and six months and two years old. The food comes in many varieties and flavors that are purchased ready- ...

. Semper stated that Ninni Kronberg's innovation formed the foundation of the company.

References

General references

* M Johanna (Ninni) Kronberg, Sveriges biografiska lexikon {{DEFAULTSORT:Kronberg, Ninni 20th-century Swedish inventors Swedish physiologists 1874 births 1946 deaths Swedish women scientists Women physiologists 20th-century Swedish scientists 20th-century women scientists Women inventors 20th-century Swedish women

Early life

Career and Inventions (powdered milk)

Death and legacy

Further reading

References

General references