From Malmö to the World: The TePe Story of Innovation, Growth and Long-Term Thinking

Dental24 Meets Joel Eklund

Joel Eklund is the third-generation owner of TePe, the family business in Malmö that has grown from a simple idea into a global player with billion-krona revenue and products used by millions of people worldwide. Dental24 traveled to Malmö to meet a chess-loving business leader with a fondness for well-stocked warehouses.

Dental24 meets him at the headquarters, which also houses the company’s production facility. It is TePe’s fourth address, and Eklund remembers them all.

“I have a faint memory of running on the brown cardboard boxes in the warehouse when I was three years old. Even back then, the machines ran on weekends, so you had to come here and replace boxes so production could keep going.”

Many people know the story behind TePe. But the story is more than a fun anecdote, Joel explains. It reveals the company’s guiding principles—principles that still shape its work today.

The woodcarver Henning Eklund—Joel’s grandfather—got the idea from his dentist. Someone should develop toothpicks with three sides, with a narrow edge and a broader back. Such a design would reach better between teeth than the round, spear-shaped toothpicks available at the time.

Henning contacted the dental school in Malmö and connected with Professor Hilding Björn and later Professor Bo Krasse.

“They helped recommend the product and supported him by putting their name on the packaging. My grandfather was allowed to say the product was developed in collaboration with Professor Björn. So the input from the dental school was very important.”

Henning began manufacturing in a workshop on Skomakargatan in Malmö. He even invented a milling machine for the task. The machine produced combs of wooden picks, which were packed and sold at a local pharmacy. The name TePe came from shortening the Swedish word “tandpetare” (toothpick), replacing “A” with “E” for the family name Eklund. This was in 1965.

“Right there, we got the building blocks of our current strategy: collaboration with the dental profession in product development, proprietary machine development, in-house production, and sales through pharmacies.”

From Family Business to Billion-Krona Company

Henning’s son, and Joel’s father, Bertil Eklund, continued to develop the company. Joel Eklund took over as CEO in 2012 at the age of 31. By then, he had already studied at the prestigious University of Oxford. However, contrary to what one might expect, he did not study business, but subjects such as economics, political science and philosophy. We press him a little about his favourite philosopher.

“We spent a lot of time grappling with Descartes. I’m not sure I have a favourite. Schopenhauer and Nietzsche — those are the kinds of philosophers one is drawn to in youth, as people used to say. But they are not the choice of a grown man. Perhaps Kant.”

Expectations were high when he stepped into the role. Would he really be able to take on the leadership of such a large company at such a young age?

“You’re given a role you haven’t fully earned through the usual channels. On the one hand, you’re a young newcomer with a great deal of influence. On the other, my generation’s commitment to the company is a promise — a signal to all employees that this will continue. It shows that there is a future here. I have to say, I’ve felt nothing but support.”

There was a shared determination within the leadership to keep the company independent and family-owned. His father Bertil was — and still is — active in the business. The then CEO, Birgitta Nilsson, had long since decided to retire. Joel describes the transition as careful and gradual, spanning several years, during which Nilsson handed over responsibility area by area.

“I strongly believe in this ownership model. A family-owned company brings a long-term perspective. You see the cumulative contribution of generations — not just in financial terms. Of course, there are challenges too. When a family works together, the boundaries between work and private life blur. In some ways, it’s easier to define structures in a large company than in a smaller family business, where roles can become less clearly defined.”

The young newcomer soon proved that his position was not solely down to his surname. During Joel’s seven years as CEO, TePe grew steadily at a rate of 10–20 percent annually. Turnover increased from around SEK 300 million when he took over in 2012 to levels that laid the foundation for today’s revenue of nearly SEK 1.5 billion. In 2020, he stepped down as CEO and instead took on the role of Chairman of the Board.

“I have a very close dialogue with my successor, Hanna Hageberg Hammar — for example, we sat here for an hour together before you arrived. At the same time, I think it’s important not to step in and steer the operational work. It’s important that she gets to do her job — and she is doing it very well.”

Joel Eklund served as CEO of TePe between 2012 and 2020. During his time at the helm, the company grew from a turnover of around SEK 300 million to a level thatlaid the foundation for its current turnover of nearly SEK 1.5 billion.

International Expansion Beyond the Pharmacy Monopoly

Up until around 1990, TePe was very much a Swedish company. Eighty percent of its sales went through the national pharmacy chain. Deregulation seemed inevitable, and the journey of scaling up began with taking the step abroad.

“The company I came into contact with as a child had perhaps 20 employees and almost all its sales in Sweden. So this transition—from being a small Swedish company to becoming a growing, and eventually at least mid-sized and even a larger company—is almost always about taking that step beyond Sweden.”

“We were very dependent on a single customer. At the same time, we felt we had a product portfolio—particularly interdental brushes—that could work internationally. It was a combination of believing in the international potential of our products and wanting to get ahead of a possible deregulation of the pharmacy monopoly, which felt quite daunting at the time. When it eventually came, 15 years later, it turned out to be entirely positive for us.”

The first international initiatives were in Germany and the UK. TePe’s interdental brushes, known for their industry-leading quality, became something of a battering ram in the company’s expansion into global markets. Sweden’s strong reputation in preventive dentistry also helped establish credibility abroad.

“But of course, success also depends on how you work with the product, especially when you go international. That’s something we’ve become very good at over time, I would say.”

From being a small Swedish company with almost all sales going through the national pharmacy system, TePe took the step out into the world in anticipation of the deregulation of the pharmacy monopoly.

Initially, interdental brushes were seen as a niche product, or something used only in specific situations, such as severe periodontal disease.

“But as the product category has developed—and we have been very much a driving force in that—it is increasingly seen as a preventive product, used proactively. Not only by those already well into periodontal disease, but also by healthy patients who want to stay healthy.”

“We’ve been part of a shift in the industry’s mindset—from repairing what is diseased to preserving what is healthy. And through that journey, we have also expanded the market for interdental brushes and other products.”

Today, TePe has distributors in 80 countries. It has its own sales companies in nine countries, covering 18 markets. European countries—primarily Germany and the UK—account for around 80 percent of total turnover.

“Already today, around 85 percent of our sales take place outside Sweden. Sweden is a very important market for us, but we sell across the entire world, and we see ourselves continuing to grow our sales globally.”

Wherever TePe establishes itself, the strategy is for dental professionals to recommend the products. This goes all the way back to Henning’s collaboration with the dental school in Malmö.

“That is the model we follow in all countries, whether we execute it ourselves or through a distributor. We want patients to purchase the products either through dental clinics or at pharmacies. Over time, as the products become more established, also in retail—and of course e-commerce today as well.”

From Skomakargatan to Billion-Unit Output

“Would you mind if we walk around while we talk?” Joel asks.

Not at all, we reply, following closely behind as he moves confidently through the corridors. Eklund leads us into the heart of the company — the production facility. From the milling machine on Skomakargatan in Malmö, a modern, high-tech manufacturing site has emerged, now producing more than one billion oral care products of various kinds each year.

It is a machinery park consisting of specially built, modified, and in some cases entirely in-house developed machines — fully in line with the company’s founding principles. The environment is quiet, clean, and efficient. Autonomous robots glide through the halls, picking up and delivering finished products.

“We’ve always had production here in Malmö. There have been periods when it was considered best practice to move production abroad — typically to low-cost countries to reduce expenses. We have always rejected that. Keeping production in Malmö is part of the company’s soul and identity. But we have also always believed there are sound, rational reasons for maintaining it here.”

“We’ve been able to keep innovation in-house. We’ve been able to develop production using our own solutions. We’ve had control over quality, and control over working conditions.”

Joel overwhelms us with figures on increased output across different product categories and how many times greater capacity today’s machines have. One detail stands out in particular: each individual interdental brush is photographed and analysed using AI six times before it reaches packaging.

“A great deal of what has happened in the world over the past ten years has reinforced this approach of keeping production in Sweden,” Joel continues.

“It became particularly clear during the pandemic. Compared to many others, we have a relatively less complex supply chain, with control over a large part of the value chain. That meant we coped far better than many others when global supply chains broke down.”

Joel lingers in the part of the facility that serves as a warehouse. You don’t need to be an industrial economist to notice that it is well stocked.

“We have no issue with maintaining substantial inventory in order to serve our customers. We don’t follow that just-in-time mindset that’s so common in the industry. Most of our products don’t have an expiry date. I like having well-filled warehouses.”

“It’s primarily about ensuring customers receive their products, but also about production efficiency. If you keep low inventory levels for each product, you constantly have to switch production to meet immediate needs. Strong delivery performance and the ability to run longer production series go hand in hand.”

“And when we talk about sustainability — which has really taken off as an area — it’s a huge advantage, if Europe is your main market, to manufacture in Europe.”

“It simply doesn’t make sense to transport goods back and forth across the world. Recently, there’s been a lot of discussion around preparedness and resilience, and from that perspective as well, having the factory right next to the headquarters in Sweden fits very well.”

“So we’ve gone from being somewhat out of fashion to becoming something of a role model in this respect.”

Why do TePe’s products sell so well? It’s an obvious question when faced with containers filled with brightly coloured interdental brushes.

Surely it shouldn’t be that difficult for low-cost competitors to copy them? There are several answers to that question, Eklund explains. One is the connection to the dental profession.

“It comes down to product quality. But also to recognition — people know the products from dental care. There are, of course, other competitors — private labels — in retail. Every company has competition. But we want the customer — the patient — to encounter the product already within dental care. That way, they have the knowledge to choose our products over cheaper alternatives in stores.”

“Competition is a good thing — it drives development. It would be boring if there were a monopoly,” Joel says with a slight smile.

On the Roof Among Bees and Seagulls

The final stop on the tour is the factory roof, home to one of Malmö’s largest solar panel installations. Here, seagulls nest alongside rows of beehives.

Like most companies, TePe is keen to maintain a strong environmental profile. But the question is whether the company hasn’t taken it further than most. It offers free electric vehicle charging for visitors, and all company cars are electric. Most of its products are made of plastic — but no longer fossil-based plastic, as was once the case.

“The transition from fossil-based raw materials to almost entirely renewable ones has been a hugely important step for us.”

Why this strong focus on sustainability? Is it branding, cost-saving, or a genuine commitment?

“All of those things have to go hand in hand. A company that talks about sustainability but doesn’t act will eventually be exposed. What the company does, the values our employees hold, how they act, and how our customers expect us to behave — it all needs to align.”

We ask about new products and acquisitions, but for obvious reasons, he prefers not to reveal any details. No new TePe product is launched without first receiving clear indications of need from the dental profession, Eklund assures us.

“Products need to fit within our portfolio, and we need to have seen a demand for them from dental professionals. At the same time, we are always looking at both product development and potential acquisitions that can complement our existing business.”

Chess, Long-Term Thinking and New Perspectives

Like many prominent business leaders, Eklund has a strong engagement in sports. Carl Bennet sponsors the football club Halmstads BK; Eklund’s passion lies in chess. Today, TePe co-organises what is perhaps Sweden’s most prestigious international chess tournament, the TePe Sigeman Tournament. The natural question is whether Eklund himself thinks in chess terms when running a business.

“I’m often asked that question. I can’t really give a good answer. But I do tend to think long term and find it fairly easy to think several moves ahead. Whether that comes from my interest in chess, or if it’s simply part of my nature, I’ll leave unsaid.”

Much of what defines TePe today can be traced back to decisions made long before he himself took over—decisions that still shape the framework within which the company develops. Being the third-generation owner of TePe does not seem to weigh on Joel Eklund in his day-to-day work; rather, it comes across as a natural part of the role.

Joel is a busy man, and our interview is drawing to a close. One final question for someone who clearly thinks long term: what does the future hold for TePe’s field of interest—affordable oral care products for self-care aimed at consumers? After a moment’s reflection, he responds—not with a forecast, but with a description of a challenge:

“I spend a lot of time thinking about how we—as a company, an industry, and as dental care providers—reach the public in light of the changing behavioural and media patterns we’re seeing: a reduced instinctive trust in authority, and perhaps a more active search for information.

“How we navigate the information landscape shaped by AI and social media dynamics. What experts once put forward as the truth works differently today. There are new mechanisms in today’s digital society. How we, as players in this space, find our way and reach people with our messages. I don’t have the answers—but I think about it.”

Joel Eklund says goodbye and heads off toward the car park. Perhaps new tasks await at the family’s investment company, Fosielund, which manages holdings in companies such as Parkster, Kjell & Company, Wihlborgs, Inwido, Boozt, Trianon, Lindab and HMS Networks, to name a few. Or perhaps matters relating to the Eklund Foundation—TePe’s charitable foundation, which distributes SEK 2.5 million annually to dental research around the world—are next on his agenda.

One thing, however, is certain: his grandfather’s toothpicks were pointing in the right direction.

Dental24, Sweden

Link to original article in Swedish: Dental24 möter Joel Eklund | Nyhetsarkiv | Dental24

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