Did you know: every time you buy a muffin at Tim Hortons or McDonald’s, odds are it is wrapped in Swedish paper? Swedish company Tielman produces half a billion paper cups for the North American market every year.    

It all began with Tim Hortons back in 2013. The Canadian staple wanted to adopt the tulip-style wrapper, popular in Europe since the mid-2000s, for their muffins. “Tielman North America started around that business opportunity. We had a product in Canada before we had a company,” says CEO Björn Tielman.  

The first production batch came from Sweden, but Tim Hortons was impatient for more, requiring the machines to be shipped to Canada. “We still had machines floating around in the Atlantic Ocean on their way to Canada when Tim Hortons wanted to launch,” Björn laughs.  

Soon everybody wanted their baked goods wrapped in tulip cups. They came in many different colours, but Tielman introduced the idea of branding the wrappers with the customer logos. “We convinced Tim Hortons that it would be silly to settle for a plain brown wrapper when one has a strong brand like theirs,” says Björn, who is the grandson of founder Bertil Tielman. 

While they are fairly new to the North American market, Tielman is a family company that has been supplying the European baking industry with baking cups, loaf liners, muffin cups, wraps, and pie cases since the 1930s. Their logo, consisting of three paper cups, is a nod to the Swedish Tre Kronor and their Swedish roots still mean a great deal to them. “Swedishness stands for something still. Swedes tend to keep their promises, arrive on time and be good at what they do,” says Björn.  

It is their special type of paper that is Tielman’s secret to success. Paper can be made greaseproof through a mechanical or a chemical process. The latter involves starting with a standard craft paper then adding chemicals to make it dense enough to withstand grease. While the chemical process is the cheapest method it is not great for the environment, or for the baked goods, as some chemicals are released when the paper is subjected to high temperatures during baking.  

Using his environmentally friendly mechanical process, Tielman hopes to put this and other environmentally harmful packaging such as aluminum foil and plastic-coated materials out of business. Tielman’s method involves densely molding the fibers in the paper together such that it becomes greaseproof. Environmentally friendly disposable paper cups may sound like an oxymoron, but as Björn explains: 

“Paper is a renewable resource, and our material is fully biodegradable. If you put our wrappers in your compost, they will be gone in a couple of weeks without having released any harmful substances. The worms and bugs like Tim Hortons too. If there are some crumbs left, they will have a feast,” he laughs.  

The company has weathered the pandemic fairly well, aided by the fact that they are considered an essential business. “We are not that affected by the highs and lows of the financial markets,” says Björn. “If times are tough you treat yourself with a muffin and if times are good you reward yourself with a muffin. We’re great for both comfort and celebration.” 

By Kajsa Norman