Who owns the Santa Maria brand?

The Santa Maria brand is ultimately owned by Paulig Ltd, a family-owned Finnish food group. The ownership chain is Santa Maria, Paulig Sweden AB, and Paulig Ltd.

Where is the Santa Maria food brand from?

The Santa Maria food brand is from Gothenburg, Sweden. Its business history began there in 1911, when Frans Leon Berg opened a tea and spice shop.

Who owned Santa Maria before Paulig?

Before Paulig acquired full ownership in 2011, the business operated as Nordfalks and was associated with the Nordlund and Falk families, Armin Mattsson, Hugo Lundgren and Lars-Olof Mattsson. Nordfalks changed its company name to Santa Maria AB in 2001.

Does Santa Maria own Discovery Foods?

Santa Maria acquired Discovery Foods in 2009, after which the business became Santa Maria UK. Discovery Foods had been founded in the late 1980s by entrepreneur James Beaton.

What kind of food does Santa Maria sell?

Santa Maria sells spices, flavourings, Tex Mex foods, Asian and Indian food concepts, snacks and BBQ products. Its Tex Mex range includes tortillas, chips and spice mixes.

Is Santa Maria a Swedish company?

Santa Maria originated in Sweden and is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. Santa Maria is ultimately owned by Paulig Ltd, a family-owned Finnish food group.

Is Santa Maria Novella owned by the same company?

Santa Maria Novella is a separate brand from the Santa Maria food brand. The ownership information for Santa Maria described here applies to the Swedish food brand, not to Santa Maria Novella, a perfume and personal-care business.

Does Santa Maria make its own spices and tortillas?

Santa Maria products are manufactured through Paulig's World Foods and Flavouring operations. Documented operations include spice production in Mölndal and Saue and tortilla production in Landskrona, Roeselare, Berga and Milton Keynes.

Who owns Santa Maria?

Santa Maria

Ultimate ownerFinlandPaulig Ltd

Brand origin: Sweden
Main production: Several countries, incl. Estonia

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Ownership chain

BrandSanta MariaSweden
Paulig Sweden AB
Ultimate ownerPaulig LtdFinland

About Santa Maria

What is Santa Maria?

Santa Maria is a European food brand that produces spices, flavourings, Tex Mex foods, Asian food concepts, snacks and BBQ products. Santa Maria is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, and is part of the Finnish Paulig group. Santa Maria products are sold in more than 25 European countries, according to a 2017 Paulig company announcement. Santa Maria has also been described as active in more than 34 European markets in a 2014 case study. The product portfolio includes Tex Mex, spices and flavouring, Asian concepts, snacks and BBQ. Santa Maria products are manufactured through Paulig's World Foods and Flavouring operations.

Who owns Santa Maria?

Santa Maria is ultimately owned by Paulig Ltd, according to Made O'Meter's ownership data verified on 13 September 2026. The ownership chain is Santa Maria, Paulig Sweden AB, and then Paulig Ltd. Paulig is headquartered in Finland and is family-owned. Paulig's own history states that the Santa Maria brand became fully owned by Paulig in 2011. Santa Maria's own website describes the brand as owned by the Paulig Group. Paulig was founded in 1876 and is 100% owned by the Paulig family. Santa Maria is not the same business as Santa Maria Novella, Santa Maria Speedway, Santa Maria Ford, Santa Maria Toyota, Santa Maria Honda, Santa Maria Island or other organizations that use the words Santa Maria.

Where does Santa Maria come from?

Santa Maria comes from Gothenburg, Sweden. The business began in 1911, when Frans Leon Berg opened a small tea and spice shop in Gothenburg. After Berg died, the Nordlund and Falk families took over the shop and renamed it Nordfalks. Armin Mattsson and Hugo Lundgren purchased a share of Nordfalks in 1946 and established the foundation of the modern Santa Maria business. Lars-Olof Mattsson took over from his father, Armin Mattsson, in 1968 and led the company's subsequent expansion. The business worked with the Finnish company Paulig from 1989. Nordfalks changed its company name to Santa Maria AB in 2001. The Santa Maria name refers to Christopher Columbus's ship Santa Maria, which appeared on historical product labels.

How did Santa Maria change ownership?

Paulig acquired full ownership of Santa Maria in 2011. Before that acquisition, Nordfalks had collaborated with Paulig from 1989. The business that became Santa Maria developed from Frans Leon Berg's Gothenburg tea and spice shop, was later run by the Nordlund and Falk families, and was expanded under Armin Mattsson, Hugo Lundgren and Lars-Olof Mattsson. Nordfalks adopted the Santa Maria AB company name in 2001. Paulig's history records the 2011 transaction as the point at which Paulig became the full owner of the Santa Maria brand.

What products does Santa Maria make?

Santa Maria makes spices, flavourings, Tex Mex foods, Asian food concepts, snacks and BBQ products. The Tex Mex range includes tortillas, chips and spice mixes. Santa Maria's product concepts also include Asian and Indian foods. Discovery Foods was founded in the late 1980s by entrepreneur James Beaton. Santa Maria acquired Discovery Foods in 2009, after which the business became Santa Maria UK. Santa Maria's portfolio therefore includes products connected with Mexican, Asian, Indian and barbecue cooking, as well as individual spices and flavouring products.

Is Santa Maria seasoning spicy?

Santa Maria seasoning can be mild, medium or hot, depending on the specific product. Santa Maria makes several types of spice and flavouring products, including spice mixes developed for Tex Mex food. The product range also includes a concept called Santa Maria Spicy World, which was launched in 1997. The word Santa Maria on a packet does not by itself identify one heat level, so the product name and package instructions determine the expected flavour and spiciness.

When did Santa Maria launch Tex Mex food?

Santa Maria introduced its Tex Mex range during the 1990s, including tortillas, chips and spice mixes. When Santa Maria introduced Tex Mex in Sweden, Swedish consumers bought approximately €7.5 million of Tex Mex food annually. By 2014, the Swedish Tex Mex market had grown to €132 million annually, while the Nordic market had reached €296 million annually. A 2014 case study described Santa Maria as a long-standing market leader in the Nordic region of Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

Where are Santa Maria products made?

Santa Maria products are made through Paulig's World Foods and Flavouring operations in several European countries. Santa Maria's documented production operations include Sweden, Estonia, Belgium and the United Kingdom. The Swedish operations include tortilla production in Landskrona and spice-blend production in Mölndal. The Estonian operations include spice production in Saue. The Belgian operations include tortillas, wraps, tacos, chips and meal kits in Roeselare. The United Kingdom operations include tortillas in Milton Keynes and sauces and salsa in Tipton. Paulig announced in September 2026 that it intended to consolidate spice production for Santa Maria by summer 2027.

How large is the Santa Maria business?

Paulig's World Foods and Flavouring Division, which included Santa Maria, had turnover of €308 million and approximately 850 employees in 2014. In 2016, Paulig reported net sales of €917 million, 1,900 employees and operations in 13 countries for the group that included Santa Maria. Santa Maria products were sold in more than 25 European countries according to a 2017 Paulig announcement. A 2014 case study described Santa Maria as active in more than 34 markets across Europe. These figures refer to different years and different reporting scopes, so they should not be treated as one current Santa Maria-only financial total.

Frequently asked questions about Santa Maria

Who owns the Santa Maria brand?: The Santa Maria brand is ultimately owned by Paulig Ltd, a family-owned Finnish food group. The ownership chain is Santa Maria, Paulig Sweden AB, and Paulig Ltd.
Where is the Santa Maria food brand from?: The Santa Maria food brand is from Gothenburg, Sweden. Its business history began there in 1911, when Frans Leon Berg opened a tea and spice shop.
Who owned Santa Maria before Paulig?: Before Paulig acquired full ownership in 2011, the business operated as Nordfalks and was associated with the Nordlund and Falk families, Armin Mattsson, Hugo Lundgren and Lars-Olof Mattsson. Nordfalks changed its company name to Santa Maria AB in 2001.
Does Santa Maria own Discovery Foods?: Santa Maria acquired Discovery Foods in 2009, after which the business became Santa Maria UK. Discovery Foods had been founded in the late 1980s by entrepreneur James Beaton.
What kind of food does Santa Maria sell?: Santa Maria sells spices, flavourings, Tex Mex foods, Asian and Indian food concepts, snacks and BBQ products. Its Tex Mex range includes tortillas, chips and spice mixes.
Is Santa Maria a Swedish company?: Santa Maria originated in Sweden and is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. Santa Maria is ultimately owned by Paulig Ltd, a family-owned Finnish food group.
Is Santa Maria Novella owned by the same company?: Santa Maria Novella is a separate brand from the Santa Maria food brand. The ownership information for Santa Maria described here applies to the Swedish food brand, not to Santa Maria Novella, a perfume and personal-care business.
Does Santa Maria make its own spices and tortillas?: Santa Maria products are manufactured through Paulig's World Foods and Flavouring operations. Documented operations include spice production in Mölndal and Saue and tortilla production in Landskrona, Roeselare, Berga and Milton Keynes.

Sources: pauliggroup.com: 1876 2026, santamariaworld.com: historik, santamariaworld.com: var historia, pauliggroup.com: paulig intends to consolidate spice production to strengthen long term competitiveness, santamariaworld.com: historie, santamariaworld.com: santa maria lugu, santamariaworld.com: om santa maria, news.cision.com, pauligpro.com: santa maria brand, pauliggroup.com: santa marias spice blends inspire consumers to explore new flavours, sv.wikipedia.org, revalizesoftware.com, santamariaworld.com: about santa maria, linkedin.com: paulig santa maria fully owned by paulig activity 7429456259915079681 6Unh, pauligpro.com: santa maria, pauliggroup.com: brands, pauliggroup.com: henrik samuelson to take the helm of santa maria, santamariaworld.com: about santa maria, linkedin.com: paulig santamaria activity 7085548654144421888 2QzQ, da.wikipedia.org

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Ownership data is compiled from public sources and verified where possible. Spotted an error? Suggest a correction below.

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