Tentipi – The Vision

It’s always a fascinating story to hear of the origin of goods, and how they made it into the market. Every single manufactured product in existence, from flint tools to the space-shuttle originated as an idea – a vision, driven often by a passion and determination to succeed.

The origins of Tentipi are no different, of course, and the vision behind the brand in this case was (and still is) driven by Bengt Grahn, the founder, who developed this into a product line, meticulously considered, designed and manufactured to meet a wide range of needs and environments. The vision in this case was to make the perfect tent, incorporating modern technology and materials, and yet drawing upon a Sami heritage for many of its influences. Bengt’s vision for these designs also had a unique relationship with the primary elements of water, air, Earth and fire – evident in the video which follows.

Bengt’s background provided him with a good foundation in practical problem-solving. Born in the north of Sweden as the second youngest of five children, his family were farmers and part-owners of a saw-mill. By necessity his parents were very practical people – able to work with, repair or produce items in yarn, textile, wood or metal, and these early practical influences were absorbed in the beautiful Swedish natural forest environment – unpolluted by traffic, industry, or city lights, and watched over by the Aurora Borealis. This was home for the first 18 years of his life.

These natural and practical influences took root, maturing over the years and interwoven with his parents’ very sound Christian values – Universal in their essence and applied in their everyday life with family, friends and strangers alike. These strong influences continue – shared by Lena, his wife, and daughters Joni (14), and Tilde (11).

Tilde, Lena, Joni and Bengt Grahn.

Sports for Bengt were very much a product of his passion for the outdoors and his closeness to the natural environment. Skating and skiing in the wilderness of Swedish Lapland gave way as the seasons changed to forest running and whitewater canoeing trips on rivers swollen by meltwater, and it was on one of these trips where the idea which was to become Tentipi came into being. In 1989, under the Company name Moskoselkatan AB, the Tentipi brand came to life – influenced by the Sami Kata heritage, the varied environment of Swedish Lapland, and also by Bengt’s enquiring and problem-solving mind.

Bengt, at home in the outdoors.

His focus on providing the absolute best quality at all stages of design, materials and production is evident everywhere and this was to provide the stimulus for acquisition of the Company’s own manufacturing facilities, providing the ultimate in terms of quality control. Design rights and Patents for their original ingenious designs have been granted, and the company have been awarded several prestigious industry awards too.

We deal with detailed descriptions of designs, constructions and materials elsewhere in our Blog, but Bengt’s original vision of producing an all-weather Nordic tipi using totally modern constructions and yet still faithful to the original design principles of their Sami predecessors has been ultimately successful. Now, 22 years after manufacture of their very first product, Tentipi are regarded as the World’s leading producer of premium quality Nordic tipis, with their products in use across the globe.