Johan Throne Holst was a Norwegian industrialist and politician for the Liberal Left Party (Frisinnede Venstre).

Throne Holst built up Freia

Freia (chocolate)

Freia is a Norwegian chocolate candy manufacturing company. The company is famous for Freia Melkesjokolade and Kvikk Lunsj, as well as for other candy and dessert products.-History:...

 to be Norway's leading chocolate manufacturer, and a modern workplace, with modern canteens (Freia-salen) and its own park for workers (Freia-parken). The company was also the first in Norway with its own health care policy, and the first with a 48 hour working week. Throne Holst also established chocolate production in Sweden under the brand name Marabou

Marabou (chocolate)

Marabou is a Swedish chocolate brand, which has been the most successful ever since it was launched in 1916. The distinctive brand was founded by the Norwegian chocolatier Johan Throne Holst who already had launched the same chocolate recipe in Norway under the name Freia with great...

.

Holst became involved in politics in the 1920s due to Vidkun Quisling

Vidkun Quisling

Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat that garnered him international infamy. From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying...

, but distanced himself from him by the beginning of the 1930s. In 1941, Holst was in the minority in the Federation of Norwegian Industries

Federation of Norwegian Industries (1919–1989)

The Federation of Norwegian Industries was an employers' organisation in Norway. It existed between 1919 and 1989, and was one of the main organisations in the field. In 1989 it became a part of the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise through a merger....

who protested against the increased trade that would be introduced during a German occupation.