Kosta Boda started in as Kosta on 26 July 1742 in the forests in Smaland, Sweden, founded by Anders Koskull and George Bogislaus Stael von Holstein. Kosta Boda was formed through a merger of the glassworks in Kosa, Boda and Afors. The location was chosen so that they could supply Stockholm and Karlskrona, and the forest provided unlimited wood to heat the furnaces.

At the beginning, glass was a luxury and during their first 150 years of production, glassware, such as windows and chandeliers, were manufactured and sold to royalty, nobility and rich merchants.

The circular glass items produced are created using waste glass from their own production. The glass waste is dependent on seasonal production and their glassblowers sort the glass by colour tone before they recycle it into production of new design objects.

There have been lots of ups and downs for Kosta Boda and at times the competition has been intense so they have had to constantly develop and evolve.