Icelandic state institutions spent nearly ISK 1.1 million with Santé
Friday 4th September 2026 on 02:01 in
Iceland
At least three Icelandic state institutions have spent nearly ISK 1.1 million with Santé, an online and alcohol retailer, since 2022, mbl.is reports, citing publicly available invoices.
The University of Iceland was Santé’s largest state-sector customer. The Government Property Agency and the National Gallery of Iceland also made purchases from the company.
Santé owners Arnar Sigurðsson and Elías Blöndal Guðjónsson were recently charged with violating alcohol laws, specifically the exclusive right held by the State Alcohol and Tobacco Company of Iceland to sell alcohol at retail. The indictment was issued by the District Prosecutor of the Capital Region on July 19.
They are accused of selling 12 cans of beer and one bottle of red wine through the website sante.is without the required licence on August 14, 2025. The owners told mbl.is they intended to plead not guilty.
The National Gallery was the most recent state institution to buy from Santé. In July 2026, it purchased carbonated non-alcoholic tea for ISK 8,400, the total value of its transactions with Santé. mbl.is has obtained the invoice.
All the institutions’ purchases were made through Santewines, a company registered in France that accounts for the largest share of Santé’s business.
The University of Iceland spent ISK 925,481 in total, with the costs consistently recorded as hospitality expenses. Its latest invoice was dated January 22, 2026. The university told mbl.is that it was preparing a response to questions about the purchases.
The Government Property Agency spent ISK 163,758 with Santé in 2023. Public invoices recorded ISK 86,760 as employee expenses and ISK 76,998 as late-payment-related costs.
The agency said the purchases were alcoholic drinks for its staff celebration. It later clarified that the additional costs consisted of ISK 9,392 in late-payment interest and ISK 67,130 in collection fees after the invoice became overdue.
Such collection costs were not common, said Aldís Stefánsdóttir, the agency’s director of service operations. She said invoices were generally paid within the standard payment period, which was often 30 days under the parties’ business terms.