The company was founded by Christian Albrecht Jakhelln, who came to Hundholmen (now named Bodø) in 1807 as the bookkeeper for Det Trondhjemske Handels- og Fiskerietablissement. When this company was liquidated he bought its properties in Bodø and established his own company in 1828.
Through generations the Jakhelln family has played a central role in business in Bodø. After the destruction of the war in 1940, they contributed to the rebuilding of the city. Today Christian Jakhelln is still a family owned company with a focus on commercial real estate in the center of Bodø, with the daughter company Hundholmen Byutvikling as an important actor in the continuing urban development.