International perspective is food for thought in Finland

The recent news that foreigners are involved in 60 per cent of Finland's patents perhaps did not come as a surprise to history buffs.

Indeed, when surveying the Finnish business landscape, it is apparent that foreign innovation and expertise has resulted in some of the biggest brands locally over the years.

Established by immigrants in the 1800s, the department store Stockmann and home textile specialists Finlayson both went on to become household names in Finland and abroad.The oldest brewery in the Nordics, Sinebrychoff, and the food and beverage company Paulig, too, were founded by newcomers that same century.

Similarly, the origins of another significant player in Finland’s food and beverage industry, Fazer, also have an international flavour. Its founder, Karl Fazer, was the son of a Swiss furrier who moved to Finland in the 1840s to work for a tailor. Starting off with a small café situated next to his father’s building in the centre of Helsinki, Fazer junior’s business has since grown into a global success story, with its products available in more than 40 countries bringing net sales of 1.2 billion euros.

A fresh tasting perspective

Fast-forward to the current day, foreigner-led success in the food and beverage industry continues to satisfy local palates. In addition to the goal of achieving success with their enterprises, these business owners all shared something else in common when they set out turning their dreams into reality here.

“There's one aspect [of establishing a business in Finland] which is easier for a foreigner, and that is figuring out an idea for something that’s not here that would be successful,” said David Cohen, the American co-founder of the berry wine producer Ainoa Winery. “You come from someplace else, and you look and say, Why is everyone doing it that way? And everyone who's born here says, ‘Well, that's the way it's done’. And you think, No, no, there's a better way. I've seen the other way, and it’s like this.”

Established by David and his wife, the Ecuadorian Paola Guerrero de Cohen, Ainoa Winery produces a growing range of wines from local berries, including cloudberry, strawberry and blueberry varieties. Given the novelty of the business idea – producing a little-known product in a region not renowned for its wine production – the duo’s road to success has been a gradual one. Ten years or so since they set out with the venture, the Cohens now have a mantelpiece crowded with awards from France, Australia and the US, to name but a few, and their wines have been served on Finnair flights and are found in stores and restaurants in Sweden.

One of the driving forces behind their success with Ainoa Winery, Cohen says, is their desire to help people to get to know and appreciate Finnish berries as much as people here do.

“It's not very often that an immigrant gets to do something that really […] pays back the country. But to do something that enhances the reputation of the country, which welcomed us in, feels good,” he reflects.

A successful brew

A fresh perspective also played a role in Brazilian Cleber Goncalves’ successful craft beer brewery, CoolHead Brew, when eight years ago he left behind a thriving career in the IT industry in Finland and followed his heart.

“I was tired of sitting in front of the computer and programming day in and day out, without really talking to anyone,” he recalls. “Home brewing was a hobby of mine, and I decided to try it as a business.”

When surveying the local scene in Finland, it was evident that the craft beer market was lagging behind its neighbours. The window of opportunity was open.

“I had this idea of having colourful, happy branding with tropical colours, like in Brazil. I went to the supermarket, and I saw all the cans were black or brown.”

Goncalves also realised that one recipe for success would come from experimentation – and then some. CoolHead has produced over 350 different varieties of beer over the years. This can-do approach to product development reflects a mindset that quickly seizes upon global trends to the brewery’s advantage.

“We started making sour beer, which was already beginning to explode in other markets in Europe, but no one was making it here,” Goncalves recalls. “We got a head start but it wasn’t easy for us to break through because no one had drunk them before and didn't know they existed.

“Eventually, customers started to taste these beers and say, ‘Wow, this is good.’ We developed a whole new niche in the market.”

While the local craft beer industry has since caught up with the rest of Europe, as a result of these early decisions, CoolHead Brew is now very well positioned in a crowded marketplace – not only in local pubs and bars, but in supermarkets as well. 

A balanced approach to working life

Whilst these days the restless life of an entrepreneur means never fully being able to switch off, Goncalves initially marvelled at the work culture that he encountered in Finland during his career in the IT industry.

“People started work at seven or eight and by three o’clock they were going home. I was like, What's going on? Work felt much easier here.”

“The other surprise was how people would just focus on their jobs. We would go for lunch, and I was used to these long lunches in Brazil, because there was no point in trying to rush if you would stay late at work anyway. Here, the guys would get their food and when they were done eating, they would leave.

“People are focused. They do their work and want to go home [early] and live their lives.”

Other aspects of the Finnish working culture have caught the eye of Pamela Aranciaga Mauricio, a Peruvian who moved to Finland a decade ago and today runs the award-winning micro-roastery Inka Paahtimo.

“The Finnish working life is quite relaxed, there is no strict hierarchy,” she says. “When I’ve hired people, I’ve noticed I don’t have this pressure because we can easily talk about the tasks and work. There is no ‘I’m meeting with my boss’ type of stress.”

In Finland, Mauricio has seemingly also found the perfect, ethically-sound marriage of her own cultural roots and the interests of her adopted home. Coffee is Peru’s main agricultural export, and the consumption habits of the locals here in Finland happen to be anything but mild on a global scale.

“Since I live in the country where people drink the most coffee in the world, I hope that in the future, most consumers want their coffee to be sustainably produced and come from small farmers. That is my goal.”

The road to success has contained many twists and turns for Mauricio, including a change of cities when her partner landed a job opportunity in Helsinki. Alongside meticulous planning and taking the time to create suitable marketing materials, she also emphasises that when developing a business in Finland it’s wise to reach out to people in the know.

“Networking is really, really important here. It can be a good idea to collaborate with another company at the start. That is a way to learn the market when you are new to it.” 

With the fruit of Mauricio’s labour cultivating a loyal customer base, the roastery’s success has had one additional very important outcome.

“The biggest positive about being an entrepreneur in Finland is being able to create a job that is meaningful for you. That can be very rare to find. And even though this is a small company, it also feels good to give work to others.”

A place with meaning

For Japanese Minaë Tani-LaFleur, finding meaning from her own venture was a natural step in her professional journey. Having been a full-time employee for 13 years in the Japanese corporate world, she was ready to change her approach to work when she moved to Finland.

“When you stop having a passive attitude toward your relationship with work, Finland has your back for entrepreneurship,” she said, pointing to the strong union culture here and the possibility to apply for “starttiraha” (a start-up grant) .

Combining her passions of food, cooking and sustainability, Tani-LaFleur established Zestii, a collaborative platform connecting hungry customers with food professionals with a slow-food approach. This has since evolved to incorporate a thriving café and catering business. 

“Finland inspired me in entrepreneurship. So much encouragement and support was available for free or a low cost to prepare your mindset for entrepreneurship and learn how to start.”

When asked what she enjoys most about being an entrepreneur, Tani-LaFleur emphasises that her work is a strong form of self-expression. 

“Moving to the new place, you are just an anonymous individual. If you have a business, you make your reputation and name around what you do for your livelihood. It becomes easier to connect with people and be recognised through the work you do and what you can offer to others.

“It brings interesting and creative opportunities and fun challenges, and you decide what to do and how to do it.”