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Pure Finnish organic food exhibits at BioFach in Nuremberg

PRESS RELEASE
31 January 2011




Pure and clean organic food from Finland will be presented at the BioFach organic trade fair in Nuremberg, Germany on 16–19 February 2011. Finnish companies have joined forces with companies from other Nordic countries to exhibit their products at a joint pavilion.

Finland is known for its clean natural environment and ecological know-how. The organic products presented at BioFach are examples of the very best organic production and extensive research and development within the Finnish food industry. In Finland, technological know-how and understanding of ecological processes lay an excellent basis for clean organic food production.

”We believe that the pure Finnish natural environment, strong agricultural tradition and high technological know-how form the best possible basis for clean and safe organic food production for international markets”, says the Finnish representative of BioFach, Mr Arto Varanki from Spokesman Events Oy, who is coordinating the Nordic pavilion and Finnish participation.

”The joint Nordic stand of Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway is already a tradition at BioFach, and together the four countries are set to make an impact”, Varanki says.

Organic food production is also one of the top issues concerning the new Finnish national brand. The brand was released after initiation by Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb. Finnish companies joining BioFach have been devoted and energetic advocates of organic products for several years, commencing long before the release of the new national brand. Germany and other countries in Western Europe as well as the Far East are important trade partners for Finnish organic food producers.

"This year Finnish companies are focusing on consumer products more than before. We have several products based on pure Finnish raw-materials and speciality grains like rye, oats and buckwheat. We have free-from products and products with proven health benefits - all based on the rich food traditions and nature of Finland. We are eagerly looking forward to presenting them to the organic trade at BioFach”, says Organic Food Finland export manager Mr Erkki Pöytäniemi. Organic Food Finland is an export group including, amongst others, six of the Finnish BioFach exhibitors.

The Finnish exhibitors welcome visitors and journalists to their stands (joint stand 1/1-510, Pramia stand 5/5-122 and Viiniverla stand 4A/4A-420c).

For further information, please contact:
Mr Arto Varanki, Spokesman Events Oy, +358 40 544 5598, arto.varanki@spokesman.


Finnish Exhibitors at BioFach 2011:

Bioferme Ltd, Tuula von Zweygbergk, +358 500 505 600, www.bioferme.fi
organic probiotic oat based snacks

Finnish Cheese Company, Esa Luomanperä, +358 400 426 187, www.silva.fi
Silva organic process cheese, ILO organic hummus and freshly peeled organic garlic cloves

Helsinki Mills Ltd, Lhassan El Farkoussi, +358 50 462 4432, www.helsinkimills.fi
organic flour and flakes

Keskisen Mylly Ky, Markku Vitikainen, +358 3 471 6532, www.keskisenmylly.fi
organic buckwheat pasta and other buckwheat products

Linkosuo Bakery Ltd, Leena Järvenpää, +358 20 770 2400, www.linkosuo.fi
small crispy rye snacks and Varrasleipä crispy bread

Nordic Koivu Oy, Susanna Maaranen, + 358 40 523 7348, www.nordickoivu.com
Nordic birch sap

Pramia Oy, Minja Kivinen, +358 40 594 7770, www.pramia.fi
organic alcoholic beverages
stand 5/5-122

Senson Oy, Pasi Heikkilä, +358 500 352 868, www.senson.fi
organic malt extracts

Viiniverla Oy, Juha Kuronen, +358 40 530 9224, www.viiniverla.fi
organic berry wines
stand 4A/4A-420c

Virgino, Perttu Korolainen, + 358 400 770 654, www.virgino.fi
organic cold pressed rape seed oil













Season's Greetings !!!

We have used our “Christmas card budget” to
buy 1000 m2 of Finnish primeval old-growth
forest through the Finnish Natural Heritage
Foundation. This forest will be put under
conservation. For more information visit
Luonnonperintösäätiö.

Still more research on Virgino rape seed oil !

The article has been published in the "Lipids and Health" publication. You can download the report "Effects of dietary cold-pressed turnip rapeseed oil and butter on serum lipids, oxidized LDL and arterial elasticity in men with metabolic syndrome" at

http://www.lipidworld.com/content/pdf/1476-511x-9-137.pdf  


The rapeseed oil used in the study was Virgino cold pressed oil. 

New research gives further proof of healthiness of rape seed oil

The new press release from Helsinki University "Canola-type rapeseed oil reduces the level of fibrinogen, a leading cause of thrombosis and inflammation" explains the importance of lowering blood fibrinogen levels for human health. Using just 1 spoonful of Finnish spring turnip seed oil (Brassica rapa ssp Oleifera) decreased all higher-than-average fibrinogen levels by approximately 30 per cent in the research subjects.

At Virgino the healthiness of Finnish rape seed oil has been known for years. Virgino produces the highest quality cold pressed oil which means that apart from the beneficial fatty acid composition and high levels of Omega-3 the oil also contains all the vitamins, enzymes and lecithin which are lost in refined oil. The importance of consuming your food as unrefined as possible can not be stressed enough. Oil refining destroys the valuable protective substances in the oil. Lecithin for example is an extremely valuable component in rape seed oil which is totally lost in refining.

The success of Virgino in Finland has been very much based on the research and communication of the health benefits of Virgino oils. One of the last research projects specifically on Virgino oil was conducted by  Chief Physician Ari Palomäki, and the results presented to the scientific community at the Nordic Congress on Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, held in Hämeenlinna, Finland from 12–14th June 2008. A summary of the research can be found in English hear.

The rape seed that is grown in Finland and used in Virgino oil is the spring turnip rapeseed Brassica rapa ssp Oleifera. This is not the same species as is grown elsewhere in Europe (Brassica napus) and has a better fatty acid composition - the content of saturated fatty acids is lower. Therefore Virgino turnip rape seed oil is one of the best and healthiest food oils in the world.

Virgino oil is also absolutely GMO-free.  There are no GMO varieties of rapeseed grown in Finland or Europe in general. On the other hand all Canola rapeseed oil originating from North-America either derives from GMO varieties or is in any case contaminated with GMO. Also the rapeseed oils that are on the market in Asia are mainly from North-America. The Finnish Virgino organic cold pressed rapeseed oil offers therefore a delicious, healthy and GMO-free alternative.

Apart from the plastic bottle in the photo, Virgino is also available in glass bottles for export.

Organic Food Finland: Lhassan moves on.

Lhassan El Farkoussi started with Organic Food Finland in April 2006. Since September 2008 he worked as the Export Manager of Organic Food Finland under my supervision developing export for the OFF group of companies. Lhassan has proved to be an excellent salesman and communicator who is always keen to manage the sales process independently from start to end - while seeking for advice when necessary. He has a remarkable rate of positively closed sales - maybe partly because of his very positive attitude.

Helsinki Mills has now reached a stage where it makes sense to hire their own Export Manager. Lhassan was a natural choice as he had already worked with Helsinki Mills' export and created a lot of new sales. Lhassan has started as Export Manager of Helsini Mill since 1st August 2010. I wish him success in his new career.

Organic Food Finland's cooperation to help Helsinki Mills' internationalization and export development will also still continue.

Erkki Pöytäniemi

ViiniVerla has redesigned itself

We have had very positive feed-back about the taste and quality of the ViiniVerla liqueurs, the sparkling wines, table wines and not least the Verlados - the calvados type spirit. But the design of the labels was lacking. Now that problem has been fixed with a new and modern design on all labels. The labels are also flexible in that the back-label can always be printed separately for each order thereby enabling labeling in any language and meeting the requirements of national legislation.

The uniqueness of the ViiniVerla products is in the nordic superberries that are used in their production. The liqueurs - which are not overly sweet as many liqueurs are - are based on cloudberry, cranberry, billberry, lingonberry and sea buckthorn among others. They have a delicious flavour of the wild picked berries.

On the other hand the sparkling wines are produced respecting the traditional Champagne method. Therefore it takes 3 years to produce which makes planning not a little challenging. The sparklings are made of gooseberry and different varieties of currants.

Also the table wines make great company for dinner. These are probably some of the best berry and fruit wines around.

The Verlados is a special story. It is made of Finnish organic apples using the Calvados method. Of course the word Calvados shouldn't be used because this spirit is produced in Verla, not in France. But the product has received lots of praise from those who have tasted it. It is available as up to 8 years old.

www.organic-finland.com
www.viiniverla.fi

My Opening Speech at the Nordic Joint Stand area at BioFach 2010

Hyvät kuulijat...

The Danish opening speaker Evald Vestergaard spoke Danish and Mona Hedenskog spoke Swedish so I of course started my speech in Finnish. I could see the Finnish listeners laughing and the others also laughing in confusion. Well, I did switch to English after the first few sentences...

Ladies and Gentlemen

Back in 1997 the Nordic countries was region of the year at BioFach. After that we have drifted apart even though there has been discussions about a Nordic joint stand almost every year. Not until 2009 did Finland and Sweden join forces with a joint stand area in Hall 3. Now in 2010 all four Nordic countries are together under "Nordic Organics". I think there are many good reasons to do so. We have a common culture, values and history... Some might add language to the list but as we noticed in the beginning of my speech, there might be some problems there. Finnish is a totally different language. But some theories say that 2000 years ago the population in all Nordic countries spoke Finnish, before the germanic languages came from the south - so actually there was a common language.

To continue the list: the pure nature and harsh climate are an important part of the Nordic climate. Of course in more northern parts of Norden - like Finland - this is more true than in the more southernly parts. Farming systems are similar and the food culture. And the high percentage of organic farming in all Nordic countries not to mention the well developed organic market especially in Denmark and Sweden. Looking from other parts of the world Nordic countries have a strong positive image that we should use to our advantage.

The Nordic stand area also gives us opportunities to know each other better, strengthen the Nordic network and to do more business together.

The Nordic Restaurant and Tapas bar is this years great achievement and we expect a lot of it. We are very pleased with the cooperation with the Danish Food Council and the funding from the Nordic Council. Especially pleased I am about the funding we received from the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, which was arranged with astonishing flexibility and speed and enabled us to have also Finland's ambassador chef Kim Palhus here with us presenting New Nordic Food (Ny Nordick Mat) with a Finnish kick.

Have a great Nordic BioFach 2010!

Organic Finnish food served at BioFach 17.–20.2.2010

Press Release 12.2.2010

Organic Finnish food served at BioFach 17.–20.2.2010

BioFach in Nuremberg, Germany, is the world’s leading exhibition for organic products. Finnish companies have joined forces with other Nordic countries to exhibit their products at a joint pavilion. The "Nordic Organics" area will also include an organic kitchen and restaurant hosted by the Finnish Ambassador Chef Kim Palhus.

"We will serve the best examples of Finnish organic food in the Nordic restaurant”, says Mr Kim Palhus, Ambassador Chef of Finland and the Chef of the Hanasaari Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre. “Everything will be prepared with pure Nordic ingredients. Despite the cold winter season, our Finnish kitchen boasts clean and savoury ingredients like root vegetables as well as grain and berry products and many other organic products of the Finnish BioFach-exhibitors. I'm happy to help promote the New Nordic Kitchen as well as the export and marketing efforts of Finnish organic food producers.”

Finnish organic food is among the best of the world

"All the Finnish companies joining the Nordic pavilion at BioFach are devoted and energetic advocates of organic products focussing on the development of their products and their activities. They are small and middle-sized companies who formed an export group", says the CEO and Export Director of Organic Food Finland, Mr Erkki Pöytäniemi.

Organic Food Finland is an export group managing the overseas selling of organic goods from nine participating companies. Their trade volume to Nordic countries, Western Europe and the Far East amounts to nearly four million Euros.

The yearly export of Finnish organic goods totals some 14 million Euros. Grain is the most important product. About 6.5 per cent of the Finnish field area is currently certified as organic with the proportion being on the rise. Finland is among the three biggest producers of organic oats in Europe. The yield of organic oats and wheat is higher than needed for national consumption. The Finnish export of organic oats is among the highest in the world with prices being very competitive. Organic oats is exported increasingly in the form of flakes.

Come and see the unforgettable Nordic pavilion

For the first time at Biofach the Nordic expertise in organic production is presented on this scale. "The Nordic cooperation started last year with Finland and Sweden having a common stand. After long negotiations we also got Denmark and Norway to join us. Denmark is one of the most important organic producers in Europe and together all the four countries are set to make an impact", says the Finnish representative of BioFach, Mr Arto Varanki from Spokesman Events Oy, who coordinates the Nordic pavilion and the Finnish participation.

"The Nordic pavilion is an excellent approach for Finnish companies to present themselves to international markets and to network with visitors and other exhibitors. For BioFach visitors the Nordic pavilion is a unique concept well worth visiting, particularly with its magnificent kitchen and restaurant offering top quality organic goods", Varanki points out.

BioFach is now in its 2ist year. Last year it brought together 2,733 exhibitors and 46,771 trade visitors from 119 countries.

The Finnish exhibitors welcome journalists to their stands (joint stand 1-410 and Viiniverla stand 4A-415) as well as to the Nordic kitchen and restaurant (stand 1-604).

For further information please contact:

Mr Erkki Pöytäniemi, Organic Food Finland, +358 50 550 5225, erkki@organic-finland.com

Mr Arto Varanki, Spokesman Events Oy, +358 40 544 5598, arto.varanki@spokesman.fi

Kim Palhus, Hanasaari, +358 40 484 8123, kim.palhus@hanaholmen.fi

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The Finnish Exhibitors at BioFach 2010:

E. Boström Ltd, Annika Boström, +358 40 5462888, www.bostrom.fi

– organic muffins

Greenfinn's Ltd, Kari Saari, +358 6 861 2540, www.greenfinns.com

– organic 100 % juices from Nordic berries

Helsinki Mills Ltd, Ulla Heiskanen, + 358 9 2716 9225, www.helsinginmylly.fi

– organic flour and flakes

Keskisen Mylly Ltd, Markku Vitikainen, +358 3 471 6532, www.keskisenmylly.fi

– organic buckwheat pasta and other buckwheat products

Kiantama Ltd, Annikki Kyllönen, +358 201 442 251, www.kiantama.fi

– organic Nordic berries

Napapiiri Organics, Marja Nuora, +358 50 586 2697, www.napapiiri-organics.com

– organic jams

Nordic Koivu Ltd, Susanna Maaranen, + 358 40 523 7348, www.nordickoivu.com

– organic Nordic birch sap for consumers and industry

Viiniverla Ltd, Juha Kuronen, +358 40 530 9224, www.viiniverla.fi

– organic berry wines

– stand nr 415 is situated in hall 4A

Virgino Ltd, Perttu Korolainen, +358 750 0300 100, www.virgino.fi

– organic cold pressed rape seed oil

BIOFACH again!

Again one organic year has passed and BioFach is approaching fast. For anybody working in international organic business a year is not the calendar year, it is counted from BioFach to BioFach on week 7 in February. So I presume many of you reading this blog are also heading to BioFach and I hope to meet you there!

This year Organic Food Finland is back in Hall 1 (stand 410) and the Nordic cooperation has been expanded. You will find us under the "Nordic Organics" banner together with Denmark and Sweden. The Nordic countries do have some things in common so cooperation is natural. Organic Food Finland will be in one block and 10 companies are exhibiting - or actually everyone in the group. Feel free to contact myself or Lhassan for arranging a meeting there (email: info@organic-finland.com). Or you can just pop in to see what is new from Organic Finland.

An exciting part of the Nordic cooperation is the Nordic Kitchen and Restaurant we will have on the Nordic Organics stand area. The restaurant will focus on showcasing the New Nordic Cuisine (Ny Nordisk Mat) and of course the products of the Nordic exhibitors. At lunch time there will be lunch served so this is an excellent place in the middle of a busy day when you get hungry. Apart from the staff chefs who are preparing delicious Nordic food, Finland's Ambassador Chef Kim Palhus will be present and showcase New Nordic Cuisine "version Finland" - of course using raw-materials from our exhibitors as much as possible. So be sure to be there on Wednesday or Thursday for a treat!

Finland, the prime source of pure organic food

When talking about farming in Finland we always like to point out that FInland is the northern-most country to be self-sufficient in basic food-stuffs. Finns have survived in these harsh conditions through history and so have our cultivated plants and our animals. But actually the summers are not harsh at all, they are quite nice although a little short. On the other hand the sun shines around the clock and plants just keep growing.




It is the winters that were difficult for the people and animals in the old times - and still are for the pests. Finland is a country which is pure in nature and sparsely populated and where pests are killed by the winters. Therefore Finns consider Finnish food to be practically organic as it is. Of course this is not quite true. To be organic a farmer needs to follow the organic farming method f.ex. not using chemical fertilizers or pesticides and the farm must be certified. And actually quite a few are: 6,5% of the Finnish field area is certified organic - whcih is one of the highest figures in the world. On top of that Finland has the largest area of certified organic picking area for wild organic berries - 7 million hectares!

So what kind of organic products can you expect to find from Finland? For organics the most important line of production is grain. Finland is one of the biggest producers of organic oats and is well known for the excellent quality of its oats. Oats are a highly recommended part of a diet as it is one of the few products with an EFSA-accepted (European Food Safety Authority) health claim. Oat bran is becomming more and more of a hype in many markets. Finland also produces high quality spring wheat and rye. Finland has a rich bread culture combining western and eastern influences and the tradition of sour rye bread is still alive and well. It can be found as fresh bread in many forms as well as dried flat-bread. Rye flatbread has been one of the biggest succes stories for organic exports from Finland. Other cereal based products are f.ex. organic muffins and rye crisps and rye chips. Also Finnish wheat is of excellent quality.

The fruits of Finland are our berries. Both wild and cultivated. When we in Finland say wild berries, we really mean wild berries growing in the nature and hand-picked without any manipulation of the environment. There are several eadible berries growing in the wild of which the commercially most important are blilberry - also called blueberry - (Vaccinium myrtillus) and lingonberry (V. vitis-idaea) followed by cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus), cranberry (V. oxycoccos) and crowberry (Empetrum nigrum). Black curant and other currants are the most important cultivated berries while strawberry is cultivated for the fresh-market. Sea buckthorn is found wild on the coast-line but also cultivated. It is fair to say that fruits are extremily healthy and in particular the berries from the north are even more healthy. Generally wild berries are healthier than cultivated berries. They have lower yield but higher content of beneficial substancies. F.ex. wild bilberries have multiple times more healthy substancies compared to the cultivated varities. Lingonberry is expected to become the next superberry. Organic berries are available in many forms: frozen, concentrates, dried etc for the industry or made into consumer products like juices and jams for the consumer or even more sophisticated - sparkling wines and liqueurs.

There is an abundance of other organic products from Finland always building on the qualities of the pure nature, rich tradition or modern technology or a combination of all. Birch sap is linked to the nature and traditional medicine while rape seed oil has proven health benefits and the berry dessert ”kiisseli” is a traditional food that in its modern format is an excellant product for hikers who need to carry their food with them to the wilderness.

Nordic Koivu web-site and News Feed

Nordic Koivu Ltd who recently joined the Organic Food Finland Export Group has a very informative web-site which is definitely worth visiting. The company is the worlds leading producer of birch sap and the only one who is able to give a long shelf-life to 100% pure bottled birch sap. The product has not been heated and does not contain any additives or preservatives. Check also the news feed. The most recent articles are

- New premises for Nordic Koivu Ltd
- Expert recommendation to use Nordic Koivu birch sap for sports applications
- Birch sap's effect on birch pollen allergies
- Increasing demand of birch sap amongst industry

Organic EU logo

The situation with EU logo is difficult right now as we are waiting for the new logo to be launched but no-one has seen it yet. It will be chosen from logos submitted by European art-students. Of the over 3000 entries the 100 best have been chosen. This will be narrowed down to 10 and then there will be a Europe wide consumer vote. An interesting process and impossible to say what the outcome will be. One key problem is that only entries which are pure symbols - i.e. without any text - were accepted. It is easy to understand why as there is no common name for organic in the different European languages. But it does pose problems. The organic industry through the Ifoam EU group proposed a label that included the wording Organic - Bio, which would have been understandable for the vast majority of Europeans and also outside the EU. But this was against the rules of the competition and was therefore not considered.

The aspect of how the new label will function outside Europe has been largely overlooked. Maybe there will be some (little) EU funding for promoting the new label inside the EU, thus helping consumers make the link between the label and organic certification, but outside the EU there will be no promotion paid by the EU. This is a major problem for companies in the export
business of organic products. Asia, which is a fast growing market for organic products is an example. A lot of the organic products in Asian markets come from the USA and the USDA organic logo is the most recognized organic logo on that market. The consumer there looks for a Western certification logo for credibility. An EU logo would have that credibility if it existed and could be recognized as an official logo. Weather this can be communicated with the new EU logo remains to be seen. If not we will give markets to the US companies.

New year for Organic Food Finland

We are enjoying the last weeks of this summer and soon entering September. Again we have a few new companies joining Organic Food Finland. Let me present them shortly here - we will post more information later and of course update the www.organic-finland.com web-site.

Nordic Koivu in Eastern Finland produces a really unique product that is both refreshing and healthy: Birch Sap - which in many parts of the world is considered herbal medicine. The product is well known everywhere where the birch grows naturally, i.e. most of the temperate parts of the northern hemisphere. Usually birch sap is consumed fresh in the spring when it can be harvested from the birches. Birch sap is highly perishable and even in a refrigerator you can keep it only for a few days. Usually bottlers use preservatives or heat treatment but Nordic Koivu has developed a method for bottling the birch sap without any preservatives (nothing added) or heat treatment. So the product retains its full quality.



ViiniVerla is an other "one of it's kind": the only organic winery in Finland. There are about 25 wineries in Finland, i.e. farms that produce alcoholic drinks of berries and apple. Grapes don't grow in Finland - apart from some enthusiasts back yards in Southern Finland. In the Finnish wine competitions ViiniVerla has faired very well and personally I am a fan of the sparkling wines and the liqueurs, especially cranberry and cloudberry. This is certainly something you should taste!

Keskinen Mills' in Central Finland is a small mill specialised in gluten-free buckwheat. The buckwheat is grown in the region around the mill. The main products are flour for the gluten-free bakeries and organic buckwheat pasta. So this is something for both the organic and gluten-free market - which in some countries are somewhat merged. Keskinen Mills' guarnatees that no grain gets mixed with the buckwheat and therefor celiac patients can safely consume their products.

Kiantama Ltd got the ISO 22000 certificate

Kiantama Ltd. got the ISO 22000 food safety management system certification as a first berry ingredient supplier in Finland

Kiantama Ltd. has been given a certification of ISO 22000 food safety management system as a first berry ingredient supplier in Finland. Long-term work with quality development culminated to approval of food safety management system by an international certification
body.

Kiantama Ltd. is located in Suomussalmi, northern Kainuu. The company is specialized in processing of wild berries. The wide berry product range for industrial use comprises among other things juice concentrates, IQF berries, purées, dried berries and different berry powders. Kiantama Ltd. produces also retail products under Biokia® trademark. This product group comprises sugar infused and dried berries as well as chocolate covered berries.

Certificate of quality is a proof of a company, which is committed to continuous improvement. Certificate of quality is also beneficial especially in export business, as more than 50 % of Kiantama’s turnover consists of export.

ISO 22000 is a modern operation controlling system concentrating on food safety. The purpose of it is to control food safety and methodically develop the whole company’s operation. When taking into use of the system, education was given both to thepersonnel and interest groups and subcontractors. Bureau Veritas Certification was responsible of auditing and granting of the certification.

Bureau Veritas Certification operates worldwide and it is also the most known certification body. In Finland, it has operated with certification since 1992. The company was accredited as a first certification body in the world to grant certifications according ISO 22000 food safety management system.

More information:
Managing Director Vernu Vasunta, Tel. +358 20 44 22 53 or email: vernu.vasunta@kiantama.fi

Certification Manager Matti Hukari, Tel. 040 753 5030 or email matti.hukari@fi.bureauveritas.com

Internet:
www.kiantama.fi
www.biokia.fi
www.bureauveritas.fi

19% growth in the Finnish organic market in 2008

The market for organic food in Finland experienced slow growth for several years but in 2007 it grew by 10% and the last figures from Nielsen show that in 2008 the market grew by a healthy 19%. The biggest growth was in the milk and meat sectors where growth was more than 40%. By market share the most popular products are still vegetable oils and eggs. The market is estimated to be 74 M€, so it lags far behind Denmark and Sweden. The target in the Organic Action Plan is to reach 6% by 2015. That would be 6 times more than 2008 but still less than where Denmark already is.

Research on New Nordic Diet looks to healthy eating, locally

This article is worth reading. I met Claus Meyer briefly at BioFach and just talking with him - mainly listening to him talk - was proof enough that this guy has inspring ideas about food in general and especially Nordic Food.

Satisfied with BioFach

BioFach 2009 is over and most of us are already back home. Now starts the hard work of transforming all the nice meetings and discussions into business. Well - not all, but at least some. In advance myself - and I am sure many others - were wondering how the economic downturn would effect the outcome. Will there be as many people visiting as last year? Probably there would not be any growth. During the show the commonest sentiment seemed to be - and I shared it - that there were slightly less visitors than last year but the quality of contact was good. Thursday and Friday were so busy that I was totally stuck on the stand. To me it seemed that there was less people from Asia and probably also from North America. The information given by BioFach pretty much confirms this. According to their press release the number of visitors was roughly 46.000 so pretty much the same as 2008. So I think we can be happy with that.



Finland was represented this year by 12 companies of which 7 in the Organic Food Finland Export Group. 11 companies were on the joint stand while one was separately in Hall 1. We were for the first time in Hall 3 after being for years in Hall 1. Probably it was more quite there but I suppose most people who wanted to find us, did. However we might consider going back to Hall 1.  Also for the first time we cooperated with Sweden which was positive. As long as the cooperation can be kept uncomplicated and straight-forward it is worth it. Spokesman, the Finnish representative of Nuerenberg Messe, did a great job in running the whole thing together. Maybe next year we will have also Norway with us and look for cooperation with Denmark - the country of the year in 2009. Denmark's stand area was huge this year but will certainly be smaller (still big) in 2010. 



Four of the OFF companies were also presenting products under the Napapiiri Organics brand. The preserves from Maustaja were already presented last year but the juices from Greenfinn's, the Porridge from Helsinki Mills and the "Rote Grütze" from Finnamyl were presented for the first time as ready products that can actually be ordered.



One of the first-timers on the Finnish stand was ViiniVerla, the one and only organic winery in Finland. The fantastic products - wines, sparklings, liquors are made of Finnish berries. "Verlados" is a Calvados type spirit made of apple. The products received extremily positive feedback. I am sure ViiniVerla's next problem will be meeting demand.



The Stand Party on Friday evening was a nice success. Sweden supplied the music - former Abba guitarist Janne Scaffer, and Finland offered Viiniverla's sparklings and there was snack to eat from both sides. Some even danced. A real success!

The BioFach 2009 was good - and we can better it in 2010.

BioFach 2009

BioFach will open tomorrow. In the picture Finlands 150 m2 stand being constucted. Beside Finland is Sweden also with 150 m2 so together the "Organic North" has a very nice 300 m2 stand area. So starting tomorrow we'll see how well people find us in Hall 3. Let's hope for the best!

New prodcts in the Napapiiri Organics range from Finland.

PRESS RELEASE 
New prodcts in the Napapiiri Organics range from Finland. 

Several new products from the Napapiiri Organics brand will be launched to the international market this 
spring. The Sea Buckthorn and Wild Bilberry flavored Oatmeal from Helsinki Mills Ltd, The Bilberry Kissel
Dessert from Finnamyl Ltd and the range of Cold Pressed Berry Juices from Greenfinn’s Ltd will be
presented at the BioFach exhibition next week. BioFach is the most important international exhibition for
organic products and it is held in Nuerenberg, Germany next week (19th - 22nd February 2009). 

Napapiiri Organics is a joint brand that was developed in the Organic Food Finland group. The brand was
developed for the international market and the range consists of organic quality products from Finland. The
main target markets are in Europe and Asia. The joint brand underlines pure, authentic and wild nature and
the special arctic conditions of the north which are considered strengths of Finnish origin. Also the true
connection to the nature that the Finns and people of the north still have with the old ageless wisdom are
present in the Napapiiri Organics brand image. 

The Sea Buckthorn and Wild Bilberry flavored Oatmeal produced by Helsinki Mills Ltd is a tasty and
nutritious meal that encompasses the benefits of oats and berries.  The portion bags of the Napapiiri
Organics Oatmeal offer an easy and fast way of preparing the oatmeal by just mixing the portion bag with
hot water. 

A delicious Finnish style berry snack or dessert can easily be prepared from the Bilberry Kissel portion bag
from Finnamyl Ltd. ”Kissel” is a traditional Finnish dessert which is well known also in the other Nordic
countries and Russia. It combines high energy content and the delicious taste of berries. The Kissel powder
portion bag is easy to take with you anywhere and fast to prepare. 

Greenfinn’s produces the Napapiiri Organics range of juices with cold pressing which enables them to
preserve as much as possible of the beneficial properties of the berries. The 100% cold pressed juices from
Sea Buckthorn, Wild Bilberry, Mountain Cranberry, Wild Cranberry and Black Currant create a tasty and
healthy range of juices. 

For more information please contact
Marja Nuora
Napapiiri Organics
marja@napapiiri-organics.com
gsm. 050-5862697
www.napapiiri-organics.com