Today, Kultasuklaa Oy and Arctic Forest Foods Oy announced that they are merging their business operations. With the merger, the new company will bring unique products to the market.
In the future, the newly merged company will utilize the strengths of both companies: high-quality handmade chocolate and arctic ingredients and flavors. The company’s headquarters and factory will be located in Iittala, in the Häme region of Finland. Product development will continue in Lapland in Rovaniemi. The company will use the name Arctic Kultasuklaa, and it will also introduce a new brand name, Arctic Africa, to international markets.
“We are very excited about deepening this cooperation through a merger and, at the same time, as a new and wider strategy. We are now in a great position to develop our products and production and start building our internationalization concept with concrete actions,” say Kultasuklaa’s management duo Juha-Pekka Kärkkäinen and Juri Kaskela and the company’s advisor Tatu Kaskela.
Kultasuklaa has collaborated closely with Arctic Forest Foods Oy for already four years, and the chocolate coatings of snack bars produced under the Arctic Superfoods brand have been produced at the Kultasuklaa factory in Iittala. There is plenty of synergy between the companies.
“The merger presents a great opportunity to implement a wider strategy around arctic flavors and to make these amazing, nutritious northern flavors available to everyone. I have always thought that true flavor experiences come from carefully selected ingredients,” says Jari Kurtti, the developer and founder of the Arctic Superfoods brand and Arctic Kultasuklaa’s future Flavor Champion.
“In Finland, we need larger units in order to achieve internationalization. In this case, the merged company will be more than the sum of its parts,” says Saga Forss, an experienced food industry investor and board member of Finnish Business Angels Network FiBAN. In addition to Forss, the company is backed by well-known investors Peter Vesterbacka, Pasi Joronen and Kustaa Valtonen.
Local chocolate factories being developed in African countries – production goes to the source
Peter Vesterbacka is an active participant in the Ambitious Africa project and he believes that the new company will significantly increase ethical and equal cooperation between Finland and different African countries. Ambitious Africa will also be Arctic Kultasuklaa’s platform for developing sustainable business operations. In particular, Ambitious Africa highlights the significance of young people as change makers by developing education and entrepreneurship, among other things.
“The new company’s brand is strong and there is great demand for its products all over the world. Finnish arctic flavors and ingredients are something so genuine and unique, and they respond really well to the trend of healthy eating,” says Peter Vesterbacka.
Taking into account local circumstances and high ethical standards, the company will also source chocolate ingredients directly from Africa. That is where more than 70 per cent of the world’s cocoa beans are grown. The objective is to focus on the qualitative aspects of cocoa farming and the status of farmers. The company will also establish local chocolate factories in African countries.
The Arctic Africa brand will combine northern arctic and warm African flavors and ingredients and introduce to the market delicious and healthy products. The company will also establish a training program around chocolate and snack bar production. The aim of the training program is to increase knowledge of ingredients, chocolate processing and production. The company is looking for an educational institute partner to cooperate with.
Dear journalist,
You can hear more about the merger in the press conference starting now (September 1, 2020, at 10:00 a.m.) on Kultasuklaa’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/kultasuklaaIittala/
We invite you to follow the video stream from the news launch event in Hämeenlinna.
Program
The event is hosted by Juha-Pekka Kärkkäinen, Kultasuklaa
A new company with new future prospects, Juri Kaskela, Kultasuklaa
Arctic Kultasuklaa – more resources for expansion, Jari Kurtti, Arctic Forest Foods
First steps and schedule for the merger, investor Saga Forss
Ambitious Africa and presenting the Arctic Africa concept, investors Peter Vesterbacka and Kustaa Valtonen
For more information, please contact:
Juha-Pekka Kärkkäinen, Tel. +358 (0)40 5954414, [email protected]
Juri Kaskela, Tel. +358 (0)50 3742374, [email protected]
Kultasuklaa Oy is known for its high-quality handmade chocolates, and the company has been based in Iittala, Finland for almost three decades. Arctic Forest Foods Oy from Laplandis known for its snack bars made from natural arctic ingredients under the Arctic Superfoods and Wilder brands. In 2020, the combined revenue of the companies will be approximately €1.8 million, and the company employs around 15 people. In addition to the Iittala factory and factory shop, the company has a shop in the Old Market Hall in Helsinki and an online store.www.kultasuklaa.fi andwww.arcticsuperfoods.com
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