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Kalavapriikki has guts, courage and creativity

13.8.2024

Kalavapriikki Oy is a bold innovator in the fish industry that strives in everything it does to bring domestic fish back to the table in Finland.

The story of Kalavapriikki begins in the year 2007 when the company’s CEO and shareholder Jari Korhonen acquired Tukkupojat Oy, a company whose core operations were meat and fish cutting, fruit and vegetable cutting and wholesaling. A few years later, he sold the entire business to the wholesaler Heinon Tukku Oy and became its shareholder.

“There have also been other changes along the way; Kesko tried to acquire the wholesale business of Heinon Tukku, but the Supreme Administrative Court blocked the merger. In the end, Valio acquired Heinon Tukku, and the fish business operating under the name Kalavapriikki was excluded from the deal. Ever since then, Kalavapriikki has operated as a separate company, focusing only on fish processing and fish farming,” says Korhonen.

The company is a subsidiary of Heino Group. Kalavapriikki operates primarily in the retail market with the Kalaonni brand. It also engages in HoReCa trade, Foodservice wholesaling and industry trade. Its catalogue includes just about every type of product in the fish industry in one form or another, including fresh products, finished and semi-finished products, frozen products and various processed products.

New types of products on offer

During COVID-19, Korhonen sat at his cottage going through his old notes. He had the sense that nothing much had been done in the industry, despite having been involved in the fish business himself since the beginning of the 2000s. Korhonen decided that it was time to make some changes. The fish industry had been overshadowed by other food categories, such as the poultry industry, vegetarian products and other new food categories.

“We then launched a new strategic period with a completely new twist. Among other things, we transformed the design of our packaging visuals. That has proven a good decision. The fish industry is somewhat conservative, even old-fashioned compared to other food sectors. We are making a major change in the industry and are off to a rapid start,” says Korhonen.

Along with other changes, Kalavapriikki also launched the Kalaonni brand. The reception to the innovative products has been very positive for the most part. Some may find the colourful packaging annoying, but Korhonen argues that it helps the products stand out on the store shelves.

Kalavapriikki has also introduced new packaging technologies to the industry. The company has started using packaging machines that work with paperboard, significantly reducing plastic. The rest of the industry is following the company’s lead and has started using similar methods.

Getting involved in fish farming

Kalavapriikki has had quite a growth spurt: when Tukkupojat first started the fish business in 2007, it used tens of thousands of kilos of fish every year. Today, Kalavapriikki uses 2.5 million kilos of fish per year. Korhonen finds it unfortunate that, despite the industry reforms, 80 per cent of the fish currently consumed by Finns is imported and 60 per cent of this is Norwegian salmon.

“It is our goal to replace Norwegian salmon with Finnish rainbow trout. We have already managed to do so quite well. Last year, we used only domestic rainbow trout in our products. This is a major achievement in an industry where the availability of raw material is a challenge,” says Korhonen happily.

For its part, Kalavapriikki has tried to improve the availability of raw material by buying a share of Vääräniemi Fish Farm (Kalankasvatus Vääräniemi Oy) a couple years ago. Located in Taivalkoski, the company is dedicated to farming food fish, such as rainbow trout and whitefish. In addition, Kalavapriikki engages in sustainability efforts, for example by participating in the project Elinvoimainen järvilohi (“Viable Landlocked Salmon”) and helping to restore the valuable fish populations in restored rivers.

Plenty of drive and the right amount of intelligence

The network of support and other companies surrounding Kalavapriikki has been the key to its success. The company tries to emphasize cooperation with local partners in its activities – this has proven an extremely good and cost-effective approach.

“Nobody makes it on their own, you cannot conquer the world alone, but together with others,” says Korhonen, summing up his thoughts.

He also calls for a clear strategy and the courage to look ahead. You also need to be brave enough to go back, if the situation demands it.

“We have the guts, courage and creativity. We do not stand still, but move forward, develop our activities and dare to experiment. We have plenty of drive and the right amount of intelligence in our operations,” says Korhonen.

Kalavapriikki’s website

Success also driven by support from the city

The success of Kalavapriikki has also been spurred by the city of Kuopio, which found the company a suitable plot in the area of Pieni Neulamäki and has also provided other support whenever needed.

“Cooperation with the city of Kuopio has been extremely rewarding and, quite frankly, a relief,” says CEO and shareholder of Kalavapriikki Jari Korhonen.

When asked about the pull factors of Kuopio, he mentions the high availability of labour and the fact that the city is just the right size. Distances are short, transportation runs smoothly and housing is easy to find.

Text: Minna Akiola
Photos: Kalavapriikki