• Finland brings “Pulled Oats”, beer from excellent microbreweries and all the flavors of the original Nordic nature to the Berlin Green Week, where more than 30 local brands are represented
  • A direct connection with Ryanair from Berlin to the Finnish Lake District offers the possibility to enjoy the delicious Finnish cuisine at Lake Saimaa, the fourth largest lake in Europe
  • Directly at the Finland stand, chef Teemu Kaijanen will serve the best the creative cuisine the country has to offer from the Lakeland region

Helsinki/Berlin, 13 January 2020 – This year the Saimaa Lake District will be a guest at the Green Week in Berlin. Finnish chef Teemu Kaijanen, who runs the Vaiha restaurant in Mikkeli, will give a foretaste of the creative food scene at the Finland stand “From the Wilderness”.

Kaijanen describes Finnish cuisine as follows: “It has a long tradition and is influenced by the East, West and South. Finnish food is simple and has natural flavours.” Guests are served the unadulterated taste of Finland and the Saimaa Lakes – in congenial union with the Hessian cuisine:

Every day we offer a variety of locally produced foods: Meat, fish, vegetables and potatoes selected with love. Everything is responsibly produced, it is fresh and comes from Finnish forests, fields and lakes. This is real food from the wilderness, Teemu Kaijanen enthuses.

There are also numerous craft breweries and modern distilleries – many of which are represented at the fair. Beer, gin, whisky, vodka and aquavit from Finland have two basic ingredients in common: the purest water and grain spoiled by the midnight sun. The flavors come from Finland’s unspoiled nature – for example the delicate tips of pine shoots, nettles, blueberries, cranberries and sea buckthorn berries.

Taste food thriving under the midnight sun

Lake Saimaa is Finland’s largest lake and Europe’s fourth largest freshwater lake. In 2014 the Wall Street Journal listed it among the five most beautiful lakes in the world. Besides relaxation, sauna visits and time in a Finnish summer cottage, it is the place for foodies who want to break new ground. The Saimaa Lake District was named the best culinary travel product in Finland in 2019. No fewer than four companies, including Hotel Punkaharju, Sahanlahti Resort, Tea House of Wehmais and Tertti Manor are united under this roof. Even a relaxed journey from Germany is not in the way, as there is a connection with Ryanair from Berlin to Lappeenranta.

Yale University’s Environmental Performance Index (EPI) proves that Finland is the greenest and cleanest country in the world with the cleanest air.

Finnish food gains popularity in Germany

The Finland stand is a joint project of Food from Finland, Business Finland and Visit Finland, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK) and SLC – the Central Union of Swedish-speaking Agricultural Producers in Finland.

  • The export of Finnish food to Germany is growing strongly. Especially in Northern Germany there is a high demand for organic and health products. The majority of our export products are oats, alcoholic beverages, butter and other milk fats, bakery products and fresh fish, says Esa Wrang, head of Food from Finland.

These products have already attracted the interest of the supermarket chains EDEKA NORD, GLOBUS and CITTI as well as the online trade LIEFERELLO.

You can find more information at:

https://www.visitsaimaa.fi/en/10-reasons-to-come-to-saimaa

https://www.visitsaimaa.fi/en/saimaagastronomy/

Participating companies at the fair:

Polar Spring, Team Blue, Poikain Parhaat, Finnlines, Northern Finland/Oamk, Lammin Sahti, Lomalaidun ry, Puukarin Pysäkki, Männikkölän Pirtti, Valkeisen Loma, Hyvölän talo,  MTK, Kivikylän Kotipalvaamo Oy, Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas Oy, Seenland Saimaa, Crickets Online Oy, GoldandGreenFoods Oy, Savuhovi Oy, Järvi-Suomen Kalatuote, Marjamarkkinointi Kauko Pesonen, Aten Marja, Saimaan Marja, Nilkko Brewery, Mustan Virran Panimo, Restaurant Vaiha, FP-Kotaja, Ollinmäen Viinitila, Sunspelt, Vuokatin Viini, Kainuu Arctic Lakeland, Vaalan Juustola Oy, Real Snacks Oy, Lapin Marjat Oy

Food from Finland

The Food from Finland programme helps Finnish food companies to access international food markets by presenting innovative, high-quality, healthy and natural food and beverages.

Business Finland

Business Finland is a Finnish organisation for innovation, trade, investment and tourism promotion based in Helsinki. Business Finland is fully owned by the Finnish government and employs 600 experts in 40 offices worldwide and 20 regional offices in Finland. Business Finland is part of the Finland Network Team. Business Finland’s mission is to enable growth and create opportunities for Finland through innovation and international expansion. The dual strategy is to enable global growth for businesses and to create world-class business ecosystems and a competitive business environment for Finland, www.businessfinland.com

Visit Finland

Visit Finland is part of Business Finland and reports to the Ministry of Labour and Economy. Visit Finland is responsible for the promotion of tourism in Finland and cooperates with tourism service providers, tour operators, transport companies and the Finnish regions, www.visitfinland.com/de