Scandinavian gourmet in Asia A tax-free heaven Top-quality drinks distribution in Europe 2/2013 In the realm Svalbard is a paradise of natural research Jaakko Sorsa took the North to Hong Kong Finnair invests in quality Finnish products Only the best is good enough for a family business Lignell & Piispanen moves to new premises :: The world’s northernmost wine cellar :: Glögi is a winter favourite of the Arctic Lignell & Piispanen’s customer magazine for alcohol industry professionals
Transcript
Scandinavian gourmet in Asia
A tax-free heaven
Top-quality drinks distribution in Europe
2/2013
In the realm Svalbard is a paradise of natural research
Jaakko Sorsa took the North to Hong Kong
Finnair invests in quality Finnish products
Only the best is good enough for a family business
Lignell & Piispanen moves to new premises :: The world’s northernmost wine cellar :: Glögi is a winter favourite
of the Arctic
Lignell & Piispanen’s customer magazine for alcohol industry professionals
Lignell & Piispanen’s customer magazine for professionals in the alcoholic beverage industry: greetings from the flavourful Arctic forests twice a year.
Schnapps The wine cellar a mere stone’s throw from the North Pole
News A great year for glögi
History From 1912 to 1931
78° N latitude
Svalbard’s nature is a fragile treasure trove.
Autumnal warmthWarm drinks to get you through the cold season.
The dawn of a new era Lignell & Piispanen’s new factory will meet
increasing demand.
Buy in the sky Finnair is a significant seller of duty-free
products.
Ambassadors for quality drinks Haromex takes Gustav to Central Europe.
A Scandinavian in Hong Kong Jaakko Sorsa offers his customers
Nordic flavours.
Products Lignell & Piispanen’s product selection
– from liqueurs to wines
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unique scandinavian culinary dessert wine
lakkacloudberr yGROWN BY ARCTIC MOTHER NATURE
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Pictured on cover:Gustav Cloudberry liqueur
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As I write this editorial on a hot summer’s day, it would be easy to just lean back in my chair and let all my trou-bles melt away. Even here in northern Finland, the air is warm and humid just as if we were on a Mediterranean coast. Nevertheless, I can’t help wondering if northern nature is built to withstand this almost tropical weather.
Finnish weather has seen extreme phenomena in recent years: the hottest summer for a century, the coldest win-ter, the wettest year, and so on. It’s as if nature is em-broiled in a continuous existential struggle with its own identity.
As a company, we also struggle on an annual basis with the availability of our Arctic, natural raw materials: ber-ries. The records over our company’s 161 years of op-eration demonstrate that conditions have undoubtedly changed. Northern berries have retreated ever further to the north because, despite being robust and tough, continuous global warming has resulted in a loss of suit-able habitat.
We want to help ensure that nature’s Arctic treasures are around for years to come, so we strive to not place un-necessary stress on the environment. Our new factory is more eco-friendly than ever before, providing improved opportunities for environmentally-friendly operations. Our experience, passed down from generation to gen-eration, has taught us just how important it is to respect valuable raw materials and the environment that nur-tures them. And now, we are finally all able to do so.
Marshal of Finland Carl Gustaf Mannerheim’s legendary luxury schnapps.
In keeping with Chevalier Guard tradition, the drink is served well chilled
and the glass is filled right to the brim.
BaronCarl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim
Marshal of Finland1867 – 1951
LEGENDARY 5
schnapps
The world’s northernmost wine cellarHuset is a unique restaurant complex which operates in the town of Longyearbyen in Svalbard. Built at the foot of the mountains during the 1950’s, the building has been used as a café, a school, a church and even a cinema over the years. Today, Huset thrives as both a café and a restaurant that has established a reputation for itself as an expert in Arctic ingre-dients. The building’s real treasure trove, however, is tucked away in its cellar.The cool, dimly lit vault houses a wine collection of more than 24,000 bottles. The collection has evolved over two decades and spans 1,250 quality wine brands from Europe and the New World. Sommelier Tommy Örnevald explains that the collection focuses on the best vintages of selected winemaking areas in France, Italy and Germany. It contains reds, whites and dessert wines – and of course champagne, which sells surprisingly well in Huset.Tommy is in charge of keeping the selection up to date. – The wine cellar is a dynamic collection, and I add to it twice a year. I choose wines for a variety of purposes and occasions, bearing in mind the required level of quality. A large number of our wines are fairly costly, but I always keep an eye out for more affordable alternatives with a good price-quality ratio.Huset’s menu changes with the times, but it always includes several Arctic and Scandinavian dishes. Potential guests will be pleased to know that Tommy Örnevald is also skilled at choos-ing wines that highlight the flavours of northern ingredients.– Whether you’re savouring an exquisite dish of reindeer or seal, our cellar will have the perfect wine to accompany your dining experience.
>>www.huset.com
Photos Jaani Vaahtera
“Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy”
~Benjamin Franklin
Uninvited guestsAn eye-catching decoration hangs on the wall of the Huset dining area. The full-sized polar bear pelt is from 1982 when the uninvited and potentially dangerous guest was spotted between the village nursery school and the church.The bear had mistakenly wandered into town and had to be put down. Nevertheless, the Huset kitchen did not let the event go to waste. The Norwegian “Sleeping bear” children’s song and music from the piano accompanied the roasting of the bear shanks in the restaurant.
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Text Pekka Nurmi :: Photos Jaani Vaahtera
Svalbard: a haven for Arctic natureThe hull of the ship shudders ominously as its bow hits the ice. Though the old iron vessel isn’t supposed to be an ice breaker, the captain has confidence in his experi-ence. The ship backs up and heads towards the ice again, opening up a channel in the 20cm-thick blanket of ice.
78° N latitude
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At 78 degrees north, the air on Svalbard is cold, but the scenery is breath-taking. It’s midnight, but the early summer sun shows no sign of retreating below the horizon. The sun beats down on the edge of the Esmark glacier and the surrounding mountains, making them gleam in competition with the bright blue sea.
As the ship cuts its engines in the middle of the shore ice, everyone springs into action. The small dots approaching from the edge of the glacier begin to resemble people. Soon, fifty tired adventurers with dogs and sleds make their way up the wooden ladder to the deck.
Sunburnt faces reveal days of trekking in unending sunlight amidst snow and ice, a three-hour journey by ship from the nearest settlement.
For someone from continental Europe, this seems extreme. But for people living on Sval-bard, like the ship’s guide, Kalle, this is simply everyday life on the islands.
“Almost all students here practice survival on the glacier and in the Arctic wilderness in camps that last a few days. You’re never far from nature here, so you have to be comfort-able with it.”
A fair-skinned yet tanned and slim Nor-wegian woman looks out of a window at the UNIS University. Botany docent Pernille Eide-sen’s office has spectacular views out onto the snow-capped mountains that dominate the scenery here. At the foot of the mountains lies the relatively tiny centre of Longyearbyen.
Although Pernille is usually based at the world’s northernmost higher education institute, UNIS, in the capital of Svalbard, her working environment only truly begins on the other side of the looming mountains.
For botanical scientists interested in the Arctic, this place is heaven. Despite its fairly limited range of species, the unique environ-ment offers a window onto untouched north-ern nature that spans over 60,000 square kilometres around the university.
In Svalbard, the natural world is currently undergoing the short but intense summer
season. As the snow thaws in the valleys, the flora absorbs as much energy as it can from the round-the-clock sunshine. It snaps the plants awake and into action, as if they know that they don’t have much time to bloom.
The growth season on Svalbard lasts from June to August. That means that Pernille and her colleagues spend their summer in the field gathering research material to last them through the long, dark winter.
“As a university, we’re unique in that field-work plays an important role in most of our teaching”, explains Pernille.
“We focus on studies and research projects that are impossible to carry out elsewhere. Due to the unique conditions here, fieldwork features heavily in all our courses.”
In addition to Arctic biology, the Nor-wegian university also specialises in Arctic geology, geophysics and Arctic technology. For geologists, in particular, the location is a jackpot, since the entire geological history of Svalbard can be studied above sea-level.
“As a biologist I’m also fascinated by how untouched the environment is here. When the effects of people or animals on the en-vironment are minimal, the flora can really grow as nature intended.”
In untouched surroundings, changes in conditions are easier to notice. Climate change and its effects on the Arctic environ-ment is one of the main areas of research at the UNIS university.
“Our mission is to educate tomorrow’s experts in research into Arctic nature”, sum-marises Pernille.
“The climate is becoming warmer and the glaciers are melting. We have to know what will happen, what effects it will have, and how to react. Arctic ecosystems are complex, but still much less complex compared to rainfor-ests. The Arctic ecosystem is therefore a nice study system for untangling species responses and the cascade effects of climate change. Furthermore, the consequences of changes in the Arctic ecosystem can have far-reaching effects on a global scale.”
The significance of Arctic areas on the future of the planet cannot be downplayed. Due to increasing accessibility, the natural resources hidden within the areas are becom-ing more and more interesting to countries and politicians. This will set challenges for nature conservation in the future.
“In an Arctic ecosystem, even small matters can have great consequences. The areas and species are vulnerable, as changes are more visible here than they would be in Central Europe, for example.”
A greenhouse experiment carried out by Dutch researchers in collaboration with UNIS revealed just how vulnerable nature is. Due to the cool climate, Svalbard’s wild crowberry plants seldom grow ripe berries on their sprigs in natural conditions. When the tem-perature around the plants was elevated by just two degrees by building a greenhouse on the ridge on which the plants were growing, it was enough to cause a dramatic increase in the berry harvest within the greenhouse.
“Even a small increase in temperature can do wonders for the sparse nature here”, Pernille smiles, though the smile fades im-mediately.
“Unfortunately, this also means the inevita-ble loss of some Arctic species.”
When discussing the effects of climate change on Arctic areas, we often concentrate on the threat caused by melting glaciers and the subsequent rise in sea level. Pernille states that this approach is often naive and simplis-tic.
“The media often warns us of melting glaciers and the extinction of polar bears, but we forget just how complex the effects of even small changes can be on the environment and flora, especially in northern areas.”
Threats to species on Svalbard include foreign species that push out indigenous spe-cies as they move further north in pursuit of favourable conditions. Although non-native species are slow to reach the remote island, their effect on the rugged environment is seen faster than in the complex ecosystems further south on the continent.
Svalbard’s untouched scenery is surrounded by the beautiful yet merciless Arctic Ocean.
Everyone on Svalbard has to learn survival skills for snowy and icy conditions.
Several seal colonies live on the edge of the Esmark glacier, and whales are equally at home in the cool waters.
Pernille Eidesen is passionate about Arctic nature.
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The Arctic plants that live in cold condi-tions are not good competitors as they are used to using all their energy on surviving in the challenging conditions. As such, they have no spare energy left to compete over ter-ritory with foreign species.
“Each species has its own strategy, and that strategy is typical of plants in the Arctic region. Once a strong competitor enters the arena, it’s game over.”
An example of this from the animal kingdom is the Arctic fox, which has almost completely vanished in northern Scandina-via. Its disappearance is linked to southern competitors, which grow slightly larger and stronger than the Arctic fox due to favourable conditions.
“The Arctic fox would do well in its previous habitat further south if it weren’t for regular foxes eating its prey and driving it further north in search of food. At some point it will reach a point where there’s nowhere else to go.”
“This must be the world’s most photo-graphed traffic sign”, says German-born Eike Müller, pointing at the sign while navigating an all-terrain vehicle along the road, which has changed from asphalt to gravel and potholes.
Mounted on a pole at the side of the road is a triangular warning sign featuring the white silhouette of a bear against a black back-ground. The polar bear warning sign also marks the end of the urban area.
“Bears don’t usually venture into the centre of Longyearbyen as they prefer to avoid noise and people. Outside of the settled area, how-ever, it’s a different situation and the threat is very real. It’s best not to go out into the wilderness unarmed.”
The most recent proof of how real the danger is dates from 2011 when a hungry polar bear killed a 17 year-old tourist who was camping.
“Out in the field, we don’t take risks”, says Eike, who specialises in terrestrial biology and works with Pernille at the university.
“In addition to the challenging weather conditions, polar bears are just one of the many reasons we train students and research-ers coming to Svalbard in how to survive in the wilderness. We might spend up to a week carrying out fieldwork on the edge of glaciers gathering samples. Survival skills come in handy while you’re out there.”
As Eike drives the all-terrain vehicle off a narrowing, sandy road and onto a muddy path just wide enough for the car, it’s easy to understand the importance of survival skills.
There are just a few dozen kilometres of road network in the area. As such, in moun-tain valleys and research areas in polar deserts, it can take hours for help to arrive in an emergency.
This time we aren’t venturing too far from civilisation. Eike wants to show us one of the most important research areas reachable by car.
The cabin built in the valley reveals that longer visits are possible in the summer. There’s plenty to research and collect, even though the island is home to only around 165 species of plants. The majority of these are perennial, low-growing shrubs.
“With just a couple of exceptions, annual seed-plants do not survive well at such north-ern latitudes. Like many other things on Sval-bard, reproduction in the cold environment is difficult and risky for the plants.”
Climate change also causes headaches for Eike’s work.
“The fact is that all models and predictions point to a rise in temperatures. The changes are slow, however, and not all are easy to observe in the short-term. That’s why it’s im-portant to gather samples and information in
the long-term. Especially since things aren’t always straightforward in the wilderness.”
Even in the seemingly barren and rugged Arctic environment, cause and effect reigns.
For example, a rise in temperature on Sval-bard means not only a longer growing season but more snowfall in the winter. The more snow there is, the slower it thaws in spring, which in turn shortens the growing season. On the other hand, snow is a good thermal insulator, so the activity of plants underneath a thick blanket of snow increases.
“Nature doesn’t always act in the simplest way possible. That’s what makes our job both challenging and rewarding”, says Eike, and gives another example of the unpredictable effects of snowfall and unstable weather conditions.
“During very snowy winters, or periods with unstable temperatures and periods with rain creating carpets of ice, lots of reindeer die because they can’t reach down to the food underneath the snow and ice layers. This is bril-liant for Arctic foxes, though, as dead reindeer mean they have plenty to eat. The following winter though, the number of reindeer will have decreased due to the reduction in num-bers, which means that the Arctic fox popula-tion will go hungry and suffer losses itself. Everything has an effect on everything else.”
Pernille checks her watch on the sofa in the university break room. Spring is a busy time with students, exams and studies at the UNIS university. Attended by people with a combined total of over thirty nationalities, half its students come from places dotted all over the world; the other half are from the host country, Norway.
Before rushing to work, she gives her own perspective on climate change.
“Some people believe that climate change is a natural change. I am of the opinion however, that the population increase and
“Nature doesn’t always act in the simplest way possible. That’s what makes our job both challenging and rewarding”
~Eike Müller
Cold, harsh wilderness lies just beyond the university’s research fields, which are a mere 1,000 kilometres from the North Pole.
Polar bears on Svalbard pose a real threat. It is not wise to venture outside town unarmed.
Longyearbyen is surrounded by a rugged mountainous landscape.
Polar bears are a trademark of Svalbard. A few bears that posed a threat to humans are now mounted on display in the museum.
Lakka Joy nro 2/2013 13
increased energy consumption have had an effect on the situation. I don’t believe that we will ever be able to turn the situation around, but we will perhaps be able to keep it in check if future generations keep their information up-to-date and change their methods of op-eration accordingly. It will just take time.”
“Perhaps in a few generations’ time, environmentally-aware solutions will have be-come a significantly higher priority. However, this only applies to developed countries whose populations have everything they need. A large number of people live in developing coun-tries and have to focus on where their next meal will come from. When you’re in that situation, you don’t have time to worry about polar bears.”
Eike nods in agreement with Pernille, al-though he takes a more neutral point of view.
“Science has not proven a solid connec-tion between fossil fuels and climate change, although many signs point to such a connec-
tion. Until we can be completely sure, we have to continue researching the causes.
“Currently we believe that carbon dioxide generated by fossil fuels in the atmosphere is the reason for climate change. It’s also the easiest assumption for us to make. If we can confirm this model, we can start work to prevent climate change. We can’t move on to the next step before completely proving the theory right or wrong.”
Out in the Arctic ocean, the polar bears Pernille mentioned come to mind. If the researchers’ predictions are correct, their environment will literally melt beneath them before long.
Gazing at the edge of the huge glacier, the thought feels both remote and sad. Mostly it confirms the importance of the UNIS univer-sity researchers’ work for the benefit of the Arctic environment.
Other Svalbard residents, too, are obviously keen to protect their living environment. In the ship’s mess, Kalle agrees.
“People on Svalbard are from all over the world, which makes the atmosphere there unique. I believe that what we all have in com-mon is genuine love for Arctic nature and for experiencing it in person.”
This love manifests itself as respect and care for the environment. As the ship’s bow heads off on its midnight voyage towards Longyear-byen, the only signs remaining of the fifty-strong group on the glacier earlier are tracks in the snow.
When we arrive at the harbour, the only songbird on the island – a snow bunting – sings in the midnight sun. Earlier, Eike spoke of how happy he was to have the bird on Svalbard.
“If it weren’t for the snow bunting, we wouldn’t even notice that it’s summer.”
SvalbardSea area Arctic OceanLargest island SpitsbergenOther islands Nordaustlandet, Bjørnøya and HopenArea 61 022 km²Population 2,642 (as of 2012)Population centres Longyearbyen (capital), BarentsburgMain language NorwegianCountry Norway
Source: Wikipedia.org
78°
The Arctic bramble and climate change
The rare and extremely aromatic Arctic bramble is one of the most important ingre-
dients used by Lignell & Piispanen. According to Harri Kokko of the University of
Eastern Finland’s Department of Biology, the change that natural conditions have
undergone over the decades have also affected the growth of the Arctic bramble in
Finland.
“Meteorological reports show that the climate has warmed up over the last century.
As a result, the Arctic bramble now blooms earlier than it did one hundred years
ago.” Spring arrives earlier and progresses more aggressively than in earlier years.
This is particularly destructive to the berries because pollinators, such as bees, are
unable to keep up with the swift pace of the flower blooms. As a result, the abundant
harvests of times past are increasingly unlikely.
Kokko, a renowned expert on the Arctic bramble, explains that although the berry’s
current habitats are visibly further north than before, the move is not entirely due to
climate change. The Arctic bramble is a plant with a natural aversion to staying in one
place. This means that changes in terrain and the environment also have a stake in
the plant’s regional movement.
“In the short-term, changes in agriculture and forestry pose a greater threat to the
berries than climate change ever could. In the move towards mass production, small
fields and pastures are disappearing and forests are losing their diversity. As a result,
the Arctic bramble’s natural habitats are shrinking to the point of disappearing one-
by-one.”
Daylight around the clock during the Arctic summer.
15Lakka Joy nro 2/2013
Autumn berries2 cl Gustav Blueberry Vodka2 cl Gustav Blueberry-Raspberry liqueur2 cl rowanberry syrup sauce sparkling cranberry drink
Fill a glass with crushed ice. Pour in the vodka, liqueur and syrup sauce. Top up with the sparkling cranberry drink.
Warm apple and rhubarb drink1 cl apple and rhubarb syrup1 cl Gustav Vodka rhubarb jam cold-pressed apple juice apple cider cinnamon stalk vanilla pod
Prepare the apple drink by heating apple juice and cider in a saucepan. Make a bouquet garni out of a cinnamon stalk and a vanilla pod and add to the saucepan. Let in-fuse with the apple mixture. Mix the syrup, vodka and jam in a glass, pour apple drink on top. Garnish with an apple sliver with a dash of rhubarb jam on top.
Mix the liqueur, syrup, jelly and bitters thor-oughly. Pour into a champagne flute and top up with home-brew. Garnish with lemon rind.
Carrot2 cl Marskin Ryyppy (Mannerheim’s Schnapps)2 cl Gustav Cloudberry liqueur1 cl carrot syrup1 cl lemon juice4 cl freshly-squeezed carrot juice
Measure the ingredients into a shaker and shake vigorously. Pour the drink into cocktail glasses and garnish with slivers of carrot.
Autumnal warmthThese autumn cocktails are ablaze with the warm colours of the season’s pal-ette and are spiced with Mother Nature’s very own flavours. These cocktails are perfect for bringing some much-needed light to the shortening autumn days. Their creator is renowned bartender Jesse Auvinen from Latva Bar.
Measure the ingredients into a shaker. Add the egg white and shake vigorous-ly. Garnish with pumpkin seeds.
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A factory for the future
The production facility in the company’s home town of Kuopio is situated in the devel-oping Siikaranta industrial area. The factory complex has brought Lignell & Piispanen’s production facilities to an entire new level. In addition to modern production facilities, the property also contains storage, office and conference spaces.
“It’s a relief to have all our operations under the same roof,” explains Production Director Aki Railanmaa.
“Previously the factory and office were located at different addresses. Not to mention that our warehousing was spread over three different places.” Thanks to the new, central-ised solution, efficiency will improve as there is no longer a need for excessive travel from place to place.
The greatest advantage compared to the old factory, which operated in the town centre of Kuopio, is the abundance of space. There is far more room around the production lines, containers and production equipment, which makes it much easier for employees involved in production to work.
“Our previous facilities had become cramped. During the move, we also procured some new equipment, which will now have the space it deserves.”
Another advantage gained from the new fa-cilities is a strong orientation towards interna-tional markets. The factory also has resources for higher capacity, although an increase in production quantities is not the company’s highest priority.
“At the moment, production quantities will remain more or less at their current level. However, we are prepared for growth due to international demand; we won’t be running out of space any time soon.”
The factory boasts a total of 6,000 square me-tres, divided into two floors. The upper floor is
reserved for offices and conference, kitchen and sauna facilities. Naturally, there are plans for a small bar for demonstration purposes.
The design of the spacious production facilities focuses on practicality. Warehousing, loading and unloading are now handled with ease. A large yard area also makes it easier for heavy vehicles to come and go.
Since the production facility deals with alcohol, everything was constructed in line with strict safety regulations. As such, safety was maximised with a comprehensive fire extinguishing system and through the careful selection of materials-, door- and compart-mentalisation-solutions to support fire safety.
Relocation to the new facilities has not caused any significant breaks in production, says Railanmaa. The disassembly of the old factory was taken care of quickly and goods were moved into the new facilities as soon as it was possible.
Logistically, the greatest challenges in the move were large, individual elements, such as containers and production lines. Ultimately however, everything was moved in without any serious setbacks.
“Since we deal with large elements, we had to come up with some creative solutions to get them inside.” We left a hole in the production facility wall for the bottling line. The hole will be filled in later. “We moved the containers into place via the roof.”
All in all, the practical aspect of the move took just a few weeks. Railanmaa explains that the machines at the new factory started operations at the beginning of July, and full production capacity will be reached during early autumn.
“To start with, we might need to reserve some time for minor adjustments, of course, but I’m sure that we’ll be able to reach full production capacity quite quickly. We have
highly competent staff who were involved in the move. They’ve made it easy to get things up and running quickly.”
The new factory is located in an advanta-geous spot. Just outside of the Kuopio town centre, the location is served by good traffic connections from the thoroughfare, which means that heavy vehicles no longer have to wind their way through the narrow streets of the centre.
Throughout Lignell & Piispanen’s history, water has been a vital element in operations. The parent company Oy Gust. Ranin was known for its merchant fleet, and for decades the company’s products were transported along waterways.
No wonder then, that the new factory is situ-ated on the shores of beautiful Lake Kallavesi, with spectacular views over the lake from both offices and conference facilities.
“This location is ideal for us as we’re situ-ated right in the middle of the very thing that is most important to us: Finnish nature,” says Managing Director Harri Nylund.
“Our operations revolve around pure, wild berries from the north and their refinement into unique drinks. “Now we can pick samples from our very own land,” Nylund grins.
The brand new production plant at Siikaranta is one of the largest investments in Lignell & Piispanen’s history. Both Harri Nylund and Aki Railanmaa see the plant as a long-term investment, which will put the company in good stead for another 160 years of operations.
According to Railanmaa, the new factory takes the Lignell & Piispanen profile to a completely new level.
“Product quality has always been paramount to us. Now we’re also able to carry out our other operations at the same high level of quality.”
All sorts of things have happened since Lignell & Piispanen first started operations 160 years ago. One of the most important moments in the company’s history was when a new production facility started operations in Kuopio in summer 2013.
Lignell & PiispanenSiikaniemi Production Plant
Address: Siikaranta 20, 70620 KuopioFloor space: 6,037 m²
Volume: 117,500 m³Surface area of plot: 48,807 m²
Architect: Sormunen & Timonen OyDeveloper: Oy Gust. Ranin
The dawn of a new era
Text and photo: Pekka Nurmi
It takes powerful tools to move production lines to a new factory.
Lakka Joy nro 2/2013 19
Text Pekka Nurmi :: Photos Jaani Vaahtera
Buyin the sky
The Finnish airline Finnair is a significant seller of duty-free products in Finland. But the products don’t transport them-selves from warehouse to plane and points of sales, and they cer-tainly don’t sell themselves. Behind the scenes are a finely-tuned logistics system and a group of employees who love their work.
Purser Susanna Äijälä, Captain Juha Stenvall, stewardess Etti Olbert, first officer Mikko Holappa and stew-ardess Sari Laine-Vaccaro all work to
give passengers a smooth flight.
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Purser Susanna Äijälä looks at her watch, lifts up the papers she printed just a few seconds ago, and begins to brief her colleagues. It’s 6:30 am but Äijälä is unfazed by the early start. She is bright, cheery and smartly-dressed, all part of her day-to-day routine.
Exactly seven minutes later, a group of three women dressed in blue and white close the Finnair crew facilities door behind them and head towards the Helsinki-Vantaa airport terminal next door with their bags.
In those few minutes in the briefing room, Äijälä went through the details of the upcoming flight with her crew: schedules, number of pas-sengers, special requirements, catering and sales offers. The crew are so efficient that they also had time to run through the safety instructions.
The women head off into the airport’s network of corridors, chatting light-heartedly with no sign of pre-flight nerves. After all, this is just a normal working day for the crew. Their workplace for the next few hours just happens to be a metal tube soaring through the air at an altitude of several kilometres.
The atmosphere on the flight from Helsinki to Brussels is calm. The majority of the passengers are catching up on sleep lost due to the early start, but some are reading the newspaper and others are browsing on their phones.
Dressed in her apron, Susanna is at the front of the plane preparing to offer the passengers food and drink. She uses a cart equipped with storage cupboards. Tea and coffee pots sit firmly on top of the cart amongst cartons of juice.
The airline provides some items free of charge, but passengers can also purchase re-freshments and light snacks. For business class passengers on European flights, Finnair offers a full meal package, which means that the crew have to work quickly, especially Susanna, who takes care of the front of the cabin.
But catering isn’t the only thing that the on-board carts are used for. In-flight sales have become a standard service on international flights. The products sold vary according to route and can include perfumes, jewellery, alcohol and confectionery, as well as other popular souvenirs.
When packed carefully, the sales carts can carry a wide range of products, with customers having the additional option of ordering Pre-order products before the flight.
“Orders placed on an outbound flight or on-line before a flight can be packed in carrier bags and placed on the customer’s seat. The popular-ity of advance sales allows for a wide range of products and makes shopping a breeze.”
Finnair’s catalogue is updated seasonally with products sold on flights. Susanna and the other flight attendants learn about new prod-ucts by attending exhibitions given by manu-facturers or importers in the crew facilities.
“It’s important to familiarise yourself with the products because we can’t open, say, per-fume and try it out mid-flight. That’s why we have to be able to describe the product to the customer in as much detail as possible.”
The cornerstones of Finnair’s product range include world-renowned luxury prod-ucts and Finnish design. Susanna believes that interest towards Finnish products amongst international passengers has grown steadily.
“Finnishness is an inseparable part of Finnair. Top Finnish brands such as Fazer, Lumene, Marimekko, The Moomins, Angry Birds and Lignell & Piispanen are all high-quality and attract lots of interest.”
Just like Susanna Äijälä, the products to be sold on-board are already on their way to the plane well before take-off. The sale of Fin-nair’s products is taken care of by the airline’s subsidiary, Finnair Travel Retail, which em-ploys around 60 members of staff in its office and in stores owned by the company at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport.
“We are licensed to sell products on Finnair flights and we also act as a goods supplier for foreign airline operators such as Norwegian and FlyBe. We, are, however, fully-owned by Finnair, meaning that ultimately our work benefits the parent company directly”, explains Eeva-Liisa Österberg, Sales Manager at Finnair Travel Retail.
Travel Retail works in close cooperation with the international catering company LSG Sky Chefs, which is responsible for the packag-ing of products for in-flight sale.
Like Travel Retail, LSG is also a separate company in its own right, and it implements the practical aspect of Finnair Catering’s op-erations producing in-flight food and drink.
Travel retail is closely linked to Finnair’s cabin and contact centre services. The com-mon goal for employees is to provide an ever-improving service experience and to keep
operations high-quality and profitable.An important link in the sales and customer
service chain is Service Manager Tapio Ollikainen, who is responsible for cabin services. He makes decisions concerning in-flight sales, the serving of beverages and cater-ing, and debriefs the on-board personnel.
With a background as a purser, Tapio also flies regularly himself as part of the cabin crew.
“I want to keep in touch with the practical side of my job so I can work out first-hand what kind of development solutions the galley and sales could benefit from. It’s also impor-tant to meet customers face-to-face and listen to their feedback.”
From a sales perspective, Tapio says that the greatest challenge in a plane is the use of space. That’s why catalogue-based advance sales offer customers the opportunity to shop from a wider range of products.
“It’s a great service that allows us to offer a product range as comprehensive as that of a normal store, and we can also deliver the products directly to the customer. Today’s passengers are expecting a wide range of products and are ready to shop”, says Tapio.
“Advance ordering means precision sales for us, which is profitable for the company, too. It saves space, time, hassle, and product losses.”
In practice, all products for sale on Finnair flights, in stores and through advance sales are selected by Travel Retail’s personnel. Product areas are divided within the company between product managers, whose responsi-bility it is to manage the product range and to procure new products.
“Decisions on procurement are primar-ily made at the Cannes duty-free exhibition, where leading goods suppliers showcase their brand new products every autumn”, says Eeva-Liisa Österberg.
Products selected for the range must fulfil criteria with regard to both quality and the company’s various customer target groups. Other important factors include novelty value and how interesting the product is.
“A good example is Lignell & Piispanen, whose products are perfect for the Asian mar-kets because of their Finnishness, design, and eco-friendliness. We favour quality Finnish products, but we still want first and foremost to be an international company.
“Well-executed packaging is also an impor-tant sales advantage, although we often have
Loading products, equipment and refreshments onto the plane is a rapid and precise operation.
Susanna Äijälä’s workplace is located at an altitude of several kilometres.
Eeva-Liisa is responsible for taking care of passengers’ in-flight purchasing experiences.
Packing sales carts efficiently is similar to assembling a jigsaw puzzle.
Lakka Joy nro 2/2013 23
to consult with the manufacturer concerning the dimensions of the packaging. Packaging designed for sale in regular stores is often far too large for the plane’s sales cart and thereby also for our entire logistics chain.”
The extensive logistics chain manifests itself in a huge sales packaging warehouse where LSG staff pack and unpack contain-ers that fit into the sales carts. In carts, each product has a pre-determined spot, and the right method of packing the goods increases valuable capacity.
“Whenever our product range changes, prod-uct managers and assistants draw up packaging plans together with LSG for charter, short- and long-haul flights”, explains Eeva-Liisa.
“Staff at the sales packaging warehouse are directed according to these plans, and products are logged and assigned a spot in warehouse systems.”
The fast pace of work at the packaging hall reveals the efficiency of the system. Goods ar-rive at the warehouse at a rate of around one hundred pallets a week, but despite the hectic atmosphere, the staff working on the pack-aging lines are relaxed and appear to know exactly what they are doing.
A large part of the start of the logistics chain is automated. Goods picked up by a warehouse robot travel along lines to the cor-rect packaging stations where they are loaded by hand into containers exactly as planned.
In addition to sales container packers, some of the staff unpack the unsold products from planes and put them back into the warehouse cycle. Other staff members gather and pack advance orders so that they are ready for departing flights.
It is crucially important – and equally astounding – that each product has a precisely pre-determined place and destination. Even more astonishing is that relatively few mis-takes and exceptions occur.
Eeva-Liisa agrees, and points out that the system is quite distinct from a normal storage warehouse.
“Unsold products are returned to our warehouse system after every flight. They are re-packaged for the next cycle until they’re purchased. As such, the cycle is bi-directional and continuous.”
Logistics takes care of the products’ journey from warehouse to the plane, but they also have to be processed by marketing before they can be sold. Product-related text and image material is gathered from goods suppliers, compiled into a catalogue and marketing material, and then proofread, published and distributed on planes.
According to Tapio Ollikainen, the overall amount of work is quite substantial.
“We also provide guidance to the cabin crew and produce sales announcements for the planes. And we add information on sales and offers to flight-specific bulletins that are distributed to the crew.”
Amongst the cabin crew are seventy-five cabin crew sales motivators, who play an im-portant role from a sales perspective. Accord-ing to Tapio, in addition to their own work as pursers, the motivators are responsible for and familiar with the organisation of sales and the distribution of product information.
“They have completed extensive training in customer service, sales and the product range, and set an example as to how sales-related is-sues are to be taken care of smoothly.”
This smoothness is to play an increasingly large role in the future, too, as the consump-tion of additional services during flights is continuously growing.
“There will be more opportunities to shop than ever before. The digital world, too, is becoming more and more involved. Purchas-ing will increasingly take place via entertain-ment systems and applications. The variety of products and in-flight services is continuously growing, and people want more for their money in terms of tailored services and experiences.”
Consumer awareness is also visible with re-gard to ecological values. Finnair makes up for the carbon footprint caused by its flight opera-tions by sorting catering waste meticulously and by using recyclable materials where possible.
“We’ve received compliments on how carefully we sort our waste at the New York airport, for example. Not all companies are so fastidious about their waste, you see.”
The company’s eco-friendliness is also im-proved by a new fleet and flight technologies that control fuel consumption. According to Tapio, the technology reduces emissions by a substantially.
“Both our private and corporate customers rate ecological responsibility highly. That’s a great advantage for us.”
The airbus appears larger than its true size against the morning sky. People with various tools and vehicles flock inside and outside the plane preparing it for flight.
In the cockpit, the technical staff are mak-ing the final adjustments to the plane while in the cabin, the cleaners are preparing the area at astounding speed. Outside, baggage is loaded on to the plane and the plane is refu-elled and checked.
Amid the hustle and bustle, an airport transporter with a hoisting cage helps to move full catering and sales carts into the plane.
There they are carefully placed in their pre-cise locations by the cabin crew, like Susanna and her colleagues, who are just about to start their day.
Three hours later in Brussels, Susanna’s preparation for the return flight begins as soon as the last passenger steps off the plane. At the same time as the local cleaning com-pany takes over the cabin, the flight crew goes through the details for the return flight just like they did this morning in Helsinki for the outbound flight.
“On short-haul European flights we don’t often have time to exit the plane; we start taking care of preparations for the flight back right away. Once back in Finland, it’s our responsibili-ty to mark catering and sales products for return to the correct units, to account for the sales and to report on eventual irregularities.”
For Susanna, the trip to Brussels is the end of a series of European flights that she has worked on in the last few days. Tomorrow she will be on-call, which means that she will be ready at the airport to cover for any other flight crew who may be taken ill. Next week, she’ll be heading to Asia.
“Maybe it’s a cliché, but I think the best thing about my job is the variety. Every day is different, even the crew are different on each flight. Rotat-ing shifts in a staff of over 2000 make sure that you rarely see the same face twice.
“Along with the rush, the schedules and the routine, there’s something about flying; it has its own fascinating charm. For me, this is both a job and a lifestyle.”
“Both our private and corporate customers rate ecological responsibility highly.”
~Tapio Ollikainen
Lakka Joy nro 2/2013 25
Loimu 2013 vintage väkevä glögi. Ready-to-drink mix. Heat in saucepan or cup, do not boil.Ingredients: Red wine, sugar, alcohol, water, berry extracts and spices. Alc.Vol. 21%. Bottle 750 ml.Lignell & Piispanen, tel. +358 17 261 4641. [email protected] www.loimuglogi.fi
The first crystals of frost decorate the forest, starlight twinkles on the trees and branches creating the glow of Yuletide. The wind whispers gently, and together your loved ones gather for a mighty celebration.
Warm Loimu 2013 vintage glögi is lovingly handcrafted from the finest wild blueberries and raspberries of the Arctic north - blended with heartwarming red wine and our beloved Christmas spices, cinnamon and cloves.
Wishing you a peaceful Arctic Christmas 2013!
“Before Gustav, I had no idea that there was so much natural flavour and sweetness in wild Finnish berries. Though come to think of it, what else would you expect from an environ-ment that provides round-the-clock sunshine during the summer?” says Harald van Soest.
Harald is one of the new ambassadors for the Gustav product family in Europe. Owned by the Soest family, Haromex Development is one of the leading alcohol wholesalers in Germany.
“Our task is to spread the word about this unique Gustav product group to European consumers. This requires a little training, however, as not many Germans are familiar with northern berries, let alone how to make top-quality liqueurs from them.”
Luckily, Harald has plenty of experience. Each year he sells a staggering amount of some of the world’s highest quality alcohol products to European shops and restaurants.
Located in the small German town of Brüggen near the Dutch border, Haromex employs two generations of van Soests. The company’s founder and CEO John van Soest is Harald’s father. John has almost 50 years of ex-perience as an alcohol wholesaler and still enjoys life at the company helm. Harald’s brother Roger is responsible for company administration.
Haromex provides drinks manufactur-ers worldwide with a specialist distribution channel for high-quality products, especially regarding distribution to the Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria.
The company’s cooperation partners include top quality outlets and specialists in the target areas. For this reason, the portfolio contains almost 5,000 of only the finest alcohol products.
“You won’t find our products in the super-market”, John stresses.
“Each product sold through us combines a distinct uniqueness with a strong brand. Our method of operation is to take the right types of products via the right route to consumers who truly value the products and commit to them. We don’t want the brands we represent to be lost amongst the products sold en masse in supermarkets.
“In terms of quality, we are confident in stating that our idea of premium begins where supermarket chains and mass-consumption brands end. We want to offer products that are genuinely the best. That’s why we’d rather work with one bottle at a time, if we have to”, adds Harald.
The products in Haromex’s range are selected only after rigorous consideration. Some products in the range were offered by manufacturers, others were actively sought out by Haromex. The cornerstone of the product catalogue – which is almost the size of a book
– is rum, in which the company has special-ised right from the start. The catalogue boasts 600 rum products.
Not only are Haromex’s operations a little out of the ordinary, but the story of how the company was established is also quite unusual. The company was founded in 1992 and has its roots in duty-free retail, which John began to practise by selling alcohol to stores and can-teens in Central European NATO bases.
“NATO is an international community and our product range increased almost automati-cally as we provided foreign soldiers on detail with their favourite drinks from their home countries. It was easy for us to search for products the consumers wanted. It became a profitable strategy for growth.”
The company settled on its current form of operation in 2005, branching out from duty-free base retail to international business operations. It retained its consumer-oriented values, however, and the range of products available is added to first and foremost accord-ing to customers’ wishes.
“Sometimes we have to search for some truly rare products for our customers but they know that we’ll succeed in finding them. In many ways we’re a rarity in this industry. Some of our competitors have even tried to copy our successful business model. Nevertheless, our strength lies in our extensive history, strong network and sturdy product base. Those aren’t things you can build in a day.”
Over the last eight years Harald feels that the company’s greatest achievement has been long-term work and keeping to principles.
“In recent years we’ve made German con-sumers more aware of genuinely premium beverages and simultaneously made the beverages more accessible to consumers. In doing so, we have played a practical role in the creation of a new, consumer-aware drinks culture. At the same time we’ve demonstrated that there are interesting alternatives to tradi-tional, mass-produced brands.”
One of the fruits of the company’s labour has been a dramatic change in how it acquires new customers.
“Previously we spent time looking for just the right kind of customer. Nowadays they find us before we’ve even had a chance to search for them! Manufacturers and traders are in constant contact with us. Since our product range is so extensive now, we have to be extremely careful when selecting which brands to back and allocate resources to.”
Although Central Europe appears fairly uniform as an operating area, Harald feels
that each country has its own strengths and poses its own challenges.
“Germany is a huge market area in which price and volume account for a lot. Of course, in countries with larger populations you’ll also find consumers for more specialist prod-ucts. In Austria, on the other hand, consum-ers are clearly more prepared to invest in higher-quality products.”
One factor that makes Germany an inter-esting marketing area is the freedom to sell alcoholic beverages. Due to the recent tighten-ing of legislation on cigarettes and tobacco products, many small yet high-quality tobacco shops have found a new source of income in premium alcohol products.
“The supermarket world just isn’t the right place for our products and customers. As prices and profits are low in large supermar-ket chains, we would need enormous volumes to make our sales profitable”, explains John.
“We would also have to buy visibility in chain stores with our valuable marketing funds, and that just isn’t possible for small, specialist producers. That’s why supermarkets are a playground for mass-produced brands, and we’re happy for them to stay that way.”
According to Harald, alcohol consump-tion in Central Europe is on the decline, but people are investing an increasing amount of money in the quality of drinks and the experi-ences they provide.
“We can offer that quality and those expe-riences to the customer. Our ideal custom-ers are discerning consumers who want to know what to enjoy. Through them, we are able to pass on the unique stories of our brands. We’ve also noticed that both shops and bartenders are happy to promote and commit to products they’ve tried and found to be good.
“Gustav fits right in here, as it’s intriguing as a brand. Its purity, authenticity, flavour and the Scandinavian design that clearly conveys them are appreciated values, which are highly respected even to this day. Those same fea-tures are also Gustav’s strengths in Europe.”
Harald admits that working with Gustav is not without its challenges. Consumers are un-familiar with liqueurs made with wild Arctic berries, and there are no good points of refer-ence for consumers.
“Successful sales in Central Europe require hard work and patience, but I’m sure that such a high-quality, unique and eco-friendly prod-uct will attract plenty of attention amongst consumers who value quality. Especially since a large part of the alcohol industry revolves around copying. Truly unique products are hard to find.”
Ambassadorsfor quality drinks
Since its launch, Lignell & Piispanen’s Gustav product fam-ily has made a worldwide name for itself. In Central Europe, distribution of the Gustav products is taken care of by a family firm that boasts two generations of experience in specialising in premium beverages.
Text Pekka Nurmi :: Photo Jaani Vaahtera
John and Harald van Soest know the importance of quality.
Lakka Joy nro 2/2013 29
news
IN BRIEF Lignell & Piispanen’s sales secretary Tanja Kamaja-Miskala is on maternity leave. Dorothea Väisänen will take care of sales and invoicing matters in Tanja’s absence.
Oy Gust. Ranin has been selected as a participant in the Golden Gavia Business Award 2014 internationalisation competition.
The Loimu 2012 vintage glögi has won silver at the IWSC competition, with Gustav Blueberry Vodka taking the bronze.
Gustav travels to Sweden
A great year for glögi!
Gold and Silver for GustavGustav Cloudberry liqueur took home the gold at the 2013 Internationaler Spirituosen Wettbewerb. Gustav Arctic Bramble liqueur also proved its mettle, taking the silver.
Lignell & Piispanen’s mulled wines, or glögi, have simply been a true Christmas favourite year after year. And 2013 is set to be another excellent year for mulled wine enthu-siasts, with both familiar classics and new products on the horizon.
New products include the Lumoava Chocolate & Orange mulled wine, available in Alko stores this au-tumn, and the 2013 Loimu vintage glögi. And you’re in for a pleasant surprise if you’re travelling by ship this year, as the Lumoava Blueberry mulled wine is finally available in Baltic Sea tax-free stores.
The delicious Gustav Lingonberry liqueurhas been putting a smile on Swedes’ faces ever since it became part of the selection at Systembolaget, the alcohol retail monopoly in Sweden.
Lignell & Piispanen is delighted to invite all alcohol industry professionals to visit our new production facili-ties at Siikaranta, Kuopio.
During a guided tour of the factory, guests will have the opportunity to learn more about our new facilities and our company’s activities. The tours take place in groups of 5–20 people and last for around 30 minutes.
When the Russian revolution wiped out the Tsarist autocracy in 1917, Finland took the first steps on its journey to independence. At the same time, popular support grew for the com-plete prohibition of the sale of alcoholic bever-ages. As a result, Oy Gust. Ranin Perilliset had no choice but to cease operations in its core business. Once prohibition took effect in 1919, all manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages came to a halt.That very year, Oy Gust. Raninin Perilliset was reorganised into Osakeyhtiö Gust. Ranin, with Ernst Biese continuing as head of the com-pany. His strategy of focusing on the milling industry kept the company going, and the 1924 establishment of a soft drinks factory in an old distillery also proved profitable.However, sales slumped when the Great De-pression hit in 1929. Unemployment soared to record heights leaving the population without purchasing power.For Oy Gust. Ranin, the first glimmer of hope appeared in 1931 when prohibition was lifted. A referendum ended it for good a year later. The company immediately fired up its distiller-ies in Kuopio, having signed a contract with the newly established alcohol retail monopoly Oy Alkoholiliike Ab to make Savon Viina spirits... TO BE CONTINUED
In 1924, the distillery’s product range was replaced with a selection of soft drinks. In Kuopio, non-alco-holic refreshments were transported to shops using the company’s own car.
During prohibition, flour-milling became one of the cornerstones of the company’s operations. Brewmaster Edward Andersson took care of flour sacking himself at the Ranin gristmill in 1922.
The dry years
Sources: Jouko Kauranne: Oy Gust. Ranin 150 vuottaEero Hietakari: Oy Gust. Ranin. Savon vanhin kauppiashuone 1852 - 1952Photos: Kuopion Kulttuurihistoriallinen museo, Viktor Barsokevitsch
The history of Lignell & Piispanen, part 5
1850 1900 1950 2000
1912-1931
Hand-picked in the Arctic wilderness | Colour: red | Nose: clear lingonberry
GROWN BY ARCTIC MOTHER NATURE. BOTTLED BY SCANDINAVIAN ARTISANS.
GUSTAV ARCTIC LINGONBERRY LIQUEUR 21% ALC.VOL.
33
A Scandinavian restaurant surrounded by the hustle and bustle of an Asian metropolis is quite a rare find. Even more intriguing, it ranks high among top restaurants - both in Hong Kong and internationally - and it has a Finnish chef.
Jaakko Sorsa - an artist with a Nordic paletteText Pekka Nurmi :: Photos Jaani Vaahtera
A Scandinavian
Jaakko Sorsa finds the essence of Scandinavia in Asia.
in Hong Kong
The sounds on the streets of Hong Kong are intense and the rush never seems to stop - until you step inside the Scandinavian restaurant FINDS, cur-rently displaying its summer theme. The name says it all: Finland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden = FINDS. Chef Jaakko Sorsa is keen to tell us more.
“Over the course of my career, I’ve worked a lot with French cuisine and Ital-ian cuisine, both classic and modern. It’s funny that I had to come all the way to Asia to make Scandinavian food!”
Sorsa’s journey to Hong Kong is a long story. In short, the path from Finland was: Helsinki – Lebanon – Fiji – Bermuda – Canada – Hong Kong.
Along the way, he also worked in Fin-land again, such as when he opened Chez Dominique and earned his first Michelin star together with Hans Välimäki.
While in Finland, Sorsa was also chef at state visits at the Finnish Presidential Palace and for Nokia’s executive management.
Sorsa became interested in different cultures and travel as a young man, and his exciting journey has led him to Hong Kong where he has settled.
“I ended up here thanks to Ravintola Demo’s Tommi Tuominen and Teemu Aura, who wanted me to get involved after FINDS opened in 2004. Tommi and Teemu later returned to Finland, but I just couldn’t bear to leave.”
Sorsa says that he has adapted to life in Hong Kong. And, Hong Kong seems to have adapted to this Finnish chef, as dem-onstrated by the constant media attention and the bestowal of the title of president
of the traditional gastronomic ‘Ordre International des Disciples d’Auguste Escoffier Hong Kong’ association.
FINDS revolves around showcasing Nordic and Scandinavian flavours, with pure and well-defined flavours playing a key role. The food uses high-quality, international raw ingredients, but in a relaxed manner.
FINDS is renowned in Hong Kong for its food and the promotion of casual fine dining. The service, cuisine and ingredients are all top quality, but with a more relaxed atmosphere than in formal Michelin restaurants such as those of Alain Ducasse or Joël Robuchon.
Hong Kong is a wealthy business city. Many locals are used to a culture of fine dining and are prepared to invest in a night out at a restaurant.
“Our local customers are discerning, indulged and demanding. I consider that to be a good thing, as it keeps chefs on their toes, and striving for ever better results, which in turn keeps Hong Kong known as a city for good food.”
FINDS is most typically frequented by people between 30 and 40, many of whom are women.
“There are also lots of light options on our menus, which could be a reason why we’re so popular with women. On the other hand, our decor is also stylish and aesthetic; it’s easy to enjoy yourself here.”
A good half of the restaurant’s custom-ers are locals; the rest are tourists and westerners living and working in the city.
“We see surprisingly few Scandinavian customers. It’s peculiar that we haven’t ended up creating a Scandinavian
hangout to provide a fix for those who love their meatballs; instead we’re more like ambassadors for Nordic cuisine.”
The Scandinavian influence on the FINDS menu is clear, especially when it comes to raw ingredients. Salmon is a popular favourite, served in a number of different ways. The restaurant both cold and hot smokes food itself, using Finnish alder chips.
“The Scandinavian raw ingredients we use include mackerel from Iceland, reindeer from Finnish Lapland and other typical northern delicacies. We also use Nordic berries and mushrooms, and many different preservation methods. The Scandinavian influence is immedi-ately obvious when you open the menu.”
Asian customers are open-minded towards familiar raw ingredients being prepared in a Scandinavian fashion. Sorsa believes that it’s important to be able to create tempting dishes from rarer ingredients.
“When it comes to food, presentation and careful planning are half of the work. When you get customers to taste and try out the food, they are often convinced straight away.”
The menu at FINDS changes four times a year with the Scandinavian seasons. New delicacies are added to the menu as a result of creative development and active searching for raw materials.
“Once we’ve decided that we’d like to make something with lamb, we start to search for the best possible lamb avail-able. We order samples from suppliers and actively communicate with the local
35Lakka Joy nro 2/2013
network of chefs, who give us good tips on quality suppliers.”
Asian food preparation culture is meticulous, says Sorsa. Locals employed at FINDS have internalised Scandina-vian flavours, ingredients and practices perfectly.
“Chinese cooks are very quick to learn things and then use their knowledge care-fully. That trait has been very useful when learning Scandinavian methods.”
Although Sorsa is responsible for run-ning the restaurant, he explains that he likes to involve local employees in devel-oping the restaurant, like in compiling the menu.
“I like to do things as a group. Still, the kitchen isn’t a democracy; someone has to have the final say.”
The harsh language and humiliation of staff so familiar from television has no place in Hong Kong’s food culture. Locals believe in community spirit and support-ing their colleagues, and react sensitively to plain-spoken feedback.
“The Chinese take a little while to open up. Everything is based on trust. If an employee isn’t satisfied at work, she or he would rather change jobs than complain to a supervisor.
I like to work in a quiet kitchen myself, where things have been thought out in advance to the point where we can avoid unnecessary hassle. The best thing about the kitchen is the happy atmosphere, which encourages learning.”
An enthusiasm to learn has indeed come in handy over the years. An attempt to serve freshwater fish failed due to the simple fact that locals were totally unfa-miliar with them.
“Archipelago-style bread, on the other hand, was a surprising success as its slightly sweet taste suits the Cantonese palate. Salt however, which plays a key role in Finnish cuisine, is not prominent in the Cantonese palate, so custom-ers find many broths and sauces to be too salty. As a result, the restaurant has reduced the amount of salt it uses and has concentrated on other flavours.”
According to Sorsa, bottom-dwelling fish like the Anglerfish and the very Scan-dinavian lamprey are difficult for locals to get used to.
“Salmon is perhaps the strongest bridge between Scandinavian and Chinese cui-sine. It is a versatile fish and has facilitat-ed the meeting of the two food cultures. We have also become a kind of salmon expert in Hong Kong; people order from us when they want top-quality fish.”
Even the bar at FINDS is dedicated to Scandinavia. The cocktail menu con-sists of drinks to suit Nordic tastes, with lingonberry, raspberry and cloudberry all making an appearance.
The experienced bartenders use molec-ular mixology to make the taste and tex-ture of the drinks exceptional. Customers have been treated to various flavoured foams and even absinthe toothpaste.
“The locals love little tricks. In Europe, molecular mixology is primarily based on the construction of flavours. But here, popping, crackling and even smoking surprises go down well.”
The drinks side of the restaurant can team up with the menu, if needed.
“Various cocktail pairing menus have been popular, but they aren’t part of our regular service.
Champagne, on the other hand, is a
permanent fixture, and is also popular. FINDS’ popular champagne cocktails glow with the spirit of the Arctic.
“It’s easy to add a little berry liqueur and a frozen Arctic raspberry to cham-pagne. The result is an exotic and deli-cious combination that can’t be found anywhere else in Hong Kong. Scandina-vian berry liqueurs are also excellent in desserts.”
In a city of 7.5 million, cultures, nationalities and customs merge. This environment can make your own culture appear a little different as well. So how does Jaakko Sorsa see Scandinavia now?
“Scandinavian food can be marketed well as the last remaining cuisine with clean, pure flavours; it’s authentic and grants nature a starring role. I also enjoy the peace and calm of my home region.”
Cleanliness is an important criterion for the ingredients Sorsa uses. A love for food, its quality and origin all take form in his philosophy.
“If I find the best pork in the world, it makes me happy to prepare it and cook it. At the same time, I’m responsible for the use of that raw ingredient. If the animal was cared for and treated well while it was alive, and was sent halfway around the world to me, it’s my responsibility to make the best possible dish out of it.”
A true passion for food is undoubtedly one reason behind the success of Jaakko Sorsa’s global career. There’s a twinkle in his eye as he ponders other success factors.
“I’ve never been afraid of challenges. I’ve always been ready to roll up my sleeves and work hard and I guess you could call that ambition. And it’s that same ambition that brought me here to Asia.”
The Scandinavian-themed decor at FINDS is stylishly playful.
A metropolis of flavours, Hong Kong never sleeps.
The Asian employees in the FINDS kitchen create Scandinavian food.
FINDS is a popular venue for celebrations - there may be several birthday parties an evening.
37Lakka Joy nro 2/2013
Kowloon is a lively district in Hong Kong filled with shopping centres and restaurants –
including FINDS. Densely-populated Kowloon is also home to two million people.
Lakka Joy nro 2/2013 39
Base
70 g dark chocolate40 g butter70 g egg whites30 g sugar30 g egg yolks
Melt the chocolate and butter in a bain-marie. Whisk the egg whites and sugar until stiff. Whisk the yolks until light and airy, and com-bine with the chocolate mixture. Fold in the egg whites carefully in small amounts. Line an oven dish with baking parchment and pour the mixture in a thin layer into the dish. Bake at approx. 170°C for 6 min. Turn out the base and remove the parchment straight away. Let cool. Line the oven dish with cling film and place the base on top.
Mousse
280 g milk chocolate200 g milk2 blackcurrant-flavoured tea bags300 g whipping cream2 gelatine leaves
Soak the gelatine in ice-cold water for 20 min. Heat the milk and let the teabags infuse in it for an hour. Melt the chocolate into the milk, add the gelatine and let cool a little. Whip the cream until light and fluffy then fold it in to the chocolate mix. Pour the mousse on top of the base in the cling film-lined oven dish. Let chill in the refrigerator for several hours. Turn out the chilled mousse and base onto a chopping board and cut into slices. Cut some cloud-berry liqueur jelly into pieces and serve with the mousse, or decorate with berries.
Cloudberry liqueur jelly
100 ml Gustav Cloudberry Liqueur1 gelatine leaf
Soak the gelatine in ice-cold water for 20 min. Heat a small amount of liqueur and dissolve the gelatine in it.Mix this into the rest of the liqueur. Pour onto a tray/plate lined with cling film. Let chill in the refrigerator. Cut into small pieces.
Fresh berries infused with Arctic Bram-ble liqueur
Berries according to tasteGustav Arctic Bramble Liqueur
Drizzle the liqueur over the berries. Let infuse for fifteen minutes. Add sugar to taste.
flavoured with blackcurrant tea, Cloudberry liqueur jelly and Fresh berries infused with Arctic Bramble liqueur
Milk chocolate mou sse Jaakko Sorsa’s
GROWN BY ARCTIC MOTHER NATURE. BOTTLED BY SCANDINAVIAN ARTISANS.
Marskin Ryyppy (Mannerheim’s Schnapps)in a gift boxFlavoured vodka40 % vol.0,5 l12 bottles/case
Lingonberry [ Vaccinium vitis-idaea ]A red, sour, aromatic berry. Grows in dry boreal forests in Scandinavia, Eurasia and North America.
Blueberry [ Vaccinium myrtillus ]Blue, soft, sweet, warm, light berry flavour, slightly acidic. Grows in Northern Europe.
Cloudberry [ Rubus chamaemorus ]Golden yellow, fruity, aromatic, rich, moderately acidic. Grows near Arctic Circle in Scandinavia and Russia.
Arctic Bramble [ Rubus arcticus ]Ruby red, aromatic, developed, blossoming, rich, fairly sweet, moderately acidic. One of the world’s rarest ber-ries grows in Northern Finland.
Raspberry [ Rubus idaeuss ]Red, sweet, aromatic, slightly acidic. Red or European raspberry grows in Northern Europe.
Arctic Cranberry [ Vaccinium oxycoccos, Vaccinium microcarpum ]Red, aromatic, berry, somewhat dry, light, very acidic. Grows near Arctic Circle in Scandinavia and Russia.
