Fazer celebrates independent Finland’s 100 th anniversary
Fazer, an official Finland 100 partner, has seen the entire journey of the independent Finland. The founder of the company Karl Fazer was a patriot who wanted to offer Finns delicacies they had never seen before. Finns love Fazer’s products and brands, some of which have become symbols of Finland abroad. During Finland’s 100th anniversary, Fazer will take part in events in Finland and abroad, introduce special products and offer people opportunities to enjoy eating together.
Fazer will offer taste sensations to Finns and the friends of Finland all over the world during the centenary of Finland’s independence. In 2017, different anniversary products will become available, including bakery products, meals and confectionery. The first products to be introduced will be the Fazer Xylimax Finland 100 chewing gum and a new variety of the traditional Finnish Oululainen Jälkiuunileipä rye bread. Travel Trade will unveil a special edition of Karl Fazer Milk Chocolate, the “Taste of Finland”.
Alongside the product launches, Fazer will discuss the significance of taste sensations and sharing meals. Fazer is a founding partner of the Elo Foundation’s “Let’s Eat Together” initiative and for Fazer, the culmination of the initiative will be a theme day organised in the restaurants on 6 October. The Finland 100 theme will be included in guided tours in the Fazer Experience visitor centre throughout the year. Fazer is also an official national supplier for the Lahti2017 Ski Games.
Ulrika Romantschuk, SVP, Communications & Branding of Fazer Group says: “Fazer will celebrate Finland with its neighbours and other friends of Finland. We will participate in anniversary events in Finland, Sweden, Russia and Estonia. Moreover, we will deliver Finnish delicacies to festive events at Finnish embassies, for example, in the USA.”
Fazer will also be featured in an exhibition called “100 Objects from Finland” that will tell the story of Finland by presenting one object from each year of its independence. The exhibition is managed by the Finnish Institute in Estonia. It will be open in the Design Museum in Helsinki from 24 March to 28 May 2017. After Helsinki, the exhibition will go on tour to Tallinn, Oslo, Madrid and Riga.
The “125 Opportunities for Working Life” initiative moves on
Fazer is one of the largest employers in Finland and the company continues developing Finnish work. In September 2016, Fazer launched the “125 Opportunities for Working Life” recruitment training initiative in co-operation with the Helsinki Deaconess Institute and the Finnish Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment. The goal is to offer an opportunity to 125 people who have difficulty finding employment. The initiative addresses the long-term unemployed, unemployed young people, people with reduced functional ability as well as immigrants who have resided in Finland for a long time or are in integration training. The initiative has already shown the first encouraging results. It will go on till early 2018.
125 years of Finnish delicacies
Karl Fazer opened a French-Russian café in Helsinki on Kluuvikatu Street on 17 September 1891. Karl Fazer was a patriot and romantic nationalist who left a permanent mark on Finland, alongside with Akseli Gallen-Kallela and Mannerheim with whom he associated. Karl Fazer chose a blue-coloured wrapping for his famous milk chocolate. To him, it was a symbol of the Finnish nature and his independent native land.
Both Karl Fazer and his grandson Peter Fazer represented Finland abroad: Karl Fazer participated in the Stockholm Olympic Games in clay pigeon shooting and Peter, in the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games in sailing.
Fazer started the Finnish confectionery industry in the late 1890’s and still manufactures its confectionery and biscuits in four factories located in Finland. Fazer’s Finnish bakery network covers the entire country and Fazer also has a mill of its own in Lahti, where the flour used in Fazer’s bakeries is produced. Over 1,500 people work in Fazer’s bakeries in Finland. Fazer has four big bakeries, two artisan bakeries and 40 in-store bakeries in Finland. In the in-store bakeries, the bakers mix dough first thing in the morning and bake fresh bread before consumers’ eyes all day, respecting the traditions of artisan baking.
Fazer’s expertise in food services in based on the Finnish Lotta Svärd organisation whose know-how was passed on to Fazer through an acquisition. Fazer takes good care of Finns in schools and work places by offering balanced meals and opportunities to eat together. There are already eleven Fazer Cafés in Finland. Fazer invites everybody to experience how taste sensations begin: Fazer has welcomed visitors for over 60 years, and visits are now more popular than ever thanks to the unique Fazer Experience visitor centre opened in autumn 2016.
Future is built through innovations
Understanding people’s preferences in taste and discovering future opportunities are as important to Fazer today as they were to Karl Fazer in his days. Fazer has focused on Finnish grains and launched several innovations related to bread and grains, from toast to root vegetable bread and belly-friendly FODMAP bread. “Fazer does constantly research and develops novelties and innovations. Our focus in Finland’s 100th anniversary will be on the impact food has on well-being and the brain as well as sustainable development,” says Ulrika Romantschuk. The Fazer Brainfood programme studies the connection between food and cognitive performance. The approach to well-being is holistic; in addition to food, also the significance of sleep and physical and mental exercise is being addressed. In the programme, Fazer intends to build an ecosystem where open collaboration between universities, partner companies and startup companies will produce innovations.
Read also:
- Finland’s centenary brings vegetarian and Finnish delicacies to the table
- Classic all-rye bread turns 70
- Fazer achieves its goal – 100% of our cocoa comes from responsible sources
- Finns’ favourite gifts
- Fazer Experience visitor centre opened in October 2016 and was well received
- 125 years of taste sensations
Additional information:
www.fazer.fi/suomi100
www.visitfazer.fi
http://www.fazergroup.com/brainfood
#suomalaistahyvää
Finland 100 anniversary website:
Fazer’s media phone is open on weekdays 8:00 - 16:00, tel. +358 40 668 2998
Liisa Eerola, Director, Confectionery Communications & Group Partnerships,
tel. +358 44 710 8860
Emails are in the form firstname.lastname@fazer.com
Fazer Group
Fazer is an international family-owned company offering quality bakery, confectionery, biscuit and grain products as well as food and café services. Fazer operates in eight countries and exports to around 40 countries. Fazer’s mission is to create taste sensations. Fazer’s success, ever since its establishment in 1891, has been based on the best product and service quality, beloved brands, the passion of its skilful people and the Group’s responsible ways of working. This year marks Fazer’s 125th anniversary and 150 years from the birth of Karl Fazer, the founder of this successful Group. In 2015, Fazer Group had net sales of more than 1.5 billion euros and nearly 15,000 employees. Fazer’s operations comply with ethical principles that are based on the Group’s values and the UN Global Compact.
Makes the world taste good
