Fazer celebrates Pantteri’s 60th anniversary by donating €30,000 to the conservation of Amur leopards
This year, Finns’ favourite salty liquorice Pantteri is turning 60 and to honour the occasion, Fazer is donating €30,000 to Korkeasaari Zoo’s Amur project, which collects funds to conserve the endangered Amur leopard in the wild. Over the course of the cooperation that has spanned over 20 years, the number of Amur leopards in the wild has almost tripled. However, the species is still on the brink of extinction.
The story of Pantteri, a member of the Finnish salty liquorice aristocracy, began in 1961 when Chymos brought the Pantteri pastille to market. When Fazer acquired Chymos in 1993, Pantteri joined the Fazer family, and the Pantteri brand remains a firm favourite of Finns. Every year, approximately 1.5 million kilos of different Pantteri products are made at the Fazer factory in Lappeenranta. There have been several variations of Pantteri sweets over the years, including a salty liquorice drop, strong salty liquorice pastille and pastille sweetened with xylitol, but the core of Pantteri remains: a coin-shaped, sugared salty liquorice sweet.
Aimo Vuorinen, the long-term packaging designer of Chymos, also designed the Pantteri package. In the 1960s, animals were a popular theme in sweet packaging but when working on the Pantteri packaging, Vuorinen confused the black panther with the spotted leopard. However, this was a fortunate mix-up that benefitted the Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis)!
Over 20 years of Amur leopard conservation work
Together with Korkeasaari Zoo in Helsinki, Fazer has supported conservation and environmental education in the Amur leopard’s natural habitats since 1999 with annual donations for the conservation of Amur leopards, known also as panthers. During the cooperation, significant steps have been made in the Amur leopard conservation work: the number of Amur leopards in the wild has almost tripled. To celebrate Pantteri’s anniversary, Fazer decided to double its annual donation to €30,000. The sum was donated to Korkeasaari Zoo in connection with the zoo’s event focusing on big cats, the Night of the Cats.
“Conserving biodiversity is a basic requirement for future food production, and it takes long-term commitment. It’s fabulous to see the results of such persevering work,” says Sari Sarin, Head of Sustainability at Fazer.
The Amur campaign has collected funds to support the conservation of wild Amur leopards in the border area between Russia and China. Internationally, the common target of the conservation work done in zoos is to preserve biodiversity and reintroduce populations into the wild. The Amur leopard is one of the most endangered felines in the world. In addition to poaching, the situation has been caused by diminished territories due to logging and forest fires. Zoos have participated in the conservation work of the Amur leopard by breeding and maintaining a healthy and genetically diverse zoo population. Korkeasaari Zoo has been home to Amur leopards since the late 1970s. In addition, Korkeasaari Zoo does environmental education regarding big cats.
“The Amur leopards in zoos are the progenitors of animals to be reintroduced to the wild. We hope that our young Amur leopard couple would be included in the project. Korkeasaari Zoo will also play a crucial part in the success of animal imports to Russia,” says Nina Trontti, Director of Animal Care and Conservation at Korkeasaari Zoo.
Additional information
Images: www.fazergroup.com/fi/medialle - kuvapankki - Finland – Pantteri-lahjoitus Korkeasaarelle
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3fPVDyBZLY
Liisa Eerola, VP, Communications, t. +358 44 710 8860 liisa.eerola@fazer.com
Fazer Group
Fazer, The Food Experience Company, enables people to enjoy the best moments of their day. In 1891, the young Karl Fazer opened his first café with a mission to make food with a purpose – and a passion to create moments of joy for all the people around him. Shaping the next tastes, traditions and food experiences, Fazer’s vision is Towards Perfect Days. Fazer wants people to experience the Northern Magic it creates and builds on its strong heritage, consumer first approach and innovations to create the sustainable food solutions of the future. The Group focuses on fast-moving consumer goods, operates in eight countries and exports to around 40 countries. In 2020, Fazer Group had net sales of 1.1 billion euros and almost 8,500 employees. Fazer’s operations comply with ethical principles that are based on the Group’s values and the UN Global Compact.
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