The family of entrepreneurs behind Kalaneuvos reinforces the Finnish fishery industry by acquiring Estonian-owned Heimon Kala Oy
Kalaneuvos and Nordic Trout, owned by the Hukkanen family of entrepreneurs, acquire the Estonian company Heimon Kala Oy, operating in the fish farming and processing industry. “We want to consolidate the supply of Finnish fish feedstock and boost the export of fish products, which has developed well in recent years,” says Veijo Hukkanen, chair of the Kalaneuvos Oy and Nordic Trout Ab Board of Directors. Kalaneuvos is a company operating in the fish processing industry, while Nordic Trout operates in the fish farming industry.
The acquisition comprises Heimon Kala’s operations in Finland, i.e., fish farming operations in Houtskari and the fish processing plants in Renko and Kokkola. Heimon Kala started the shutdown of its production activities in Kokkola last autumn. Heimon Kala, which originally was Finnish-owned, has been under Estonian ownership for a long time, the latest owner being AS PRFoods.
“Heimon Kala will now be Finnish-owned again. It’s important for us to keep this food supply chain of Finnish origin under the ownership of Finnish companies. In Finland, the chain ranging from fish farming to processing mainly consists of small companies, and we want to reinforce our position at the forefront of promoting Finnish fish. Being a family-owned business enables real long-term planning,” explains Hukkanen.
“We’re happy that Heimon Kala is once again owned by a Finnish family business. Heimon Kala has been one of the biggest farmers of Finnish rainbow trout, and the company has invested in the sustainability of fish farming from an environmental point of view. We also see possibilities for Kalaneuvos products in the Estonian market and hope that our collaboration will continue across the border. We wish Heimon Kala and Kalaneuvos every success,” says Indrek Kasela, the CEO of AS PRFoods, listed on the Tallinn stock exchange.
Promoting Finnish fish processing and farming
“We want to respond to consumers’ wishes, reflected by a number of surveys, and ensure the supply of Finnish fish, as well as to invest even more in fish product innovation. As the industry’s largest company, we want to lead the way and show that fish is trendy, healthy and tasty food and a highly sustainable choice from a climate and environmental point of view,” says Kalaneuvos new CEO Hans-Mikael Helenius.
“We’ve invested 30 million euro in the extension of our fish processing plant in Sastamala over the last few years, and we’re the biggest fish smoker in the Nordic countries. This is all thanks to Kalaneuvos personnel, whose readiness to learn new skills and to develop our operations is exemplary,” says Helenius, satisfied.
The acquisition will have a positive effect on the entire fish farming industry in Finland
“The fish farm in Houtskari provides us with more Finnish fish, but, in addition to this, the acquisition affects the possibilities for development of our other fish farms. We will have the chance to integrate the possibilities provided by the new farm in our entire production chain, from spawn to the breeding of alevins and fish for human consumption, and from fish processing to the finished product, together with our skilful staff,” explains Nordic Trout CEO, Alf-Håkan Romar. “Excellent work is done in Houtskari. I’m glad that we’ll have the chance to make use of their know-how in reinforcing the sourcing of rainbow trout raw material.”
“Nordic Trout’s vision is to grow and enhance the production of rainbow trout. The demand for Finnish fish is constantly growing. Through the acquisition, we will also be better able to meet the targets of the Finnish fish promotion programme, ratified by the Finnish government,” Romar remarks. The conditions of the acquisition are expected to be confirmed by the end of February 2022.
Further information:
Kalaneuvos Oy, Hans-Mikael Helenius, CEO, tel. +358 50 523 7297 hans-mikael.helenius@kalaneuvos.fi
Nordic Trout Ab, Alf-Håkan Romar, CEO, tel. +358 44 589 8725 alf-hakan.romar@nordictrout.com
Heimon Kala Oy, Indrek Kasela, member of the board of directors, tel. +372 506 4642 indrek.kasela@prfoods.ee
Kalaneuvos Oy is a family-run Finnish company that has been producing high-quality fish products since 1975. The company operates in Sastamala, Turku and Kaskinen. Kalaneuvos is a pioneer in fish processing and the wholesale, import and export of fish, as well as fish farming in Finland. The company develops, produces and markets premium fish products under the Kalaneuvos brand and private label brands for supermarket chains. Skilfully processed fish grown in clean Finnish waters, both farmed and wild, as well as the best imported raw materials, guarantee high quality and an unsurpassed taste.
The Kalaneuvos Group subsidiary Martin Kala Oy is based in Turku and Kaskinen. It is the largest Baltic herring fillet producer in Finland. The group’s turnover surpassed EUR 84 million in 2021. The Kalaneuvos group employs 170 people. The companies process more than 15 million kilos of fish annually. Kalaneuvos Oy and the Hukkanen family of entrepreneurs also own the Nordic Fish Group and its subsidiary Nordic Trout, which focuses on fish farming, with more than 30 locations in mainland Finland, Åland Islands and Sweden. In 2021, the turnover of the Nordic Fish Group was EUR 42 million. The fish farming group employs approximately 100 people, processing roughly 8 million kilos of fish annually. Together, the companies owned by the Hukkanen family are the largest operator in the Finnish fish industry.