The largest fish smoking factory in the Nordics opened in Sastamala in Finland
The 28-million-euro investment by Kalaneuvos more than doubles the production capacity of the company founded in 1975 and makes it the largest smoked fish producer in the Nordic countries. Kalaneuvos aims at securing the supply of Finnish fish and increasing eco-friendly food production in Finland.
The 28-million-euro factory expansion by the largest fish industry operator in Finland, Kalaneuvos, has been commissioned. The major investment more than doubles the production facilities of the fish processing plant in Sastamala to upwards of 11,000 square metres. In the future, the plant can be used to smoke 10 million kilograms and fillet 12 million kilograms of fish a year.
“The investment is the largest we have made during the 44-year history of our family business. We want to meet the growing demand for fish both in Finland and abroad, and the new expansion to our factory will help us to do that,” says CEO, kalatalousneuvos Veijo Hukkanen.
After the expansion of the fish processing plant, Kalaneuvos is now the largest fish smoking operator in the Nordics. The factory located in Sastamala houses 10 smoking cabins for hot-smoked products and three cabins for cold-smoked products, which enables the plant to smoke more than 40,000 kilograms of fish daily. The new factory also features three filleting lines, one of which is fully automated. Kalaneuvos has been able to generate approximately 30 new jobs.
“Thanks to the factory expansion, we are able to provide more eco-friendly products for Finns and increase export to Asia, for example,” Hukkanen says.
SET ON INCREASING ECO-FRIENDLY FOOD PRODUCTION AND EXPORT
Kalaneuvos processes roughly 14 million kilograms of fish annually. Approximately three million kilos of this fish is Finnish rainbow trout and nearly four million kilos is Baltic herring and other wild fish. The rest are supplied by responsibly selected foreign partners and our own fish farms in Sweden.
You can download factsheet about the factory expansion HERE.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Veijo Hukkanen
CEO, kalatalousneuvos
+358 (0)10 4111 410
veijo.hukkanen@kalaneuvos.fi
Toni Hukkanen
Executive Vice President
+358 (0)10 4111 495
toni.hukkanen@kalaneuvos.fi
Kalaneuvos Oy is a Finnish family-run company which has produced 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 as well as private label brands for store chains. The high quality and unsurpassed taste is guaranteed by skilfully processed and manufactured products. Fish grown in clean Finnish waters, both farmed and wild, as well as the best imported raw materials, guarantee premium products and the superior taste.
The Kalaneuvos Group subsidiary Martin Kala Oy is located in Turku and Kaskinen, which is the largest Baltic herring fillet manufacturer in Finland. The group’s turnover surpassed MEUR 76 in 2018. The Kalaneuvos group employs approximately 155 persons.
Kalaneuvos Oy and the Hukkanen family of entrepreneurs also own the Nordic Fish Group and its subsidiary Nordic Trout which is concentrating on fish farming, with over 30 locations in Mainland Finland, Aland and Sweden. In 2018, the turnover of the Nordic Fish Group was MEUR 40. The fish farming group employs 120 persons and processes roughly 10 million kilos of fish annually. Combined, the companies owned by the Hukkanen family form the largest operator in the fish industry in Finland.