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Salohiili is a charcoal, biochar, and firewood producer based in Pielavesi, founded in 1990 and run by Aimo Lipponen. Their barbecue and forge charcoal is made from Finnish birch and packed without plastic. The charcoal is produced using machinery designed and built in-house, developed specifically for this purpose. Where the process once relied on a kiln, today the birch is dried in a boiler with very limited oxygen, resulting in a clean, consistent charcoal well suited for cooking over fire.

Saloniemen Juustola in Laitila, run by Riitta and Jouni Saloniemi since 1998, has grown from a small herd of goats into a full-scale organic creamery. Today they produce award-winning cheeses and yogurts, as well as some natural cosmetics. Over the years the farm has also introduced Finncattle and a few workhorses, and Riitta is even considering adding sheep. “As long as the heart beats and tells us to keep going, we will,” she says.