Directory

For over 300 years, the Heikkilä family has been growing fresh produce and raising livestock in Laitikkala, Pälkäne. Today, the farm focuses on organic dairy producing milk, cheese, yogurt, and incredible ice creams — all made following cherished family recipes. The farm no longer keeps its own cows, but the family still regularly visits their old herd at the farm where they now live.

Hongola Gård, owned by the Furuhjelm family, is an organic livestock farm in Urjala. The farm has reared cattle for over 300 years on the estate’s forest pastures, and still today the cows are permitted to move around these areas freely between spring and autumn. In 2017 the family introduced Black Angus cows, a Scottish breed, which are fed only naturally grown field grass. That means that the meat is formally classified as “grass-fed beef”. The farmhouse itself dates back to the 1600s, and is said to have inspired the Under the North Star trilogy by Väinö Linna, whose mother worked in the house. Hongola Gård hosts an annual harvest festival with local artisans and producers open for visitors.

Paihalas is a brewery and blender, located in Sodankylä, is the passion project of Samuli Koivistoinen. Having relocated from Helsinki to Lapland, Samuli took the plunge in starting his own small-batch brewery of arctic wild ale. Paihalas oak-aged beers use indigenous yeasts and bacteria, incorporating local groundwater, and wild herbs and berries for flavouring. Paihalas (Páihálâš) means "local" in Inari Sámi, and Samuli strives to keep production and sourcing as local as possible. The brewery is a tribute to the ancient Kemi Sámi culture and Kemi Sámi, which was the main spoken language in Sodankylä until the 1700s.

Sanna Reponen is a small-scale organic farmer in Sulkava, growing garlic across almost her entire 500 square meter plot. She also produces small amounts of oats and feed for a neighbouring organic dairy farm. Her garlic is highly sought after, often sold out before the next season even begins. Sanna keeps a low profile online and on social media, earning her the mysterious nickname “the invisible farmer.”