Directory

Husband and wife Kaijus Ahlberg and Minna Tengvall run the family’s 2-hectare farm, farm shop, and plant nursery in Västerskog, Sipoo. Their organic, sustainably grown produce supplies restaurants, markets, and grocers across the region – from rhubarb and new potatoes to Kaori Kuri pumpkins and award-winning romaine lettuces. They also grow specialties like shiso, purple sage, and zucchini flowers. Heated greenhouses, covering 2300 m², are powered entirely by renewable energy.

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.

Kuorttisen Luomukanala in Lappeenranta is one of Finland’s oldest organic chicken farms, now run by the fourth generation. For over 100 years, the family has focused on the wellbeing of their birds. The chickens are free to move indoors and outdoors and are fed with the farm’s own organic fodder — including oats, half of which comes from their fields, where they only use composted farm manure. The farm’s brilliant organic brown eggs are collected and packaged on site.

Majvik is a biodynamic farm and farm shop in eastern Sipoo, run by Atte Hermansson. The farm focuses on grains including oat, spelt, wheat as well as root vegetables like celeriac, black salsify, parsnip, and a variety of beets, alongside organic eggs. Of its 60 hectares, 20 are farmable, and half of that is grazed by a small herd of Eastern Finnish cattle, which help fertilise the land naturally. Majvik is also a space for learning and community: students, seasonal workers, and volunteers all take part in the growing and harvest season. “I like the idea of a farm in the social sphere – it’s supposed to be for people,” says Atte.

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.

Santa Dorotea farm in Box, Sipoo, produces over 200 different vegetables, herbs, berries, fruits and flowers on a market garden scale site, including 50 different varieties of tomatoes, grown outdoors. Owner Sara Celvin is committed to ecological practices and soil-conservation techniques, such as the use of cover crops and minimal tilling, whilst making use of their own worm compost and chicken manure. Sara also offers gardening and horticulture services for locals interested in regenerative, environmentally responsible food production, through courses and food events.