Directory

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.

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.

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.”

Temperance Brewing Co is an artisan brewery based in Hämeenlinna, founded by Marietta Kuivanen and Michael Alexander after years spent working with brewing and distilling in Helsinki. The brewery opened in autumn 2024, bringing small-scale beer production back to the city for the first time since the 1990s. Their beers, from Katuma Pilsner to Very Very Fond of Bergamot Double IPA, are naturally carbonated and made with a focus on sourcing ingredients as locally as possible. In their first year, Temperance has been warmly received by the local community and is now planning to open a brewery shop of their own.

Helsinki Distilling Company was founded in 2014 by friends and whiskey enthusiasts Kai Kilpinen and Mikko Mykkänen. It became the city’s first distillery in over a century, based in Teurastamo, Helsinki’s old abattoir district. Their range includes gin, local aquavit, applejack from Finnish apples, “lonkero,” and rye and single malt whiskey. The team works with circular-economy projects, turning spent mash into biogas, while their Tahko distillery focuses on organic production and local ingredients.

Tukkutorin Kala, in Helsinki, is a fishmonger, café-restaurant, and wholesale seller founded in 2016 by fish expert Karl “Kala-Kalle” Huttunen. Most of their products come from local Finnish fishermen, with a few carefully selected items from overseas. They offer a wide range of fresh fish, shellfish, roe, and cured or smoked products, with their own smoker fed with alder. The café is open to anyone for a coffee, lunch, or a blini.