Finnish butter is valued all over the world.
In the world, Finns can be interesting, especially in the food industry. Joel Maisalmi
Finnish butter is a real export hit.
Economist of the Food Industry Association Bate Ismail tells Iltalehte that in 2024 food exports from Finland totaled 2311 million euros.
– Butter’s share of this is up to 8.4 percent. Finnish butter was exported for 194 million euros last year, Ismail states.
Of the butter exports, 66 million euros went to France, 33 million euros to Sweden, 38 million euros to the Netherlands, 16 million euros to Poland and the rest elsewhere.
– For this year, we have observations from January to July, and the export of butter has increased by up to 26 percent compared to the corresponding time in 2024, Ismail continues.
According to him, in January-July this year the figure was 144 million euros, in January-July last year the corresponding figure was 114 million euros.
Most food exports are from the dairy industry (dairy farming), which covers about a quarter of food exports.
The second largest exporter from an industry perspective is alcohol and soft drinks.
Finnish butter is valued in France
Many French croissants are baked with Finnish butter. Adobe Stock / AOP
In France, Finnish butter is used in bakeries as a raw material for croissants.
Valio’s head of sales Ari Ahonen says that in 2024 the value of Valio’s exports from Finland was about 513 million euros, or about 25 percent of all Finnish food exports.
According to him, the biggest export products are industrial milk powder and industrial butter.
– About 200 sea containers and export loads of Valio’s products leave for the world every week, and our various products, powders and other products, are exported to about 50 countries. Unfortunately, we do not reveal the share of different product groups in this whole in more detail. Customers are also trade secrets, but it can be said that we are a significant supplier of butter to large French bakeries, says Ahonen.
Valio butter’s customers’ valued features are its excellent taste and high, consistent quality, which is based on high-quality milk raw material.
– In the production of butter dough, the butter must be hard enough to withstand the rolling process at the same time. I can keep it in the dough also as separate layers of fat, bakery consultant Mika Parviainen clarify special requirements.
Finnish butter is naturally harder than other butters on offer, and it is not affected by seasonal changes.
The production conditions in Finland and the Nordic countries, such as clean nature and waterways, grass-based feeding of animals and the absence of antibiotics, affect the milk raw material and thus the quality of the butter.
Milk has a great influence on the structure of butter. And the structure of the milk is affected by what the cows eat. Therefore, summer and winter fats have their own processes.
The Nordic countries’ strengths are also responsibility and high quality in the entire production chain. Valio butter is made centrally in one production facility in Seinäjoki.