With a permanent presence in eight countries and a 133-year history of excellence in the food industry, Fazer is deservedly a household name across the Nordics. Starting out as a confectionery company, Fazer has diversified into multiple food sectors, with its latest success being in the oat product market. Yelena Piskun, Operations Director, and Taija Felt, Commercial Director, spoke with Richard Hagan about Fazer’s new, exciting range of oat-based products.
Fazer’s story began 133 years ago when Karl Fazer returned to Finland carrying the secrets of Swiss chocolate making after studying in Switzerland Karl Fazer started the company with a small cafeteria in Kluuvikatu, Helsinki, offering home-made chocolate made using fresh, locally produced milk. The café is in exactly the same place today, and Fazer's most popular chocolate, Fazer Blue, is still
made with fresh milk. As the company gradually grew, it diversified into the baking sector.
To support these baking operations, Fazer opened its first mill in Finland in 1971, which it still owns and operates to this day. In 2013, Fazer began oat milling and the almost overnight success of its oat-based products would lead Fazer to buy a second mill in Sweden, only three years later, bringing both mills under the Fazer Mills umbrella.
A powerhouse of oats Oats has since become a major growth sector for Fazer and it is an opportunity that the company has substantially leaned into, according to Commercial Director Taija Felt: “Oatbased products are one
of our key strategic focus areas. Fazer has made substantial investments in oat product development, innovation and production capabilities. Recent investments include building up two new oat mills in Finland and Sweden, thus doubling the capacity. We now confidently say that Fazer is a powerhouse of oats.
“Added to that, we have world-class oat expertise and highly skilled professionals. Some of our employees have spent almost their whole lives working with oats, giving us the versatility to produce a variety of oat products.”
Fazer’s oat product portfolio bears this out, already boasting over 200 oat products delivered to B2B and B2C customers in 40 different countries. Its oat catalogue includes flours, flakes, bran, porridges, oat drinks, gurts, oat-based cooking products and others. The raw materials for all of these oat products are locally sourced from nearby farms in Finland
and Sweden, further adding to the portfolio’s sustainability and credibility.
An indulgence for every palate
Fazer’s complete product portfolio includes a catalogue of ingredients for its B2B clients - such as bakeries - and a delicious range of Fazer-branded consumer products such as confectionary, biscuits, smoothies, bread and sweet bread, the aforementioned oat products and even an innovative oat rice.
Notably, in 2022 Fazer also began producing and selling xylitol made from oats. Sold under its ‘Xylimax’ branda comprehensive range of 100% xylitol products - Fazer’s new oat-based xylitol is manufactured in-house using Fazer’s brand new, patented upcycling technology that produces xylitol from oat hulls, those
being another side stream product. This innovation makes Fazer the first food production company in the world to produce xylitol from oats, and the first to use oat hulls as a raw material for another value-added product.
The waste product generated by the xylitol production process - a side stream known as oat cake - is then sent to a nearby energy plant, which is able to generate power using the cake, the energy produced by this is then supplied back to Fazer and used at its mill.
Reducing and reusing waste
Food waste is one of sustainability challenges that Fazer has tackled. “We have put a lot of focus and emphasis on food waste reduction,” said Taija Felt. “In one effort to address this problem, we developed innovative new bread improvers
for our baking industry customers. These improvers allow the industry to prolong the shelf life of their products, so that their bread can stay fresher and softer for a longer period of time.
“This reduces food waste across the whole food chain, and it’s all powered by the latest technologies and knowhow that we are developing at the Fazer lab team in Finland.”
Food waste in its own milling is also being addressed by another of Fazer’s innovations. At the end of 2023, Fazer launched the new generation Oat Protein SGen – short for ‘Sustainable Generation’. This new superfood protein is manufactured from Nordic oats using oat bran that is produced
as a side stream - a byproduct – of the oat drinks manufacturing process.
“It’s a very versatile ingredient and suitable for many different applications, including dairy alternatives, healthy snacks and meat analogues,” Taija Felt explained “We expect to see even more sustainable and wellness-promoting products from side streams emerge from our Fazer lab team.”
Synergising across borders
Yelena Piskun joined Fazer Mills in late 2023 and was tasked with synergising the operations of Fazer’s two mills, developing a mutual culture across the border with both teams and harmonising the
management of the two operations, amongst other responsibilities.
“It’s a big project combining several sites into one business, but it’s boosting the business in general and improving our customer service,” said Yelena Piskun. “We now have one voice, harmonised ways of working and synergised practices That all makes us stronger.”
Sustainable milling
Fazer has joined the Science-Based Target Initiative (SBTI), a global programme that seeks to ensure that corporate emissions reduction goals align with the objectives in the Paris Agreement in particular, and with climate science in general.
“Our commitment to the SBTI is firm; it requires lots of work and investments as well as working with and reviewing our company culture,” Yelena Piskun said.
In addition to upcycling its side streams, Fazer has switched to using 100% renewable electricity at both of its mills. “We also have a sustainable farming programme, called Grain Vision, in which we work closely with our local farmers, advising them on how to cultivate grain with the most sustainable methods,” Yelena Piskun explained.
Concluding, Yelena Piskun celebrated her new work with Fazer: “I chose to join Fazer because I was inspired by its values : Northern Liberty, True Relationships, Fearless Creativity. We’re brave and strong.
“None of our products contain anything we’re unsure about; they’re good, healthy and loved by so many people. I always have our products in my home, in my kitchen. When you’re personally consuming the products you create, then that’s the best quality guarantee!” n
