Our First Century

Difficulties in new Russia The family had already decided on the company’s future ownership principles well before Leo Jouhki’s death. Leo and Kata Jouhki’s wish was to leave Thomesto to those who actively worked for the company. In practice, this meant the family’s two sons, Mylle and Timo, to whom Leo left his share of the company. Their daughters inherited the family’s other property. The division of labour between the two sons was also clear. Mylle Jouhki continued as Managing Partner of Thomesto trading house, while Timo Jouhki focused on investment activities.

For Thomesto, the key issue of the early 1990s was guaranteeing timber imports from the east. While the company had previously purchased ready-felled Soviet timber that had already been loaded onto trains or ships, these solutions would now require taking control of the entire timber procurement chain. Thomesto established timber-harvesting companies with local players in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic countries. These companies felled, transported and sold raw timber. They were equipped with Western harvesting technology and the local labour force was trained to use this machinery. The idea was to replace Soviet traditions with efficient Nordic forest management and felling practices. In conjunction with these timber-harvesting companies, Thomesto also established sawmills and companies that imported forestry equipment and machinery.

The launch of timber-felling operations in former Soviet areas raised Thomesto’s payroll to new heights. The Group had about 400 employees in the mid-1980s – by 1994, this figure had already risen to over 2,000 employees, the majority of whom worked in Russia.

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