Fazer

Fazer (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈfatser]) is one of the largest corporations in the Finnish food industry. The company was founded by Karl Fazer in 1891, as a "French-Russian confectionery" in central Helsinki.[1] Today, it employs over ten thousand people across Finland, Sweden, Russia, Denmark, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Japan.[2] Its products are exported to almost 40 countries.[2]

For other uses, see Fazer (disambiguation).
Fazer Group
TypeBusiness group
IndustryFoodservice
Founded1891
FounderKarl Fazer
Headquarters
Helsinki
,
Finland
Websitewww.fazer.fi

Fazer's production is divided into five major areas:[3]

  • Fazer Bakery: production of baked goods, such as breads, cakes and pastries
  • Fazer Confectionery: production of chocolates, sweets and biscuits
  • Fazer Lifestyle Foods: production of other food items
  • Fazer Food Services: operation of workplace and school cafeterias
  • Fazer Retail: operation of cafés and bakery shops

Fazer's most notable products include its classic Fazer Blue (Fazerin sininen) milk chocolate, widely regarded as one of Finland's most respected brands and a part of Finnish cultural heritage and cuisine.[4][5] Other well-known Fazer products include their salmiakki products, such as Fazer salmiakki, Tyrkisk Peber and salmiakki-flavoured Fazer Blue.

Fazer formed a partnership with United Biscuits in its Fazer Keksit (which made biscuits) and UB owned 70 per cent of it until 2000.

Fazer has historically acquired several other companies, including the Finnish Chymos and the Danish Perelly. The confectionery line was merged with its Swedish competitor Cloetta in 2000, to become Cloetta Fazer, though the merger lasted only until 2008 before the two brands were separated back to independent companies.[6] Later, Fazer Keksit was sold to Danone. It was renamed to LU Suomi, the entirety of which was bought back by Fazer in 2012 from Kraft Foods Inc. (now Mondelez International) and now operates under Fazer Confectionery.

Fazer Visitor Centre, Vantaa, soon after opening in November 2016

November 2016 saw the opening of a 5,000-square-metre (54,000 sq ft) Visitor Centre at their confectionery factory at Fazerintie in Vantaa. The avant-gardist building, in the shape of two circles with a botanical garden at the centre of one of them, was designed by K2S Architects. The Visitor Centre also includes a café, congress wing and shop.

Business divisions

Fazer Bakery

Fazer operates 16 large-scale bakeries across Finland, Sweden, Russia and the Baltics. In addition to these, Fazer operates 64 small-scale in-store bakeries in large Finnish supermarkets.[7] In 2018, Fazer's cricket bread won the Bronze Lion in the Sustainable Development Goals section of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.[7]

Fazer Confectionery
Fazer Blue (Finnish: Fazerin Sininen) chocolate bar

Fazer is the leading producer of chocolates, sweets and biscuits in Finland. The Confectionery division has production facilities in Vantaa, Lappeenranta and Karkkila.[7]

Confectionery brands
Pantteri is a popular brand of candies by Fazer.
  • Pihlaja (1895)
  • Mignon (1896)
  • Kiss-Kiss (1897)
  • Fazer Liqueur Fills (1900)
  • Finlandia (1902)
  • Wienernougat (1904)
  • Geisha (1908)
  • Vihreät kuulat (1908, formerly known as Päärynäkuulat)
  • Orange (1910, formerly known as Appelsiini)
  • Islanti (1910)
  • Da Capo (1916)
  • Taloussuklaa (1917)
  • Eucalyptus (1919)
  • Fazer Blue (1922)
  • Lakta (1926)
  • Laku-Pekka (1927)
  • Avec (1929, formerly known as Ranskalaiset pastillit)
  • Fazerin Parhain -makeissekoitus (1935)
  • Tosca (1936)
  • Dumle (1945 in Sweden, 1985 in Finland)
  • Pax (1947–1991, resumed production in 2007)
  • Marianne (1949, by Chymos)
  • Rex (1950)
  • Fazerina (1953)
  • Amerikan pastillit (1953)
  • Jim (1958)
  • Fami (1960–1986, resumed production in 2007)
  • Pantteri (1961, by Chymos)
  • Kina (1961)
  • Suffeli (1966)
  • Omar (1966, by Chymos)
  • Fazermint (1969)
  • Merkkari (1973)
  • Kismet (1974)
  • Tyrkisk Peber (1977)
  • Pätkis (1978)

Fazer Lifestyle Foods

The Lifestyle Foods division produces other food items, such as Froosh smoothies, Fazer Yosa oat products and non-dairy drinks as well as Frebaco and Fazer Alku oat-based breakfast foods. These are produced in Lahti, Lidköping and Kaarina.[7]

Fazer Food Services

The Food Services division operates more than 1,000 restaurants across Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Most of these restaurants serve as workplace and school cafeterias.[7]

Fazer Retail

The Retail division operates Fazer Cafés in Finland and Gateau bakery shops in Finland and Sweden. The flagship Fazer Café is on Kluuvikatu in Helsinki, opened in 1891. It is a rare example of Art Deco design in Finland.[7]

See also

References
  1. Fazer.com History Archived 2010-11-22 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Fazer Group Annual Review 2017 (Report). Fazer Group. 2018. pp. 8, 41. Retrieved 9 February 2019. Number of employees per country 31 Dec. 2017: Finland 6,972; Sweden 3,280; Russia 2,990; Denmark 1,018; Norway 490; Latvia 317; Lithuania 272; Estonia 138; Japan 1
  3. "Our Businesses". Fazer Group. 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  4. "Fazerin Sininen jatkaa yhä kärjessä - Tässä ovat Suomen arvostetuimmat brändit". Markkinointi & Mainonta (in Finnish). Talentum Oyj. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  5. "Fazerin Sininen". Nordic Recipe Archive. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  6. (in Finnish) Fazerin Sininen taas suomalaiseksi, Helsingin Sanomat
  7. "Fazer Group's Annual Review 2018" (PDF). Fazer Group. 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
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