Room made for gluten free products in Vaasa
The latest expansion of Helsinki Mills’ gluten free factory in Vaasa is ready. 1,200 square metres of production and storage space became necessary as the demand for gluten free products is growing both domestically and internationally.
The expansion of the Vaasa plant will enable the introduction of both new products and new packaging options to the Finnish market. Currently, gluten free products range in packaging size from 40-gram sachets sold to consumers to tankers sold to industry customers.
- In August, we launched four new products made from gluten free pure oats: pizza flour, bun flour, pancake flour and instant oatmeal, says Niklas Kumlin, CEO of Helsinki Mills.
Helsinki Mills has high growth expectations, especially on the export side. "We export oat products to more than 40 different countries. All the way to Africa, the Far East and Australia.
Exports already account for around 35% of the company's turnover. Exports include in particular organic products and gluten free oat products. In Finland, Helsinki Mills is known as Helsingin Mylly.
- We work with many foreign companies, and we also supply raw materials to the food industry. Our customers include, for example, several major oat drink manufacturers," says Kumlin.
In addition, the company's gluten free organic oat products are sold under The Nordic Oatventure brand to foreign consumers, for example on Amazon in Germany.
Helsinki Mill's CEO Niklas Kumlin (second from left) is pleased with the swift schedule of the construction project carried out by the main contractor WestGroup. Also pictured are WestGroup's site manager Aleksi Rintamäki (left), architect Sami Rintamäki from Architects Rintamäki Viljanen + J Ltd. (second from right), and WestGroup's CEO Toni Uusi-Pohjola (right).
GLUTEN FREE SINCE 2016
Consumers are interested in responsibly produced domestic oat products, and the popularity of gluten free diets has grown in recent years. Helsinki Mills gluten free selection includes consumer, wholesale, and bakery products.
- "We started making gluten free oat products in 2016 and today we have more than 20 of our products in stores," says Kumlin. "Our versatile, high-fibre gluten free oat products not only taste good, but also have all the great properties of oats, such as fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals," he continues.
No wheat starch is used in Helsinki Mills’ gluten free products. - We have also taken other allergies into account. No animal products are used in our products, and products containing allergens are not processed in our own facilities. For example, no milk or eggs are used in any of our pancake mixes," Niklas Kumlin continues.
The Vaasa plant has been expanded a few times before. "With investments made in 2015 and 2017, we doubled the capacity of our production lines," says Vaasa Plant Manager Ville Mäki. "The new silos were completed in autumn 2020. The latest investment of almost EUR 2 million has added 1,200 square metres of production and storage space to the Vaasa factory.
Helsinki Mills has grown considerably in recent years. In 2020, the company had a turnover of almost €50 million. The company employs around 100 permanent employees at its three sites in Järvenpää, Vaasa and Närpiö. With the expansion, two new employees were hired in Vaasa at this stage.
