Vafo opens factory in Finland

Together with subsidiary company Prima Pet Premium OY, Vafo has thus further bolstered its dominant standing in Finland. The opening of the new factory has created new jobs in the region and provided a positive economic stimulus. It has also marked the long-awaited return of the domestic brand Hau-Hau to the land of a thousand lakes and given rise to new opportunities in the segment of private labels, in which Vafo is experiencing steady growth.  

The new factory in the Finnish city of Nokia has increased the company’s annual production output by 20 thousand tons of dry pet food. However, this figure is not necessarily the limit, as capacity can be further expanded in the future to meet increasing demand. While the investment in the new production plant is significant for Finland as a whole, it is particularly important for the Pirkanmaa region. By 2025, when the new factory is scheduled to achieve full capacity, there will be twenty people employed here. The indirect impact on employment is even greater, since the new factory will rely heavily on domestic ingredients and suppliers.

The opening of the new factory is also good news for the popular traditional Finnish brand Hau-Hau, production of which has finally returned to its native country. Until March, the flagship product Hau-Hau Champion, which is 100 per cent carbon neutral, was being produced at Vafo Group factories in the Czech Republic. Local production brings other benefits as well.

“With the new modern and eco-friendly factory, we’re able to better meet the desire of consumers for domestic, locally produced pet food. Merely ‘designed in Finland’ is no longer enough. Being locally based and taking environmental issues into account is important to consumers and to us as well. It’s also great to be involved in influencing the regional economy and employment,” says Timo Pärssinen, CEO of Prima Pet Premium.

The Finnish pet care market is estimated to be worth approximately 600 mio euros annually. Moreover, economic fluctuations and the global situation do not have the same effect on demand for pet food as on other sectors. On the contrary, the number of pets worldwide continues to grow, and there are more and more consumers who want to give their pets better and higher-quality food, not just from traditional brands.  

In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in private labels in the pet food market, and Finland is no exception. With the largest factory, Prima Pet Premium and Vafo Group can now offer unused production capacity to all interested parties with a guarantee that the foods will be produced in the most sustainable way using the latest technologies.

Interested parties can receive more information about the new sustainable production facility and available capacity at the upcoming Zoomark International, where Vafo will be showcasing new products from its portfolio. These include Brit Care with an innovative insect protein formula and Planet Pet Society, a 100 per cent climate-neutral food using so-called second-chance ingredients.

For the very first time, Vafo will also be presenting a vegetarian dog food under the traditional German brand Christopherus alongside the expanded Carni­love True Fresh line. The fresh meat content of the latter is an obvious choice for people wanting to give their pets the most natural and evolution-tested ingredients.

Visitors to Zoomark will find the Vafo Group booth at stand A50-55, where in addition to high-quality, sustainable pet foods they will also find refreshments and a pleasant atmosphere among the entire Vafo Group family.