Tesco, a UK based retailer, has announced that they will start making three-year contracts with a group of farmers and packers. This type of contract follows the path laid by similar contracts with, for example, dairy and meat farmers. The contract is said to bring certainty to both the farmers and the retailer. The retailer promises to buy a certain amount of potato for prices that cover production costs and take inflation into account. The bigger idea behind these contracts...

13 July, 2016

The latest news from all over Europe say that the increase in plantings may well be offset by damage caused by excessive rainfall. In France, for example, the heavy rains have already taken toll on some fields. In the UK different parts of the country are experiencing problems with too much rain whereas other areas need irrigation. In total, the UK crop seems to have done fine after a difficult beginning of season. Potato futures for deliveries in spring 2017...

07 July, 2016

Holiday season is at full speed in Finland. However, there is always someone at the office ready to do business and serve customers. We are on holiday according to the following schedule. Antti Kuusisto on holiday until the 18th of July. Olga Andreeva on holiday from the 11th of July until the 31st of July. Kyösti Kinnunen on holiday until the 3rd of July and from the 18th of July until the 7th of August. Aki Aunola on holiday from the 11th of July...

29 June, 2016

Try this tip, if you want to experience the taste and feeling of new crop potatoes during the cold and dark winter. The taste and structure of potato withstands freezing very well, if it's done properly. You need to remember to pre-cook i.e. blanch the potatoes for about 5 minutes to stop the enzyme activity in potato. After that you can simply cool and freeze the potatoes. Using the frozen potatoes is as simple as using any other frozen vegetable,...

08 June, 2016

The World is full of tips and tricks. One that we have come by is propagating roses using potatoes. This tip is, of course, topical now that people are getting roses for graduation. Simply put you can drill a hole in a potato and put a cut rose stem in it. Then you just plant the combination and the rose stem will get moisture and nutrients from the potato. Read more from for example www.gardenknowhow.com....

01 June, 2016

Potato planting is at full speed in Finland as the weather has been very good. Even in the northernmost regions like Tyrnävä there are already farmers who have planted everything. If the nice weather continues, the plantings are expected to be ready in the beginning of June, which is normal for these latitudes. The soil did not warm up quickly after the winter and this might pose some difficulties for the earliest plantings, but otherwise everything looks good.  ...

26 May, 2016

Finnish potato processor Chips continues its operations in Åland after months of being under threat of shutdown. The company is part of Norwegian Orkla Group. The news was published yesterday and includes a decision to cut down costs and increase efficiency. The factory produces chips and frozen potato products and is a key player in the Finnish retail market. The continuation is big news for both the Åland islands and the Finnish potato industry as a whole....

20 May, 2016

New product launches are important in the potato business just like in any other business. Finnish packing sector in cooperation with HZPC has recently launched two new products. These products are Colomba brand packaging and Light Potatoes. In the clip below HZPC Kantaperuna's Mika Paassilta introduces the Colomba brand packaging. ...

04 May, 2016

We wish all of our partners a happy first of May! The weather is going to be so nice here in Finland that farmers will most definitely enjoy the day working on the fields!...

27 April, 2016