The Finnish food sector has a foothold in the superyacht industry
In the future, Finnish quality and specialty products will be a staple on superyachts. Business Finland is promoting exports to an entirely new and unknown niche market. The market is small, yet global, and it relies on personal relationships and recommendations. Only carefully selected products are good enough for superyachts.
"Finding a niche market can be the way to success for Finnish manufacturers of high-quality food products," Lili Lehtovuori from Business Finland envisions. She is responsible for Business Finland's global marketing opportunities for the food industry.
There are currently 16 Finnish food industry companies showcased to superyachts in Antibes in France. Antibes is one of the hotspots of the superyacht industry. Business Finland's Food from Finland program has collaborated with consultancy firm TUVYC to create a concept and channel in order to present Finnish products to provisining companies and end-customers, i.e. chefs on superyachts and the people who decide what is served aboard the yachts.
The following Finnish companies are currently part of the project: Elixi Oil, Fazer, HILE Water, Kultasuklaa / Arctic Superfoods, Kuohu Artesian Waters, Leader Foods, Maustaja / Veljekset Rönkä, MBH Breweries, Poikain Parhaat, Real Snacks, Smakbyns Bränneri /Tjudö Vingård, Soul Mate Company, Stadin Panimo, Taiga Chocolate, Tornion Panimo and Versofood/Beanit. The companies are hopeful that the project will be a great success.
"Praises from the buyers and their excitement towards Soul Maté have been meaningful for us as the owners in the superyacht industry and their guests and personnel are used to the world's best foods and drinks. Having Soul Maté among the top innovative, new-generation products is an inspiring opportunity for us from the point of view of our international export goals," comments CEO Anssi Lähteenoja from Soul Maté. Soul Maté operates in the refreshment industry.
Companies Maustaja and Rönkä participate with a shared offering that includes Rönkä's reindeer meat and Maustaja's sauces.
"We are actively looking for international growth as a contract manufacturer. This is a great opportunity to reach entirely new customers with a new idea. I believe this can open the way to significant export markets for Finnish specialty products. We are small actors from a small country; however, together, we are bigger. Collaboration creates better opportunities," adds Managing Director Arto Tölli from Maustaja.
The owners of superyachts and their guests are offered the ultimate luxury, but experts say the changing definition of luxury might be surprising.
"Luxury can refer to things such as privacy, silence and nature as well as good food and drinks. We selected Finnish companies with inspiring, responsible, high-quality and healthy products that correspond with the demand coming from superyachts," Lehtovuori says.
"From the customer's point of view, the price has no upper limit. After all, these people are in the richest one per mille. The main task of the crew on these superyachts is to produce luxurious experiences and privacy for their customers. The people who make the decisions see the product's quality and features, even the brand story, as more important than the price. The service must be discreet and highly individual," says Titta Uoti-Väisänen from TUVYC.
What is a superyacht?
According to Global Industry Analysts Inc.'s StrategyR surveys, the total size of the market was 64.1 billion dollars in 2020, and it is expected to grow to 84.7 billion dollars by 2027. The industry directly employs 150,000 people annually. The crew can include up to 100 people on the largest yachts.
Superyachts are determined by the size of the vessel. Yachts in the superyacht class start from 24 meters. The largest existing superyacht is 184 meters long. There are currently approximately 10,000 superyachts sailing the world, and approximately 500 are being manufactured. A superyacht is designed for 1–36 people. It is bought or rented by one paying customer, and the superyacht goes wherever the customer wants to go. Cruise ships have several paying customers who have bought a previously planned route and services. Source
More information
Lili Lehtovuori, Global Opportunity Leader, Business Finland
lili.lehtovuori (at) businessfinland.fi
Tel: +43 664 2545 289
Titta Uoti-Väisänen, CEO, TYVUC
titta (at) tuvyc.com
Tel: +33 62 116 5993
Anssi Lähteenoja, CEO, Soul Maté Company Oy
media (at) soulmate.company
Tel: +358 50 578 0404
Arto Tölli, Managing Director, Maustaja Oy
arto.tolli (at) maustaja.fi
Tel: +358 40 867 9442
Business Finland's Food from Finland program showcases the Finnish food industry to international buyers and strengthens Finland's image as a producer of high-quality food products. The program encourages companies to develop new innovations and create partnerships with research organizations. www.foodfromfinland.fi
Business Finland is a Finnish public-sector operator which offers innovation funding and internationalization services and promotes tourism and investments in Finland. The organization employs 750 specialists in 40 foreign locations and has 16 offices in Finland. Business Finland is part of the Team Finland network. www.businessfinland.fi
Photo: Lyca Cornejo
