Fiskars Group
What it does and where: Fiskars Group includes several lifestyle brands, such as Fiskars, Gerber, Iittala and Arabia. Among other things, the group manufactures cutlery and kitchen utensils, porcelain tableware and garden and gardening tools.
Founded in 1649 in the village of Fiskars, the company is now headquartered in Helsinki, on the premises of the legendary Arabia ceramics factory. There is also an Iittala and Arabia design centre on the premises. Fiskars products are sold in more than 100 countries.
Known for: The best-known product is the Fiskars scissors with orange handles, which were launched in 1967 and have sold more than a billion pairs. Other iconic products include Iittala Moomin mugs, Teema dishes, Tapio Wirkkala's Ultima Thule glasses, Aalto vases and other Finnish design glass.
Not known for: In early 2021, Fiskars began selling a series of scissors made from recycled materials. The company intends to invest heavily in sustainable development in the future. “Our goal is that by 2030, all our products can be recycled or reused through our global service,” says Fiskars Group communications manager Jenni Marsio.
Since 2019, Iittala's vintage service has enabled consumers to buy and sell used Iittala and Arabia tableware in all Iittala stores in Finland.
Gold&Green Foods
What it does and where: Sells pulled oats, a plant protein food product for cooking. Gold&Green’s pilot laboratory was established in 2015 in a former bakery in Helsinki. The products are now manufactured in Järvenpää. The company is expanding rapidly and its products are sold around the world, such as the United Kingdom and the United States.
Known for: The company’s innovation is plant-based and protein-rich pulled oats. It is made from only five raw materials: oats, yellow peas, broad beans, rapeseed oil and salt. Pulled oats is a vegetable filling option in Taco Bell fast food chains in Spain and the UK, as well as several other countries.
Not known for: When the first batches of Green&Gold’s pulled oats appeared in grocery stores, they sold out in minutes. People started giving each other hints about when and where pulled oats were again expected on store shelves.
Pulled oats has won several awards internationally. In France, it was named the best new product of the year in 2016, the “game changer” of 2020 in the Netherlands and the best innovation product.
Kone
What it does and where: manufactures lifts, escalators and automatic doors. The company has approximately 60,000 employees and locations in about 60 countries. Kone was founded in Helsinki, but is now headquartered in Espoo. Kone’s largest product development and research centre is in Hyvinkää.
Known for: Kone has built elevators and escalators for the world’s busiest and most spectacular buildings, such as the Delhi metro tunnels in India and the Leadenhall Building in the UK. Kone lifts are also being installed in the Jeddah Tower that is under construction in Saudi Arabia, the world’s first kilometre-high building.
Not known for: Kone has developed numerous ways to reduce the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Escalator railings are cleaned with hidden ultraviolet lights as they rotate. In certain elevator types, the elevator can be ordered and directed to the correct floor by mobile phone. Ventilation in Kone’s lifts has been developed using NASA spacecraft technology.
Marimekko
What it does and where: Marimekko designs clothes, textiles, accessories and household goods. Marimekko products are sold in about 40 countries. The company turns 70 in 2021.
Known for: Strong colours, distinctive patterns, stripes and squares. The most famous of the patterns is Unikko (the poppy), designed by Maija Isola in 1964, which has been seen in both household goods and high fashion. Marimekko clothing has been worn by several famous people, including Sex in the City actress Sarah Jessica Parker, US presidential spouses Jackie Kennedy and Michelle Obama, and actress Jamie Chung.
Some of Marimekko's products, such as interior fabrics sold by the metre, are manufactured in the company’s own fabric printing plant in Herttoniemi, Helsinki. The factory outlet has also become a major attraction that draws visitors from as far afield as Japan.
Not known for: Marimekko founder Armi Ratia was a feminist and understood well the change in the status of women that started to take place in the 1950s. Even then, male and female Marimekko staff were paid the same salary for the same work. “I don’t actually sell clothes. I’m selling a lifestyle. I sell thinking rather than dresses,” Ratia once said.
Nokia
What it does and where: Nokia sells network technologies, such as telephone networks and related equipment, as well as construction and maintenance services, to telecom operators and other industries. Nokia is headquartered in Espoo and operates in approximately 120 countries.
Known for: Many people’s first mobile phone was a Nokia, as the company was the undisputed leader in the industry in the 2000s. In its peak year, 2007, Nokia controlled 51 per cent of the global mobile phone market. The company later sold its mobile phone operations, and today Nokia mobile phones are manufactured under license by the Finnish company HMD Global.
In recent years, Nokia’s core business has been the design of network solutions for mobile, infrastructure and cloud services, such as 5G connections.
Not known for: Nokia Group owns the legendary Bell Labs laboratory in New Jersey, whose researchers have won several Nobel Prizes over the decades, mostly in physics. There, Nokia is exploring human-machine communication through virtual reality and augmented reality, among other things. For example, researchers are investigating whether technology can be used to convey not only speech and text but also emotions, attitudes, and hidden meanings.
Rovio
What it does and where: Rovio is a global gaming company specialising in mobile games, and is headquartered in Espoo. In addition to Finland, the company has game studios in Stockholm, Copenhagen and Montreal.
Known for: The Angry Birds mobile phone game, launched in 2009, which has since expanded into eight different games, numerous ancillary products and Hollywood movies. Angry Birds was the world’s first mobile game to be downloaded over a billion times. Another currently popular Rovio game is Small Town Murders.
Not known for: “The first Angry Birds game was the 52nd game released by Rovio. This is an example of amazing perseverance in making games, which is still evident in our corporate culture,” points out Rovio’s Senior Communications Manager Minna Eloranta. According to Eloranta, Angry Birds is played mostly by adults, although the game is suitable for all ages.
Supercell
What it does and where: A gaming company that designs mobile games, founded in 2010 in Helsinki, where its headquarters is located. The company also has offices in San Francisco, Seoul and Shanghai.
Known for: Supercell’s mobile games include Hay Day, Clash of Clans, Brawl Stars, Boom Beach and Clash Royale. The company aims to focus on successful games that will remain popular for years.
Not known for: Supercell quickly became the first Finnish startup to be worth more than a billion dollars. Its games have generated more than the combined box office takings of all nine Star Wars movies.