Fazer Group has announced an €11m ($12.5m) investment to expand its rye bread production capacity at its local facility in Lahti.
In a statement, Fazer said the move is in line with the country’s 2024 nutrition recommendations, which encourage Finns to increase their intake of whole grains.
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The food producer added that it is “responding to this need” by introducing a new rye bread line at its Lahti factory. The company also operates bakeries in Vantaa and Lappeenranta.
Marko Bergholm, managing director of Fazer Bakery Finland, said: “We want to expand our offering with attractive and healthy rye products and increase domestic bread production. In Finland, we bake from 100% domestic grain.”
Fazer’s bakery division produces a range of baked goods, including wheat-based toast, speciality portion breads, burger buns, polar breads, bread snacks, and cakes.
The new production line, operational since April, can produce up to 25,000 of the local Reissumies variety of rye bread per hour.
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By GlobalDataFazer said it plans to raise its wholegrain bread share in Finland from 57% to 65% by 2030.
“It is important for us to promote a healthy lifestyle and encourage Finns to follow the new nutrition recommendations by making tasty breads with whole grain in order to support meeting the 90-gram recommendation,” Bergholm added.
Fazer Bakery Finland employs about 1,600 workers, with 450 stationed at the Lahti site, which, following the investment, the company claims will position it as the “world’s largest rye bakery”.
In 2024, Fazer recorded net sales of €1.18bn. After adjusting for currency fluctuations, net sales grew by 1%, while comparable net sales, excluding the dairy division, rose by 3%.
Comparable EBITDA also increased by 3%, reaching €141.4m, and the comparable operating result surged by 14%, amounting to €75.9m.
Group net sales rounded to a profit of €34.7m from a €86.5m loss a year earlier.
Bakery is Fazer’s second-largest division behind confectionery in terms of sales.
However, bakery sales dropped 2% last year to €452.4m.
