Kiantama

What Kiantama does

Kiantama Oy is a family-owned Finnish berry processing company founded in 1973 and headquartered in Suomussalmi in the Kainuu region. The company processes hand-picked wild Nordic forest berries into ingredients and finished products for food, health supplement, and cosmetics manufacturers. Its portfolio spans six core product categories — IQF frozen berries, dried berries, sugar-infused berries, purées (with and without seeds), juice concentrates/NFC juices/syrups, and berry powders/spray-dried powders — across 10 wild berry species including bilberry, lingonberry, cloudberry, crowberry, cranberry, blackcurrant, redcurrant, chokeberry, sea buckthorn, and rowanberry. Most SKUs are available in conventional and organic grades. The consumer brand Biokia, launched in 2001, addresses Nordic retail markets.

The company operates a vertically integrated single-facility production platform combining IQF freezing, low-temperature drying, juice concentrating, spray drying, and aseptic packaging. It holds an unusually dense certification stack: BRC Global Standard for Food Safety at AA level (achieved April 2023), EU organic certification (since 1999), Kosher, Halal, ISO 26000, SMETA 4 Pillars, and Finnish Oiva reporting. Roughly 2,600 Thai pickers are engaged under seasonal employment contracts, with working conditions independently monitored by Issara Institute. More than 50% of production is exported, with named markets including Germany, Japan, Poland, Lithuania, and Sweden.

Kiantama runs a sales-led B2B industrial model with quote-based pricing negotiated directly with manufacturers through dedicated sales managers segmented by industry ingredient, retail, and international accounts. Revenue and ownership structure are not publicly disclosed. Following a turbulent leadership transition tied to a court ruling against the prior CEO, Janne Piikivi was appointed CEO on 15 September 2025, with Matti Sipilä as Chairman of the Board.

Name

Kiantama

Legal name

Kiantama Oy

Website

https://kiantama.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kiantama Oy is a family-owned Finnish processor, founded 1973, that converts hand-picked wild Nordic berries into IQF, dried, purée, concentrate, and powder ingredients for food, health supplement, and cosmetics manufacturers across Europe and Asia, with a consumer brand Biokia for Nordic retail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fruit and Berry Ingredient Manufacturing

NAICS

Frozen Fruit, Juice, and Vegetable Manufacturing (311411)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Frozen Fruit & Vegetable Processing (IQF, Frozen Blends) (AFAKAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forest Berries & Wild Fruit Harvesting (AFAMAFAE), Berry Sorting & Packing Facilities (AFAOAGAD)

Keywords

• Wild berry processing
• Berry ingredients supply
• IQF frozen berries
• Organic berry powders
• Forest berry manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Suomussalmi

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Industrial Berry Ingredients: B2B sales of berry raw materials and ingredients to food, health supplement, and cosmetics manufacturers. Products include frozen berries, dried berries, juice concentrates, NFC juices, purées, powders, and sugar-infused berries. Majority of products available in organic quality.
2. Private Label Consumer Products: Consumer-facing products under the Biokia brand, including berry-based foods and beverages for retail markets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kiantama produces and develops high-quality berry products and raw materials in its own production facility in Suomussalmi, Finland. The company processes hand-picked wild Nordic forest berries into frozen IQF berries, dried berries, sweetened berries, purées, juice concentrates/NFC juices/syrups, and berry powders for the food, health supplement, and cosmetics industries. Most products are also available in organic quality, and over 50% of production is exported to international markets.

Product overview

Kiantama is a family-owned Finnish berry processing company (founded 1973) offering a comprehensive portfolio of berry products for food, health supplement, and cosmetics industries. The product range includes six core product categories: Frozen IQF Berries, Dried Berries, Sweetened Berries, Berry Purées (with and without seeds), Berry Juice Concentrates/NFC Juices/Syrups, and Berry Powders/Spray Dried Powders. All products are available in organic quality. The company processes 10 raw material berry types: Bilberry (wild Nordic), Lingonberry, Cloudberry, Crowberry, Cranberry, Blackcurrant, Redcurrant, Chokeberry (Aronia), Sea Buckthorn, and Rowanberry. Kiantama also operates a consumer brand called Biokia for retail products. Raw materials are sourced from Finnish wild forests and contract farms, with most production exported (over 50%).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Biokia: Consumer brand launched in 2001 for berry products. The name was inspired by the Nokia phenomenon of the early 2000s.

Products and services

• Frozen IQF Berries Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) berries processed with metal detector, color separator, and X-ray cleaning system to preserve looseness, taste, and health features. Sold in bulk to food manufacturers.
• Dried Berries First-class, clean berries dried at low temperatures to preserve flavonoids, vitamins, and nutrients. Available as whole berries and crushed, with no added sugar or additives. For food manufacturers and ingredient buyers.
• Sweetened (Sugar-Infused) Berries High-quality berries infused with liquid sugar or pear juice concentrate before drying and lightly treated with sunflower oil. Available as whole or crushed. For confectionery, bakery, and snack manufacturers.
• Berry Purées (with and without seeds) 100% natural berry purées with no additives. Seedless versions have skin and seeds removed leaving juice and pulp; with-seed versions include whole berries. Pasteurized and aseptically packaged. For dairy, juice, and food manufacturers.
• Berry Juice Concentrates, NFC Juices and Syrups Concentrates are 100% natural with no added sugar or preservatives (45-65 Brix). NFC juices pressed directly from berries with minimal processing. Syrups contain berries with added sugar (70 Brix). For beverage and food manufacturers.
• Berry Powders and Spray Dried Powders

Quantifiable outcome

• Carbon footprint reduced by nearly 60% since 2022 through switching to hydropower electricity
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Lidl Ilmastoakatemia (Lidl Climate Academy)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Kiantama participates in Lid's Climate Academy program, demonstrating long-term commitment to climate work. The program helps set new targets and find concrete measures for their implementation.
• Issara InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent third-party organization monitoring the situation of berry pickers before their trip to Finland, during work in Finland, and after their return home. Pickers can provide feedback directly through mobile channels, enabling continuous monitoring of working conditions. This partnership supports Kiantama's responsibility program for ethical supply chain management.
• FiBS ry (Finnish Business & Society)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading corporate responsibility network in Finland. Membership goal is networking and developing the company's own responsibility work, with FiBS providing practical tools for planning and implementing responsibility measures.
• Luonnonvarakeskus (LUKE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinnish Natural Resources Institute partnered with Kiantama to assess the company's carbon footprint for 2021. Luke provided expertise in calculating the 909.5 tonnes CO2 emissions figure.
• Arktiset Aromit RyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinnish aromatic foods organization representing the berry industry. Kiantama participates in industry initiatives and dialogue organized with authorities, industry, and trade representatives for developing responsible berry picking.
• Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and ForestryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative relationship for industry development discussions on the future of wild berry picking in Finland, including regulatory changes and responsible sourcing practices.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Symrise Diana Food: Global supplier of natural fruit and vegetable ingredients (juices, purees, concentrates, powders) for food, nutrition, and pet food, owned by Symrise. Overlapping product formats and customer base, with much broader scale.
• Kalsec Inc. US-based producer of natural plant extracts, colors, and antioxidants for food and beverage. Comparable as a B2B supplier of berry-derived natural extracts and specialty ingredients, with established global reach.
• Givaudan (Naturex): Global natural ingredients supplier (formerly Naturex) offering plant extracts, fruit and vegetable powders, and nutraceutical ingredients. Competes with Kiantama in the health supplement and natural cosmetics ingredient market.
• Eckes-Granini Group: European fruit juice and beverage company with significant berry juice sourcing and processing. Comparable as a buyer/processor of berry juices and concentrates in the European food and beverage value chain.
• Döhler GmbH: Large German producer of natural ingredients including fruit juices, purees, concentrates, and flavors for food, beverage, and nutrition. Comparable end products but vastly broader portfolio and global scale.

Direct peers

• Arctic Flavors Oy: Finnish processor of wild Nordic berries and forest foods into juices, purees, and powders. Most direct comparable peer, operating in the same geography and product categories as Kiantama's IQF and processed berry range.
• Aromtech Ltd: Finnish company specializing in cold-pressed berry seed oils and arctic berry extracts for cosmetics and nutraceuticals. Direct overlap with Kiantama's cosmetics vertical and berry-derived specialty ingredients.
• Domstein AS: Norwegian berry processor historically focused on wild Norwegian berries and berry-based products. Comparable in raw material type (wild Nordic berries) and processing activity, though with different scale and geography.

Regional players

• Berry Gardens Ltd: UK-based berry grower-marketer cooperative. While focused on cultivated berries (strawberry, raspberry, blueberry) rather than wild Nordic species, it represents the broader berry ingredient category and serves comparable B2B food customers in Europe.

Emerging players

• SunOpta Inc. North American plant- and fruit-based ingredient processor serving food and beverage with frozen fruits, juices, and powders. Comparable in ingredient format (IQF fruit, juice concentrate, powders) and B2B industrial sales model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kiantama

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kiantama