What Polarica does

Polarica is a privately held Nordic food group, founded in 1972 and headquartered in Haparanda, Sweden, that operates across two product verticals: frozen berries, fruits, and mushrooms under the Polarica Berries brand, and game meat under the Lapin Liha (Finland) and Polarica Vilt (Sweden) brands. The company positions itself as one of Europe's largest suppliers of frozen berries and fruits and claims Europe-leading status in game meat through its Lapin Liha subsidiary. Its core technology is industrial-scale food processing and freezing, supported by X-ray foreign-object detection on finished products and a Kaskein product development unit that converts raw berries into juices, concentrates, shots, powders, and meads. Operations span wholly owned subsidiaries across Finland and Sweden (Polarica Oy, Polarica Marjahankinta Oy, Polarica Marja Oy, Polarica Skogsbärsinköps AB, Polarica Vilt AB, Polarica Holding AB, and Lapin Liha Oy) with manufacturing facilities in Rovaniemi and Malå/Norsjö and sales offices in Haparanda, Solna, Vantaa, and Helsinki. The business is deeply compliance-certified (BRCGS, IFS Food, FSSC 22000, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, KRAV, EKO, Kashrut), reflecting the gatekeeping role of retailer and export-market audits in this category.

Commercially, Polarica runs a hybrid B2B and B2B/B2C model that monetizes through one-time sales of bulk and packaged frozen berries, fruits, mushrooms, and game-meat SKUs rather than recurring subscriptions or licensing. Revenue is generated across five streams: wholesale frozen berries and fruits, consumer packaged products (smoothies, dried berries, organics), game meat (reindeer, elk, red deer), food-service packs for hotels, restaurants, and caterers in formats such as 2x2.5kg, and Kaskein-branded juices, concentrates, shots, powders, and meads. Go-to-market is sales-led with direct sales offices serving food service, retail, and industrial buyers in Finland and Sweden, supplemented by wholesale distributors (Eurocash), a factory outlet in Rovaniemi, and active owned-media marketing through social channels and a recipe blog. Customer mix spans retail chains (ICA, Willy's, Hemköp, Tempo, Handlarn, Matöppet), HoReCa operators, food-industry manufacturers, and individual consumers, with sustainability, climate-smart protein positioning, and 50-year Nordic sourcing heritage as the principal marketing differentiators. Recent governance activity includes a 2022 CEO transition to Mari Onkamo, a 2023 human rights policy and impact assessment, and an ongoing reputational and financial overhang from the 2026 sentencing of former CEO Jukka Kristo on human-trafficking charges with a roughly €900,000 compensation order against the company.

Name

Polarica

Legal name

Polarica AB

Website

https://polarica.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Polarica is a privately held Nordic food group, founded in 1972, that supplies frozen berries, fruits, and game meat (reindeer, elk, red deer) to retailers, HoReCa operators, food manufacturers, and consumers across Finland and Sweden.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Frozen Berries and Game Meat

NAICS

Frozen Fruit, Juice, and Vegetable Manufacturing (311411), Packaged Frozen Food Merchant Wholesalers (424420)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Frozen Foods Wholesale (Packaged & Private Label) (AFAIAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Frozen Meat, Poultry & Seafood Wholesale (AFAIAHAF)

Keywords

• Frozen berries wholesale
• Game meat products
• Organic wild berries
• Food service supply
• Nordic wild foods

Headquarters

HQ city

Rovaniemi

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Frozen berries and fruits wholesale: One of Europe's largest suppliers of frozen berries and fruits, selling bulk and packaged products to retailers, food service, and industrial customers.
2. Consumer packaged products: Ready-to-eat consumer products including smoothies, dried berries, organic products sold through retail channels.
3. Game meat products: Reindeer, elk, and venison products sold fresh and frozen through retail, food service, and industry channels.
4. Food service products: Bulk products for restaurants, hotels, and catering businesses including berries, fruits, and game meat in various formats.
5. Kaskein branded products: Developed consumer products including juices, concentrates, shots, powders, and meads marketed under the Kaskein brand.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Polarica is one of Europe's largest suppliers of frozen berries, fruits, and wild foods, operating across two main product verticals: (1) Nordic berries, fruits, and mushrooms under the Polarica Berries brand, including conventional and organic frozen berries (lingonberry, bilberry, blueberry, cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, blackcurrant, cloudberry, sea buckthorn), tropical fruits, freeze-dried products, and the Kaskein product development unit producing juices, concentrates, shots, powders, and meads; and (2) game meat under the Polarica Vilt (Sweden) and Lapin Liha (Finland) sub-brands, offering reindeer, elk, and red deer products across consumer, food service, and industry channels.

Product overview

Polarica is one of Europe's largest suppliers of frozen berries, fruits, and wild foods, operating across two main product verticals: (1) Nordic berries, fruits, and mushrooms under the Polarica Berries brand, including conventional and organic frozen berries (lingonberry, bilberry, blueberry, cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, blackcurrant, cloudberry, sea buckthorn), tropical fruits, freeze-dried products, and the Kaskein product development unit producing juices, concentrates, shots, powders, and meads; and (2) game meat under the Polarica Vilt (Sweden) and Lapin Liha (Finland) sub-brands, offering reindeer, elk (moose), and red deer products across consumer, food service, and industry channels. Products span from raw frozen ingredients to ready-to-eat meals, smoked/dried meats, and minced meats. The company also supplies wild birds and other specialty meats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kaskein: Product development unit that transforms berry and fruit raw materials into consumer products such as juices, concentrates, shots, powders, and meads
• Polarica Vilt
• Lapin Liha

Products and services

• Polarica Berries Consumer Products Frozen berries and fruits for retail consumers, including organic and conventional options across a wide variety of berries, mushrooms, and tropical fruits. Sold through grocery retail chains in Finland and Sweden.
• Polarica Food Service Products Frozen berries, fruits, and game meat products supplied to restaurants, catering, and food service operations, available in bulk formats such as 2x2.5kg packaging.
• Polarica Industry Products Bulk frozen berry and fruit products supplied to food manufacturing and industrial processing companies.
• Kaskein Branded Products Polarica's product development unit that transforms berry and fruit raw materials into refined consumer products including juices, concentrates, shots, powders, and meads, with focus on natural composition and minimal processing.
• Polarica Vilt Game Meat Products Swedish consumer-facing brand for game meat products (reindeer, elk, red deer), offering a wide range of wild meat products for retail and food service in Sweden.
• Lapin Liha Game Meat Products Finnish consumer-facing brand for reindeer and game meat products, offering a broad range of high-quality and innovative wild meat products including reindeer, elk, red deer, and game birds.
• Good Smoothie Mix Ready-to-use smoothie mix products combining berries and fruits, available in varieties such as Green Light, Pink Matter, and Around The Sun, in 250g packaging.
• Freeze-Dried Bilberries Freeze-dried bilberry product in 30g packaging, retaining nutritional value through freeze-drying technology.
• Reindeer Meat Products Complete range of reindeer meat products including fresh, frozen, smoked, dried, minced, ready meals, snacks, and delicatessen items sourced from Finland, Sweden, and Norway.
• Elk (Moose) Meat Products Elk (moose) meat products sourced from Sweden and Finland, sold in food service and retail formats, known for being lean, high-protein, and mild in game taste.
• Red Deer Meat Products Red deer meat products imported from New Zealand and locally sourced, including minced meat, roasts, steaks, and smoked products, rich in iron and protein.

Quantifiable outcome

• Products X-rayed for foreign object detection ensuring safety

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Willy's retail chaincoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor Swedish retail chain distributing Lapin Liha game meat products through their stores across Sweden
• Hemköp retail chaincoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSwedish grocery chain distributing game meat and wild berry products
• ICA retail chaincoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor Nordic retailer with wide distribution of Polarica/Lapin Liha products
• Tempo retail chainminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional Swedish retail chain carrying game meat products
• Eurocash distributionminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSwedish wholesale distributor serving independent retailers
• Handlarn retail chainminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional Swedish retail chain distributing game meat products
• Matöppet retail chainminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSwedish independent retail chain carrying Polarica products

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BerryWorld Group: Leading European berry supplier marketing berries grown across multiple origins into UK and European retailers. Directly comparable to Polarica Berries as a multi-origin berry supplier serving European retail and foodservice with branded and private-label programs.
• Hudøy Vilt: Norwegian game meat processor specializing in reindeer, elk, deer, and other Nordic game meat for retail and foodservice. Directly comparable to Lapin Liha as a Nordic game-meat specialist with similar sourcing geography and product formats.

Broad incumbents

• Findus Group: Major European frozen-food brand with strong Nordic and UK presence in frozen vegetables, fish, and ready meals. Comparable as a broad Nordic/European frozen-food incumbent operating through similar retail and foodservice channels.
• Driscoll's: World's largest berry marketer with global sourcing of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Comparable to Polarica Berries as the dominant upstream supplier-farmer in the berries category, though Driscoll's focuses on cultivated berries while Polarica emphasizes wild Nordic varieties.
• Bonduelle: European leader in processed vegetables including frozen vegetables, supplying retail and foodservice. Comparable as a broad frozen-vegetable/fruit processor with similar B2B and B2C channels and sustainability positioning.
• Orkla: Major Nordic branded consumer goods conglomerate spanning food, snack, and household categories across the Nordics. Comparable as a broad Nordic incumbent whose branded food portfolio overlaps Polarica's regional grocery presence in Finland and Sweden.
• Greenyard: European market leader in fresh, frozen, and prepared fruit and vegetables serving retail and foodservice. Comparable as a broad frozen fruit/vegetable supplier with European retail penetration similar to Polarica's industry and foodservice channels.
• McCain Foods: Global leader in frozen potato products and broader frozen foods, supplying retail and foodservice across Europe. Comparable as a broad frozen-food incumbent serving similar retail and HoReCa channels with frozen prepared products.

Emerging players

• Patagonia Provisions: US-based regenerative/sustainable food brand focused on wild-caught seafood and climate-friendly foods including regenerative grains and wild game-adjacent offerings. Comparable as an emerging sustainability-positioned protein/wild foods brand targeting premium retail with a similar climate-conscious narrative.
• SunOpta: North-American focused producer of plant-based and organic fruit-based foods including frozen fruit, juices, and ingredients. Comparable as a sustainable, organic-focused fruit processor overlapping Polarica's Kaskein product development in juices, concentrates, and organic frozen fruit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCA55eR1uvKUqeSxOsYfAJ0Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/PolaricaFI
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/10382236
• Instagraminstagram.com/polaricaberries

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Polarica