HKScan
Encyclopedia
HKScan Oyj is a Finnish
manufacturer of meat foods and products, but nowadays its product range also includes ready meals and pet foods. It is based in Turku
. In the 1990s and 2000s the company – by then known as HK Ruokatalo Oy
– targeted the international market, acquiring meat production companies around the Baltic Sea
: In Sweden
, Poland
, Estonia
, Latvia
and Lithuania
– including the Swedish Scan AB in 2007, resulting in the modern-day name of the company.
HK is originally an initialism of Helsingin Kauppiaat ("Helsinki Merchants"), a company that was acquired by LSO in 1991. HK is the best known brand of the company in its native Finland. Its Finnish subsidiary is still known as HK Ruokatalo Oy ("HK Food House Inc."). HKScan Oyj is the fifth largest food manufacturer in Europe and a company listed in the Helsinki Stock Exchange
.
The history of the company in its current form traces back to the year 1913, when a number of farmers founded the co-operative slaughterhouse
of South-Western Finland (LSO – Lounais-Suomen Osuusteurastamo, or nowadays LSO-Osuuskunta Oy, a subsidiary of HK Ruokatalo Oy responsible for attaining the livestock in Finland). The company was successful in domestic meat wholesales.
More local co-operative meat producers joined LSO during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. A big reorganization took place in the Finnish meat products market in 1981 and 1985 when SOK and OTK – both large retailing
co-operatives – gave up their own meat industries. This naturally led to major increase in LSO's market share.
During the early 1990s LSO acquired other domestic food manufacturers: Helsingin Kauppiaat Oy in 1991 and Kariniemi Oy in 1993. Helsingin Kauppiaat was a meat producer with a factory located in Helsinki
's suburb Sörnäinen
at the time. Its products included the well-recognized Sininen Lenkki sausage. Kariniemi was a producer of chicken meat. Sörnäinen area is still active (as of 2010) in meat production and wholesale business, spotting Helsingin Tukku wholesaler and Chef Wotkin's meathouse, but all the functions of the original HK factory, including the production of Sininen Lenkki, have moved to a new factory in Pakkala, Vantaa
.
The company started foreign expansion in 1998, when it bought the majority of shares in the Estonian Rakvere Lihakombinaat
, a previously state-owned but later privatized food producer. More companies were acquired in the following years: Sokołów in Poland, Talleggin in Estonia and Rigas Miesnieks in Latvia. Rigas Miesnieks has operations in Lithuania as well, where the company offers Klaipedos Maistas brand products in addition to its own Latvian brands.
In 2006 and 2007 the heavily expanded company, that by this time was known as HK Ruokatalo Group, acquired Scan AB, the largest meat producer in Sweden
. Consequently, the company renamed to HKScan Oyj.
In September 2010 HKSCan announced that it would acquire the biggest poultry
products manufacturer in Denmark
, Rose Poultry.
The company has optimized its production chain heavily during the 1990s and 2000s, leading to many mass resignations and closures. Production facilities in Turku
were closed in October 2007, and in Tampere
in March 2008.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
manufacturer of meat foods and products, but nowadays its product range also includes ready meals and pet foods. It is based in Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
. In the 1990s and 2000s the company – by then known as HK Ruokatalo Oy
Osakeyhtiö
Osakeyhtiö, literally a "stock company", is the Finnish equivalent of a limited company or Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung . It is abbreviated to Oy and is used either before or after the company's name, sometimes with the addition of the Finland-Swedish equivalent Ab...
– targeted the international market, acquiring meat production companies around the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
: In Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
– including the Swedish Scan AB in 2007, resulting in the modern-day name of the company.
HK is originally an initialism of Helsingin Kauppiaat ("Helsinki Merchants"), a company that was acquired by LSO in 1991. HK is the best known brand of the company in its native Finland. Its Finnish subsidiary is still known as HK Ruokatalo Oy ("HK Food House Inc."). HKScan Oyj is the fifth largest food manufacturer in Europe and a company listed in the Helsinki Stock Exchange
Helsinki Stock Exchange
The Helsinki Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in Helsinki, Finland. Since 3 September 2003 it has been part of OMX, referred to as OMX Helsinki . Since NASDAQ's acquisition of OMX in February 2008, the official name of the Helsinki exchange has been NASDAQ OMX Helsinki.- History :The...
.
History
- Text in this section is largely based on a translation of the company's history page
The history of the company in its current form traces back to the year 1913, when a number of farmers founded the co-operative slaughterhouse
Slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse or abattoir is a facility where animals are killed for consumption as food products.Approximately 45-50% of the animal can be turned into edible products...
of South-Western Finland (LSO – Lounais-Suomen Osuusteurastamo, or nowadays LSO-Osuuskunta Oy, a subsidiary of HK Ruokatalo Oy responsible for attaining the livestock in Finland). The company was successful in domestic meat wholesales.
More local co-operative meat producers joined LSO during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. A big reorganization took place in the Finnish meat products market in 1981 and 1985 when SOK and OTK – both large retailing
Retailing
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
co-operatives – gave up their own meat industries. This naturally led to major increase in LSO's market share.
During the early 1990s LSO acquired other domestic food manufacturers: Helsingin Kauppiaat Oy in 1991 and Kariniemi Oy in 1993. Helsingin Kauppiaat was a meat producer with a factory located in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
's suburb Sörnäinen
Sörnäinen
Sörnäinen is a neighbourhood in the city of Helsinki, Finland.Sörnäinen is located a little more than one kilometre north from the coastal centre of Helsinki, near the district of Hakaniemi. The east side of Sörnäinen borders the sea....
at the time. Its products included the well-recognized Sininen Lenkki sausage. Kariniemi was a producer of chicken meat. Sörnäinen area is still active (as of 2010) in meat production and wholesale business, spotting Helsingin Tukku wholesaler and Chef Wotkin's meathouse, but all the functions of the original HK factory, including the production of Sininen Lenkki, have moved to a new factory in Pakkala, Vantaa
Vantaa
Vantaa is a city and municipality in Finland. Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo and Kauniainen make up the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.Vantaa, with its population of , is the fourth most populated city of Finland. The biggest airport in Finland, the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, is located there...
.
The company started foreign expansion in 1998, when it bought the majority of shares in the Estonian Rakvere Lihakombinaat
Rakvere Lihakombinaat
Rakvere Lihakombinaat is the biggest manufacturer of meat products in the Baltic States.-History:The history of Rakvere Meat Processing Plant dates back to the year 1890 when the first slaughterhouse was opened in Rakvere. In 1905 a new slaughterhouse was built in Rakvere in accordance with the...
, a previously state-owned but later privatized food producer. More companies were acquired in the following years: Sokołów in Poland, Talleggin in Estonia and Rigas Miesnieks in Latvia. Rigas Miesnieks has operations in Lithuania as well, where the company offers Klaipedos Maistas brand products in addition to its own Latvian brands.
In 2006 and 2007 the heavily expanded company, that by this time was known as HK Ruokatalo Group, acquired Scan AB, the largest meat producer in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Consequently, the company renamed to HKScan Oyj.
In September 2010 HKSCan announced that it would acquire the biggest poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
products manufacturer in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Rose Poultry.
The company has optimized its production chain heavily during the 1990s and 2000s, leading to many mass resignations and closures. Production facilities in Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
were closed in October 2007, and in Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
in March 2008.
Brands
In Finland, HK Ruokatalo Oy offers several brands including:- HK: all beefBeefBeef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
and porkPorkPork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
meat and products, ready meals and salads. The most-recognized product is probably Sininen Lenkki – an inexpensive mixed-meat sausage. - Kariniemen: Chicken products.
- Popsi: KnackwurstKnackwurstKnackwurst may refer to a variety of different sausage types, depending on the geographical region.In America, Knackwurst may refer to a short, plump sausage originating from the Holstein region in Germany. They contain ground veal, ground pork, and fresh garlic stuffed into hog casings. The...
s, some sausages. - Via: The latest addition, gourmetGourmetGourmet is a cultural ideal associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterised by elaborate preparations and presentations of large meals of small, often quite rich courses...
products designed by the TV chef Jyrki Sukula, including dressingDressingDressing may refer to:* Dressing , a medical covering for a wound, usually made of cloth* Ore dressing* Salad dressing, a type of sauce which is generally poured on a salad, or spread on the bread of a sandwich...
s.