Valio
Encyclopedia
Valio Ltd is one of the biggest companies in Finland
and mostly produces dairy product
s such as cheese, powdered ingredients, butter, yogurt and milk. Valio is Finland's biggest milk processor, producing 86% of Finland's milk.
Valio Group's net turnover was 1.8 billion euros in 2010. Valio is the market leader in key dairy product groups in Finland and a pioneer as the developer of functional food
s. Valio Ltd is owned by 18 dairy cooperatives with about 9 000 milk farmers as members. Nowadays about 1000 products belong to Valio's product range.
Valio Ltd has 15 production plants in Finland, two in Estonia
, one cheese packaging facility in Belgium
and a logistic centre in Moscow, Russia. Valio subsidiaries operate in Russia
, Sweden
, Belgium
, the Baltic
, USA
and China
. International operations account for one third of Valio net turnover.
.
Valio's activities expanded from butter to other dairy product
s in 1909, and by the 1920s Valio's marketing in Finland was bigger than abroad.
Artturi Ilmari Virtanen
who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
was an employee of Valio. The prize was given for benefit which Virtanen's workteam brought with AIV-fodder.
In 2001, Valio
launched a lactose-free milk drink which is not sweet like HYLA milk but has the fresh taste of ordinary milk. Valio patented the chromatographic
separation method to remove lactose. Valio also markets these products in Sweden
, Estonia
, Belgium
, and the USA, where the company says ultrafiltration
is used.
Valio sold its ice cream activity to overseas company Nestlé
in 2004. Nestlé also got the right to use the "Valiojäätelö" name for a long time.
In 2005, Valion Jäätelöbaari (Valio Ice Cream Bar), designed by Paola Suhonen, was opened in Kamppi Center
, Helsinki
.
In 2007, Valio invested approx. €60 million in a factory near Moscow
for packaging of cheese and butter for the Russian market as well as for logistics operation from Moscow up to Pasific Ocean. The products are mostly imported from the mother company in Finland. The production capacity of the plant will be 8,000 mt per year and can be expanded up to 20,000 mt, 400 employees will work in the factory. The turnover of Valio in Russia was €283 million in 2010, which makes it the biggest Finnish FMCG operator on Russian market right after Nokia.
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...
and mostly produces dairy product
Dairy product
Dairy products are generally defined as foods produced from cow's or domestic buffalo's milk. They are usually high-energy-yielding food products. A production plant for such processing is called a dairy or a dairy factory. Raw milk for processing comes mainly from cows, and, to a lesser extent,...
s such as cheese, powdered ingredients, butter, yogurt and milk. Valio is Finland's biggest milk processor, producing 86% of Finland's milk.
Valio Group's net turnover was 1.8 billion euros in 2010. Valio is the market leader in key dairy product groups in Finland and a pioneer as the developer of functional food
Functional food
Functional food is a food where a new ingredient has been added to a food and the new product has a new function ....
s. Valio Ltd is owned by 18 dairy cooperatives with about 9 000 milk farmers as members. Nowadays about 1000 products belong to Valio's product range.
Valio Ltd has 15 production plants in Finland, two in 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...
, one cheese packaging facility in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and a logistic centre in Moscow, Russia. Valio subsidiaries operate in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, 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....
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, the Baltic
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. International operations account for one third of Valio net turnover.
History
Valio was founded in 1905 by 17 co-operative dairies. The original name of the company was Voivienti-osuusliike Valio r.l, or "Butter Export Cooperative Valio". The company was originally based in Hanko and the most important market was EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Valio's activities expanded from butter to other dairy product
Dairy product
Dairy products are generally defined as foods produced from cow's or domestic buffalo's milk. They are usually high-energy-yielding food products. A production plant for such processing is called a dairy or a dairy factory. Raw milk for processing comes mainly from cows, and, to a lesser extent,...
s in 1909, and by the 1920s Valio's marketing in Finland was bigger than abroad.
Artturi Ilmari Virtanen
Artturi Ilmari Virtanen
Artturi Ilmari Virtanen was a Finnish chemist and recipient of the 1945 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.-Early life:Virtanen was born in Helsinki, Finland. He completed his school education at the Classical Lyceum in Viipuri, Finland. He married the botanist Lilja Moisio in 1920 and had two sons with her...
who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outstanding contributions in chemistry, physics, literature,...
was an employee of Valio. The prize was given for benefit which Virtanen's workteam brought with AIV-fodder.
In 2001, Valio
Valio
Valio Ltd is one of the biggest companies in Finland and mostly produces dairy products such as cheese, powdered ingredients, butter, yogurt and milk. Valio is Finland's biggest milk processor, producing 86% of Finland's milk....
launched a lactose-free milk drink which is not sweet like HYLA milk but has the fresh taste of ordinary milk. Valio patented the chromatographic
Chromatography
Chromatography is the collective term for a set of laboratory techniques for the separation of mixtures....
separation method to remove lactose. Valio also markets these products 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....
, 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...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, and the USA, where the company says ultrafiltration
Ultrafiltration
Ultrafiltration is a variety of membrane filtration in which hydrostatic pressure forces a liquid against a semipermeable membrane. Suspended solids and solutes of high molecular weight are retained, while water and low molecular weight solutes pass through the membrane...
is used.
Valio sold its ice cream activity to overseas company Nestlé
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
in 2004. Nestlé also got the right to use the "Valiojäätelö" name for a long time.
In 2005, Valion Jäätelöbaari (Valio Ice Cream Bar), designed by Paola Suhonen, was opened in Kamppi Center
Kamppi Center
Kamppi Centre is a complex in the Kamppi district in the centre of Helsinki, designed by various architects, the main designer, however, being Juhani Pallasmaa. It is said to be Helsinki's new downtown commercial and residential centre...
, 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...
.
In 2007, Valio invested approx. €60 million in a factory near Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
for packaging of cheese and butter for the Russian market as well as for logistics operation from Moscow up to Pasific Ocean. The products are mostly imported from the mother company in Finland. The production capacity of the plant will be 8,000 mt per year and can be expanded up to 20,000 mt, 400 employees will work in the factory. The turnover of Valio in Russia was €283 million in 2010, which makes it the biggest Finnish FMCG operator on Russian market right after Nokia.