Mettän Maku from Savukoski
Product development based on your own needs
Tuuli Rautava founded her company MettänMaku in 2022 and says she has been working as a part-time entrepreneur for a year. Tuuli says she quit her seasonal job at a restaurant and studied to become a natural resource producer.
Tuuli says that she has been involved with natural products for twenty years, but her training led her to create her own product line. According to Tuuli, the company's products began to sell well, so she became a full-time entrepreneur.
The entrepreneur says that some of her products meet the criteria for artisanal products and some do not. Tuuli adds that all of the company's products are local or natural products.
Tuuli lives in Savukoski on a reindeer farm at one end of a semi-detached house – the business is located at the other end of the building. Tuuli has a food kitchen and storage facilities in the business's production premises. Tuuli points out that she did not move to the premises to follow the business, but rather the business moved with her.
Tuuli says she spends a lot of time outdoors and enjoys camping and hiking. According to the entrepreneur, making dried products comes naturally to her, and she has dried a lot of raw materials for herself. "Producers of outdoor food are mainly large companies, so I fit in well with my slightly different products," Tuuli says.
Tuuli says that the production of the products started from her own needs and interest in natural ingredients. According to Tuuli, it was natural for her to start marketing and selling her products. "The product range and sales have grown nicely," the entrepreneur notes.
Tuuli says she uses all of her raw materials, which has resulted in products such as syrups and balsamic vinegars that are highly valued by chefs. The entrepreneur focuses most of her product range on outdoor products. She classifies the spices and balsamic vinegars in her product range as gift items. "I'm not expanding my range of specialty products, but I don't want to leave out the current ones. All the products sell well, so it's worth keeping them in the range," Tuuli says.
Mettän Maku products. Photo from Mettän Maku Facebook page, June 4, 2022.
Mettän Maku products. Photo from Mettän Maku Facebook page, December 12, 2022.
The entrepreneur sells MettänMaku products both in her own online store and through retailers. Tuuli says that balsamic products are also available in packages that can be ordered directly by restaurants.
The entrepreneur says that she mainly sells picnic meals in her own online store. "I also occasionally sell my products at fairs and markets, but the largest sales channel is retailers," she says.
The entrepreneur says that new picnic products are in development, but she is not currently developing products to be sold as artisan products. "A couple of the picnic meals under development could meet the criteria for artisan products," Tuuli notes.
Entrepreneurial successes and tips for future entrepreneurs
The entrepreneur says that she finds it challenging to take on such a large field on her own. “When you work alone as a small entrepreneur, you have to have all your business discussions with yourself. If you mess something up, you only have yourself to blame,” Tuuli says.
She feels like she is walking in big shoes when working with larger companies and retailers as a small producer. The entrepreneur says that you have to be able to manage a large number of things yourself before you can delegate and know what to delegate. "You have to take on a large field to get products to retailers," the entrepreneur explains.
The entrepreneur has also had successes and says that she has experienced more feelings of success than failure along the way. Tuuli says that the picnic products have been very well received, and she herself can hardly believe how well the business has taken off.
The entrepreneur also recalls the delicacy balsamic vinegar she once developed at Kultahovi in Inari, which is the result of making full use of the raw material. "When making delicacy seasoning, a liquid is produced, which I use to make delicacy balsamic vinegar. This was an innovation for me, allowing me to make full use of the raw material," the entrepreneur explains.
Tuuli says that after the change of ownership at Kultahovi, the current barista has developed a delicacy cappuccino based on Tuuli's balsamic vinegar. "The gourmet truffle balsamic vinegar has gained recognition through Inari, which is a big deal for me," Tuuli says.
The entrepreneur says she will participate in the Artisan Food Championships with two products made from the same raw material: gourmet truffle seasoning and balsamic vinegar.
Tuuli Rautava, entrepreneur at Mettän Maku.
Mettän Maku Herkkutatti products.
For future entrepreneurs, Tuuli says that the sky is the limit. "Even raw materials that you would think would go to waste can be used to make almost anything. The only limit is your imagination, so be bold and experiment with how you can use by-products," Tuuli encourages.
The entrepreneur advises trying everything and, if the result is poor, moving on to the next idea. Tuuli finds artisan food recipes fascinating and is tempted to make many different products. "If a company has too many irons in the fire, its operations become too scattered. Specialty products should not be developed in excessive quantities for a single company," Tuuli notes.
Looking forward to the artisan food championships
The entrepreneur hopes that the Artisan Food Championships will bring visibility and new networks to the company. "I am new to the industry as an entrepreneur. I have already created networks, but this is a special themed event that I hope will lead to more networking," says the entrepreneur.
Tuuli says she is looking forward to participating in the event. Tuuli says she is participating in the Artisan Food Championships not only out of interest, but also based on recommendations: "I have been selling my products at various events, and I have been advised from several sources that I should enter the competition. The people who gave me the tip are customers who are familiar with artisan products." The entrepreneur says that artisan food is a matter close to her heart.
You can find Mettän Maku:
Website: mettanmaku.fi
Instagram: mettanmaku
Facebook: Mettän Maku
Laura Horsma 10.7.2023. English translations made with DeepL translator.