Ranuan kalajaloste: Traditional fish processing in Ranua
From Tampere to Lapland
Petri says that he and his wife are originally from Tampere. Petri recalls that when they were planning to start a family, he and his wife wanted to settle down by the water. "Waterfront properties are expensive in Pirkanmaa, so we explored our options and ended up moving to Tiainen in Rovaniemi," Petri explains.
The entrepreneur says he was already engaged in commercial fishing while living in Tiainen. "The municipality of Ranua auctioned off a fishing harbor. I saw a good opportunity at the fishing port on the shore of Lake Simojärvi, so my wife and I participated in the auction. We won the auction, and I was able to realize my long-held dream," Petri says. He adds that Ranua was a good place for a family with children to move to.
Petri says he will soon have been an entrepreneur for 31 years. He founded Ranuan kalajaloste Oy in 2013. The entrepreneur recalls that he had been processing fish in Ranua for a couple of years when he saw an advertisement for artisan food, which sparked his interest in learning more about the subject.
"Since I started processing fish, my products have been made traditionally without additives or preservatives. When I saw an advertisement for artisan food, I realized that my products met the criteria and learned more about artisan food products," says Petri.
The entrepreneur explains that because his company is small, he cannot compete with large fish companies that produce high volumes. “My trump cards are the traditional production methods and excellent raw materials,” Petri sums up.
Petri says he designed the log oven used for fish processing himself according to his own needs. "The log oven is a traditional gravity-based smokehouse that operates without electricity. I designed the oven and built it with my wife," Petri explains.
Making a hole in the ice. Photo by Petri Manninen.
Smoke oven at the Ranua fish processing plant. Photo: Petri Manninen.
Setbacks and successes
The entrepreneur explains that the company's fish processing plant burned down a couple of years ago. The couple decided to build a new plant and continue their business. Petri recalls that rebuilding was really stressful with the Christmas season approaching.
"We also had to build a new oven to replace the old one that burned down. The production volumes for the Christmas season were weighing heavily on us, and we were in a hurry to get the first fish into the oven. Production with the new oven was successful right from the start, and it was a great moment for me," says the entrepreneur.
Petri explains that even an experienced smoker has to learn how to use a new oven. "You have to learn to read the oven and understand its 'soul' in order to make a good product. Automatic ovens produce uniform products, but the traditional ovens we build are unique," Petri notes.
The entrepreneur does not feel that he has faced any major challenges as an artisan food entrepreneur. He says that his products have done well in the Finnish artisan food championships and gained visibility. "There is a lot of demand for my products," says the entrepreneur.
Petri says that he mainly sells his products himself and also attends markets and fairs, where he cooks and smokes products on site and runs a fish counter from his fish van. Petri says he sells small quantities of his products to restaurants and wholesalers, but as a rule, fishing, processing, and retail sales are all handled by the entrepreneur himself.
According to the entrepreneur, there would be more demand for the products, but he does not want to expand his business. "The company's turnover would increase, but not the profit, as I would have to hire more staff. It would also increase my stress levels," says the entrepreneur. Petri adds that if a wholesaler or food company wants to order a specific quantity of products, he will make them, but he does not want to regularly produce large quantities for resale.
The entrepreneur says he is constantly thinking about new products when he is out on the lake. "I probably have a dozen new product development ideas in the pipeline at any given time. I develop some of the ideas further, leave some to simmer, and implement some later," Petri reflects.
The entrepreneur notes that it is not advisable to launch too many new products at once, but rather a couple of products each year. "If you launch many new products at once, they will not be beneficial. Customers remain interested when you launch one or two new products a year," the entrepreneur sums up.
Petri Manninen, entrepreneur at Ranuan Kalajaloste Oy.
Gold diploma in the Finnish Artisan Food Championship. Photo: Petri Manninen.
Petri's tips for those considering artisan food entrepreneurship
Petri's first piece of advice is to use high-quality ingredients, starting with salt and spices. "There is a lot of variation between products, including salt. Order different types of salt and spices and taste them all before use.
Don't skimp, use top-quality products," Petri advises. He says that he is currently experimenting with growing different herbs, and his goal is that in a couple of years, all the spices used will be dried from his own herbs; only salt will be purchased for the company.
Petri's second tip is to choose a product that you can produce. He recounts his first participation in an artisan food competition, where he used large perch fillets in his product. "You can't catch large quantities of large perch. I won gold with the product, but I couldn't meet the demand," Petri sums up.
The entrepreneur says that the second time he participated in the competition, he used lake fish balls, for which the raw materials were more readily available. "You have to be able to produce the product in order to reap the financial benefits of the visibility and increased demand generated by the competition," the entrepreneur notes.
Finally, Petri advises taking your time to develop your own product, keeping the two previous tips in mind. He advises trusting in your own product, tasting it often, and having several different people taste it. "The product is ready when several people think it's good. People have completely different tastes, so you can't develop a product based solely on your own taste," Petri says.
The entrepreneur says that he tastes his new products first on his own children, who have learned to give direct feedback. "Ask openly for feedback from several people and accept the feedback. The final decision on the product is yours," Petri says.
Experiences from the Finnish Artisan Food Championship
The entrepreneur says that the competitions have given him a lot of visibility. He notes that the competitions are well publicized and that success in them has brought him a lot of visibility. "If you win a couple of medals in a single competition, the visibility is really great," Petri says.
According to the entrepreneur, he has also used the feedback received in the competition to develop his product. "I entered the competition with a cold-smoked rainbow trout product, which the jury did not like. The jury gave me advice and suggestions for changes. I made changes to the product and entered it again in the competition, where it won gold," Petri explains.
However, the entrepreneur points out that the quality of competing products affects the success of one's own product in the competition. The entrepreneur believes that even though the products have won the competition, there is always something about the product that could be different. "The jury's feedback is really important. In a competition, there are many people tasting the product. The competition allows you to develop your own product. All feedback must be taken as instructive and constructive. You mustn't take offense at feedback," Petri says.
The entrepreneur says he entered the Artisan Food Championship competition for the first time on a trial basis: “I figured I had nothing to lose by trying out the competition. I've been selling fish for a long time, and I figured that someone always does well in the competition, so why couldn't I?" Petri encourages new artisan food entrepreneurs to boldly participate in the artisan food competition. Petri says he will participate in the Artisan Food Championship again this year.
You can find Ranua Kalajaloste Oy at:
Website: www.ranuankalajaloste.fi
Facebook: Ranuan Kalajaloste
Laura Horsma 14.7.2023. English translations made with DeepL translator.