Fazer Group has announced an €11m ($12.5m) investment aimed at expanding its rye bread production capacity at the Lahti facility.
This strategic move aligns with Finland’s 2024 nutrition recommendations, which urge citizens to increase their whole grain intake.
In light of this, Fazer is “responding to this need” by launching a new rye bread production line at its Lahti factory. The company also operates additional facilities in Vantaa and Lappeenranta.
Marko Bergholm, managing director of Fazer Bakery Finland, emphasized, “We want to expand our offering with attractive and healthy rye products and increase domestic bread production. In Finland, we bake from 100% domestic grain.”
Fazer’s bakery division produces an extensive range of baked goods, including wheat-based toast, specialty portion breads, burger buns, polar breads, and cakes.
The new production line, operational since April, has the capacity to produce up to 25,000 units of the local Reissumies rye bread variety per hour.
Fazer aims to increase its whole grain bread market share in Finland from 57% to 65% by 2030. This commitment underscores the company’s dedication to promoting a healthy lifestyle.
“It is important for us to promote a healthy lifestyle and encourage Finns to follow the new nutrition recommendations by making tasty breads with whole grain in order to support meeting the 90-gram recommendation,” Bergholm added.
Fazer Bakery Finland employs approximately 1,600 workers, with 450 located at the Lahti site. Following this investment, the company anticipates positioning itself as the “world’s largest rye bakery.”
In 2024, Fazer recorded net sales of €1.18bn. After adjusting for currency fluctuations, net sales grew by 1%, while comparable net sales, excluding the dairy division, increased by 3%.
The company’s comparable EBITDA also rose by 3% to €141.4m, while the comparable operating result surged by 14%, reaching €75.9m.
The group net sales have shifted from a loss of €86.5m last year to a profit of €34.7m.
Bakery remains Fazer’s second-largest division by sales, following confectionery. However, bakery sales experienced a decline of 2% last year, totaling €452.4m.
