Fazer is responding to the increasing demand for rye bread by expanding its manufacturing capacity in Lahti. This expansion includes a state-of-the-art production line, with a total investment of approximately €11 million.
This significant investment solidifies Fazer’s Lahti bakery’s position as the largest rye bakery globally. Notably, it strengthens the production of Finnish rye bread while enhancing the sustainability of bread manufacturing practices.
The project has garnered support from NextGenerationEU funding, provided by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland. Business Finland granted an energy subsidy to facilitate the electrification of the rye bread line.
Operating entirely on green electricity, the new rye bread line will markedly reduce carbon dioxide emissions and total energy consumption at the Lahti facility. Furthermore, another traditional production line has been upgraded to electric, yielding a projected 30% decrease in emissions by 2025. This improvement will significantly contribute to Fazer Group’s overarching emission reduction goals.
Commissioned in April, the new production line can produce up to 25,000 Reissumies rye breads per hour. Consequently, this enhancement will substantially increase Reissumies production capacity.
“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,” states Marko Bergholm, managing director of Fazer Bakery Finland.
Currently, Fazer’s bread selection in Finland is comprised of 57% wholegrain. The target is to elevate this figure to 65% by 2030.
“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 adds.
