Kalavapriikki/Finland: Leading Force in Processing Finnish Rainbow Trout

Founded in 2007, Kalavapriikki started in 2009 to evolve the fish business after Heinontukku acquired the company. In 2016, Kalavapriikki opened a modern production facility in Kuopio’s Pieni Naulamäki area and run this business there for eight years with a reasonably strong growth. During that time they only did value added processing like smoking, cold smoking, graved, flaming and barbecuing. During this period, the company’s long-term vision became increasingly clear: building a business centered entirely on domestic Finnish fish.

May 19, 2026

Profitability, Responsibility, and Quality

The company’s long-term vision of Kalavapriikki is pretty clear: building a business centered entirely on domestic Finnish fish.

That vision accelerated in 2024 when Kalavapriikki took over a new production facility — coincidentally the same location where the founder had started his fish industry career 25 years earlier. Extensive renovations began immediately, and by October 2024. The first equipment had been installed, including a state-of-the-art BAADER filleting line.

Control panel screen showing a schematic of a packaging line in a factory setting. — B

The installation quickly proved its value, processing hundreds of thousands of kilos of fish during Finland’s Independence Day season in what the team described as a “drive-in” level of production activity.

Reliability, quality, maintenance support, and long-term partnership were as key reasons for choosing the BAADER technology.“, stated Jari Korhonen, CEO / Kalvapriikki Oy

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By 2025,the company was ramping up production as part of a broader strategy focused onself-sufficiency and Finnish-raised fish, particularly rainbow trout and whitefish. A key milestone came through its investment in fish farm Vääräniemi, which became a subsidiary in early 2026. This vertical integration gave Kalavapriikki greater control over the entire value chain — from fish farming to finished products on consumers’ plates

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Technology has become essential to achieving that goal.

Facing labor shortages, seasonal demand fluctuations, and increasing quality expectations, Kalavapriikki invested heavily in:

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▶️Filleting

Worker in protective clothing processing fish on a stainless steel conveyor in a food processing plant.

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▶️Trimming

Automated fish filleting machine with salmon fillets on blue conveyor belts in a processing plant.

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▶️Pin Bone Removing

Automated machine processing a fillet of salmon on a blue conveyor belt.

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▶️Refiner Technology

Close-up of pinkish ground meat mixture being processed and extruded from industrial metal equipment.

to process towards 100% of the fish.

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The BAADER filleting line replaced labor-intensive manual processing and dramatically improved throughput, responsiveness, traceability, and yield efficiency.”

Today, Kalavapriikki sees automation and advanced processing technology not only as operational advantages, but also as opportunities for Finland’s fish industry to compete internationally.

With a fully integrated supply chain, growing production capacity, and a strong commitment to domestic fish, the company is positioning itself as a leading force in the future of sustainable Finnish seafood.