CIO Bulletin

Kouvola Lakritsi Oy: Making Liquorice with an Uncompromising Touch Since 1945

Did you know that Egyptian Pharaohs were buried with liquorice roots? This was done so that they could have their healthy drink right after they arrived at the afterlife. Napoleon Bonaparte found licorice soothing during battle. He apparently ate so much of it that his teeth turned black! Also, many other warlords used liquorice roots, including Julius Caesar, Hannibal, and Alexander the Great.

But in 1760, when an Englishman, George Dunhill, accidentally added flour and sugar to licorice root extract – licorice candy came to be. Its popularity became well-established in the 1900s. In 1906, Kouvolan Lakritsi Oy, a food and beverages company based out of Southern Finland, entered the business of liquorice. The company grew to be widely regarded as the best liquorice candy producer in the world.

Kouvolan Lakritsi Oy was originally founded as a soft drinks company in the city of Viborg. But when Finland got into a war with Russia, the company had to move away from the city of Viborg, which was next to Russia's border. After the war, there was a lack of raw materials, and companies needed to have a permit to buy those. But the company did not get the permit to buy raw materials for soft drinks. The government, although was kind enough to give a permit to buy raw materials for making liquorice. Rest is history. Since 1945, the company has made liquorice and not looked back.

"The flavor of Kouvola liquorice is born out of the traditional production method, the right people, a polished recipe, armfuls of love, and a supply chain that guarantees the freshness of every liquorice bite."

The company has been producing liquorice in an uncompromising manner since 1945, but the recipe was amended slightly in 1960. This was done by an English gentleman consultant and liquorice specialist, H. Knoch. The flavor turned out to be an instant hit among tasters and the Kouvola liquorice has been made with the recipe amended by Mr. Knoch since then. The flavor of Kouvola liquorice is born out of the traditional production method, the right people, a polished recipe, armfuls of love, and a supply chain that guarantees the freshness of every liquorice bite.

Based out of Kouvola, Southern Finland, Kouvola Lakritsi Oy believes firmly in the manual craft of making the liquorice candy. And the company goes the extra hard mile to produce the world's best liquorice candy by taking extra time in the baking process. Its cooks need to be awake all the time to sprinkle the special Kouvolan Lakritsi magic while liquorice candy comes to life.

Even today, the company values the traditions of liquorice production, and they prepare the delicacies using traditional methods – this means cooking in an open pot by real people. "Kouvolan Lakritsi makes 800.000-900.000 kilos of licorice per year, and we are expanding heavily on the export side. Our target is to scale the current production by 10-times," said Timo Nisula, Owner of Kouvolan Lakritsi Oy since 2008.

The company has taken giant strides ever since Timo Nisula came onboard. Today, Kouvola Lakritsi Oy makes recipes for baking, cooking, and is active on social media. It is also involved in other marketing efforts like getting involved in creating Guinness world records. One of the company's campaigns was called 'New Start.' Through this campaign in Kouvola, the company looked for a person who needed to have a fresh start in his life. The lucky person got an apartment and a job in Kouvola Lakritsi Oy's factory.

About the Leader

Timo Nisula , Owner

Timo has the rare combination of being a visionary and a doer.He has been in the grocery business since 1985 – mainly importing snacks, candies and healthy products.

He established The Republic of liquorice, which is the smallest state in the world. It is the only envy-,remorse-,byrocracy- and mirthless-free zone on the planet.

Timo is also an investor in several companies. He is very keen on passion, attitude and love. His motto is,"Try to always do the best you can in whatever you are doing and don't try to be perfect –as it is the opposite of being good."

Making Fundraising Easy and Sweet

People and organizations often struggle to find a product that could help them fundraise. But what's better than a personalized box filled with sweets to lead a fundraising effort? Kouvolan Lakritsi Oy offers sports clubs, school classes, associations and others who want this opportunity – a personalized box of tea filled with 500 grams of melt-in-your-mouth pieces. The company has been doing a splendid job in helping organizations of all sizes with their fundraising efforts.