Fazer

Fazer, formally Oy Karl Fazer Ab and commonly known simply as Fazer, is a Finnish family-owned food company whose origins lie in a French-Russian café opened by Karl Fazer in central Helsinki in 1891. The business developed from hospitality into industrial food manufacturing and became one of Finland's most prominent consumer-food groups. Its best-known product is Fazer Blue milk chocolate, known in Finnish as Fazerin Sininen, but the company also has substantial activities in sugar confectionery, bread, biscuits, plant-based and oat-based foods, cafés and bakery retail. The company's history combines organic development with acquisitions, partnerships and changes in corporate structure. Its 1975 acquisition of Swedish confectionery producer Mazetti brought product traditions that later became associated with Fazer, including Dumle and Tutti Frutti. Fazer also built a biscuits business through Fazer Keksit, which operated in partnership with United Biscuits before the relationship ended. The group acquired Finnish and Danish food businesses, including Chymos and Perelly, and its confectionery operations were combined with Swedish competitor Cloetta in 2000 to form Cloetta Fazer. That combination was dissolved in 2008, returning the businesses to separate ownership and identities. Fazer later reacquired the Finnish Domino, Jaffa and Fanipala biscuit brands in 2016 after a period in which the business had passed through Danone and Kraft Foods, now Mondelez International. Fazer currently organizes its activities around Fazer Bakeries, Fazer Confectionery and Fazer Lifestyle Foods. The bakery division operates large-scale bakeries in Finland, Sweden and the Baltic region, as well as in-store bakeries in Finnish supermarkets. Its brands and products include Oululainen, Skogaholm, Druva and Gardesis breads, Finnish biscuits such as Jyväshyvä, Domino, Jaffa, Fasupala and Carneval, and Karelian pies produced in Lappeenranta. The confectionery division makes chocolate, sweets, licorice and biscuits, with factories in Vantaa and Lappeenranta. Alongside Fazer Blue, notable offerings include Fazerina, Geisha, Fazer Salmiakki, Tyrkisk Peber, Dumle and Tutti Frutti. Fazer Lifestyle Foods broadens the group beyond traditional bakery and confectionery. It includes Fazer Aito oat products and non-dairy drinks, Fazer Alku and Frebaco breakfast foods, and Froosh smoothies. The division reflects Fazer's stated interest in consumer products and growth in plant-based and oat-based categories. The company also operates Fazer Cafés in Finland and Gateau bakery shops in Finland and Sweden. The original Fazer Café on Kluuvikatu in Helsinki, opened in 1891, remains an important part of the brand's heritage. Fazer has exported products to more than 40 countries and has employed more than 6,000 people across its operating markets according to the cited reference material. In 2019 it acquired Finnish plant-based-food producer Kaslink Foods while selling Fazer Food Services, its contract catering and restaurant-services operation, to Compass Group. This marked a strategic emphasis on branded consumer foods rather than food-service operations. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Fazer sold its Russian business to the bakery company Kolomenskij. The group is therefore best understood today as a Nordic and Baltic food house centered on confectionery, bakery and lifestyle foods, with Finnish cultural heritage and international distribution.

Fazer began in 1891 when Karl Fazer opened a French-Russian café in central Helsinki. The café established the name in Finnish hospitality and created the foundation for a business that would later extend into industrial food production. Over time, Fazer developed expertise in chocolate, confectionery and bakery products, building a portfolio closely associated with Finnish food culture. A major step in the company's international development came in 1975, when Fazer acquired Swedish confectionery company Mazetti. That transaction brought brands and product traditions that later became important within Fazer, including Dumle and Tutti Frutti. Fazer also expanded its biscuit activities through Fazer Keksit. United Biscuits held a 70 percent interest in the business until 2000, creating a cross-border partnership in the biscuit sector. Other historical acquisitions included Finnish confectionery and food company Chymos and Danish company Perelly. In 2000, Fazer's confectionery business was merged with Swedish competitor Cloetta to create Cloetta Fazer. The combination produced a substantial Nordic confectionery group, but it did not remain permanent. In 2008, the merger was unwound and the businesses again operated separately. Fazer's biscuit interests also changed hands over time. Fazer Keksit was sold to Danone and renamed LU Suomi; the business was later acquired by Kraft Foods, now Mondelez International. Fazer bought the Finnish business back in 2012, after which it operated under Fazer Confectionery. The company subsequently reacquired important brands including Domino, Jaffa and Fanipala. Fazer continued to develop both manufacturing and consumer-facing infrastructure. Its confectionery production became concentrated in Vantaa for chocolate and Lappeenranta for sugar confectionery. Its bakery network grew to include large-scale bakeries in Finland, Sweden and the Baltic countries, supplemented by small in-store bakeries in Finnish supermarkets. The company also retained a retail and hospitality presence through Fazer Cafés and Gateau bakery shops. The original Fazer Café on Kluuvikatu in Helsinki, dating from the company's founding year, became a prominent heritage location. In November 2016, Fazer opened a 5,000-square-metre visitor centre at its Vantaa confectionery factory. Designed by K2S Architects, the building combined exhibition and visitor functions with a café, congress facilities, a shop and a botanical garden. The centre gave the company a dedicated place to present its history, products and manufacturing identity. The group's portfolio broadened further in the late 2010s. In 2019, Fazer acquired Kaslink Foods, a Finnish company specializing in plant-based foods. Fazer identified oat-based products as a growth opportunity and used the acquisition to support a stronger consumer-products strategy. In the same period, it sold Fazer Food Services to Compass Group. The disposal reduced the group's exposure to contract catering and sharpened its emphasis on branded food products. Fazer's contemporary business is divided into Fazer Bakeries, Fazer Confectionery and Fazer Lifestyle Foods. Bakery products include bread, biscuits and Karelian pies; confectionery includes chocolate, sweets and licorice; and lifestyle foods include smoothies, oat products, non-dairy drinks and breakfast foods. The group has operated across Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark, Norway and Poland, while exporting to more than 40 countries according to the cited reference. After Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Fazer sold its Russian operations to Kolomenskij. The company consequently remains a privately held Nordic food group with a strong Finnish identity and a portfolio spanning heritage products and newer plant-based categories.

• 2022

  Russian business sold

  [1]Fazeren.wikipedia.org

  Fazer sold its Russian operations to Kolomenskij after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

• 2019

  Kaslink acquisition and catering divestment

  [1]Fazeren.wikipedia.org

  Fazer acquired Kaslink Foods and sold Fazer Food Services to Compass Group, reinforcing its consumer-products focus.

• 2016

  Vantaa visitor centre opens

  [1]Fazeren.wikipedia.org

  Fazer opened a large visitor centre at its Vantaa confectionery factory.

• 2012

  Fazer reacquires LU Suomi

  [1]Fazeren.wikipedia.org

  Fazer bought back the Finnish biscuit business that had operated as LU Suomi after earlier ownership by Danone and Kraft Foods.

• 2008

  Cloetta Fazer separation

  [1]Fazeren.wikipedia.org

  The Cloetta Fazer combination was dissolved and the businesses returned to separate companies.

• 2000

  Formation of Cloetta Fazer

  [1]Fazeren.wikipedia.org

  Fazer's confectionery business merged with Swedish competitor Cloetta to form Cloetta Fazer.

• 1975

  Acquisition of Mazetti

  [1]Fazeren.wikipedia.org

  Fazer acquired Swedish confectionery company Mazetti, bringing product traditions later associated with Dumle and Tutti Frutti.

• 1891

  Karl Fazer opens a Helsinki café

  [1]Fazeren.wikipedia.org

  Karl Fazer founded the business by opening a French-Russian café in central Helsinki.

A Finnish heritage food house combining premium chocolate and confectionery with everyday bakery products and newer oat-based and plant-based foods.

• Milk chocolate

  Fazer Blue

  Fazer Blue, or Fazerin Sininen, is the company's signature milk chocolate and one of Finland's most recognizable confectionery products. It is positioned as a heritage product closely connected with Finnish cultural identity and is distributed in domestic and international markets.

• Chocolate and sugar confectionery

  Fazer Confectionery

  Fazer Confectionery produces chocolate, sweets, licorice and biscuits. Production is centered in Vantaa for chocolate and Lappeenranta for sugar confectionery, with products sold in more than 40 countries according to the cited reference material.

• Confectionery brands

  Dumle and Tutti Frutti

  Dumle and Tutti Frutti are confectionery lines whose product histories entered the Fazer portfolio through its acquisition of Mazetti in 1975. They are among the group's internationally recognized candy offerings.

• Bread and bakery

  Fazer Bakeries

  Fazer Bakeries produces breads, biscuits, pastries and Karelian pies through large-scale bakeries in Finland, Sweden and the Baltic region, along with small in-store bakeries in Finnish supermarkets. Brands include Oululainen, Skogaholm, Druva and Gardesis.

• Biscuits

  Finnish biscuit portfolio

  Fazer's Finnish biscuit range includes Jyväshyvä, Domino, Jaffa, Fasupala, Carneval, Suklaalehti, Muro and Hangon. Domino, Jaffa and Fanipala were among the brands Fazer was reported to have bought back in 2016.

• Oat and plant-based foods

  Fazer Aito

  Fazer Aito is a range of oat-based foods and non-dairy drinks within Fazer Lifestyle Foods. The line reflects the group's expansion from traditional bakery and confectionery into plant-based consumer foods.

• Breakfast foods

  Fazer Alku and Frebaco

  Fazer Alku and Frebaco are oat-oriented breakfast-food brands produced within the Lifestyle Foods business. They extend Fazer's presence into cereals and other everyday breakfast products.

• Café and bakery retail · 1891

  Fazer Cafés and Gateau

  Fazer operates cafés in Finland and Gateau bakery shops in Finland and Sweden. The historic Fazer Café on Kluuvikatu in Helsinki dates from 1891 and functions as a prominent expression of the company's café heritage.

• 2018Cricket bread sustainability initiative

  Finland

  Fazer's cricket bread, an experimental product using insect protein, received a Bronze Lion in the Sustainable Development Goals section of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The recognition connected the product with discussions about alternative proteins and food sustainability.

  Outcome. Won a Bronze Lion at Cannes Lions.

  Source

• 2022

  Exit the Russian marketStrategy

  Background

  Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine created geopolitical and business conditions leading Fazer to leave Russia.

  Action taken

  Fazer sold its Russian business to bakery company Kolomenskij.

  Aftermath

  Fazer no longer owned the Russian operation described in the reference material.

  Source

• 2019

  Prioritize consumer productsStrategy

  Background

  Fazer identified growth opportunities in branded consumer foods, particularly oat-based and plant-based products.

  Action taken

  Fazer acquired Kaslink Foods and sold Fazer Food Services to Compass Group.

  Aftermath

  The portfolio became more concentrated on bakery, confectionery and lifestyle foods and less dependent on contract catering.

  Source

• 2000

  Combine confectionery operations with CloettaM&A

  Background

  Fazer and Swedish confectionery competitor Cloetta pursued a cross-border combination.

  Action taken

  The confectionery businesses were merged to create Cloetta Fazer.

  Aftermath

  The combination lasted until 2008, when the businesses separated again.

  Source

• 1975

  Acquire MazettiM&A

  Background

  Fazer sought to expand its confectionery business beyond Finland.

  Action taken

  Fazer acquired Swedish confectionery company Mazetti.

  Aftermath

  The transaction brought product traditions later associated with Dumle and Tutti Frutti into the Fazer portfolio.

  Source

1. 1Fazeren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Fazer Group official websitefazer.com