Aduki: Organic pioneer
Initially, the idea of founding a company was quite naive, according to Aduki’s Olli Helander.
“We were friends with no money but we were very much into organic products. We started with practically three people – we operated in the basement of one of the large houses at the beginning of Mannerheimintie Helsinki, a two-room apartment.”
“Our passion was clean, healthy food made from simple raw materials for both people and the environment. We were already packing beans, grains, seeds, dried fruit, nuts and herbs – and of course they were whole grain rice and whole grain pasta to be precise. For example, we were the first to import Japanese foods such as miso, seaweed and noodles. We admired the Japanese diet for its lightness, healthiness and wonderful pure flavors,” Lea Brusin-Helander recalls.
Prior to 1995, Finland was not a member of the EU, as a result of which our country had its own laws, customs duties, compensation taxes, excise taxes, and import licenses.
“Mandatory routine measures were applying for import permits from the licensing office – such permits were required for the import of seeds, oils and soybeans, for example. The permits obtained were rushed to customs, where they were thoroughly studied. We were left waiting for the customs decision in horror – we never knew which products would interest the customs laboratory. The customs laboratory's tests were done at the importer's expense and financially these costs often exceeded the value of the goods,” Aduki’s Olli recalls.
“Before the EU, the attitude of the authorities towards the import of organic products was rude and skeptical. ‘Why on Earth do these boys want to bring such groats to the country,’ one customs officer told us back in the day,” Helander laughs.
When Finland joined the European Union, importing goods became much easier. Other bureaucracies related to the import of organic products have also been reduced over the years.
Responsible employment
Aduki is a family business for the second generation.
“We have been creating jobs in the heart of Helsinki for more than 35 years. Many young people have got their first job here because the employment threshold has been low – often a happy face may have been prioritized over CVs and degrees and such. We have also had exceptionally long employee relationships because we have had such a great time here. Because we do a lot of manual work, we have also created a few jobs years ago for foreigners, who have found it almost impossible to find a permanent job without speaking the language. We have also helped them with family reunification. We also have older people at work, even a person over the age of 70.
“We have not looked for free labor. Instead, we have probably always paid everyone better wages than required by collective agreements. A few of our employees have grown into entrepreneurs in their own fields – perhaps our example has encouraged them, says Lea from Aduki.
Meaningful cooperation
Aduki is strict about the origin and responsibility of the products.
“We probably have Finland's longest, personal statistics on organic products studied by the customs laboratory – the facts can be traced back as much as 35 years,” the Aduki people say.
The people of the companies that supply products to Aduki have even become family friends in the wake of long-term cooperation.
“Together with many companies, we have been pioneers of organic products. Based on this cooperation, we have visited farms and factories around the globe, connecting with hundreds of manufacturers and farmers both in Finland and around the world. The organic world is usually small-scale; factories and plantations are small to medium in size. In our work, close contacts are possible, which is what makes our work so wonderful,” Lea Brusin-Helander explains.
Many of Aduki’s partner companies have been creating rules for organic farming, encouraging organic farming and encouraging states to increase organic production.
Innovativeness
As Finland's largest organic wholesaler, Aduki is also constantly launching new, bold products such as Korean kimchi, ghee and Natalie’s dry fruits, which open up an incredibly wonderful connection directly to Colombian farmers.
“For some reason, we have been very enthusiastic about changing Finnish food culture from the beginning, although it did not always happen very easily,” says Olli Helander from Aduki.