About us

History of Polarica

1972
1989
2002
2010
2011
2016
2017
2019
2020
2021
2022
The company was established in Pello under the name Norrfrys. From the beginning, Polarica’s core competence has been wild food: berries, mushrooms, reindeer and game meat.
Our offering was strengthened with cultivated berries as we procured a production facility in the heart of Poland’s strawberry district. The facility is situated in Northwestern Poland, where we cultivate strawberries, raspberries, redcurrants and blackcurrants.
The company name was changed to Polarica, and at the same time ownership of the company was expanded also to external partners.
Finnish equity investor Intera Partners procured majority holding of Polarica, and Hartwall Capital took hold of minority partnership.  
Polarica acquired its Finnish competitor, Lapin Liha, the Finnish wild food market leader, that was established by Jukka Kristo in 1989.
ISO 26000 audit. Polarica has been the forerunner is corporate social responsibility in the berry business. Polarica is the only operator in its business area that has had an external party auditing its business practises.
Polarica’s berry and meat divisions are diverged to their own companies.
Meat division is rebranded under the Wildea brand. Berry business continues operations under Polarica brand.
Polarica returns back to its roots as a family owned company in December 2019. Polarica AB shares (Berry business) and Wildea Oy shares (Game business) including all group companies were sold to an investor group led by Jukka Kristo as the main shareholder. The other operative investors are Tommy Innala and Mari Onkamo. In addition, High Point Oy/Deep Point Oy act as an investor with no operative role.
Polarica acquired all the shares of the family run Kaskein Marja Oy from Pekka Koivisto, with Kaskein Marja becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Polarica AB. Additionally, Pekka Koivisto became a shareholder in Polarica AB when Tommy Innala transferred his holding.
Polarica celebrated its 50-year anniversary of inspiring people with natural treasures.

Who we are

Polarica is one of Europe's largest suppliers of frozen berries and fruits.

Over the years, the company has expanded beyond borders to build a global presence, all the while remaining firmly rooted in the Nordic region.

Thanks to Polarica’s streamlined supply chains, customers can purchase a broad variety of berries and fruits, including wild berries from the Nordic region and cultivated berries and fruits from Europe and around the world.

We prioritize providing our customers with natural, healthy berries and fruits while emphasizing important values such as supply chain transparency and long-term customer relationships.

We aim to be an innovative global pioneer in our sector and we are constantly improving our operations to achieve this goal.

Board

MARI ONKAMO
Chairman of the Board

Born: 1966
Education: Master of Administrative Sciences, Certified Public Accountant, Henley eMBA 2014 intake
Independence: Shareholder and CEO of the company
Place of Residence: Espoo, Finland
Current Roles: CEO of Polarica AB
Key Experience: CEO of Lapin Liha Oy 2019-2023, CFO of Polarica AB and Lapin Liha Oy from 2017, various leadership roles at Delta Auto Oy/Delta Motor Group Oy (2010–2017), earlier experience in auditing and corporate restructuring (1996–2010)
Trustee Roles: Member of the Supervisory Board of LähiTapiola vahinkoyhtiö since 2017, Board member of Lapin Liha Oy since 2019, Board member of Polarica AB since 2019
 
JUSSI HOLOPAINEN
Board Member

Born: 1965
Education: Bachelor of Business Administration (Yo-merkonomi)
Independence: Independent of the company, invested through partially owned companies (High Point Oy and Deep Point Oy)
Place of Residence: Rovaniemi, Finland
Current Roles: CEO of High Point Oy since 1992, CEO of Lapin Hinauspalvelu Oy since 2016
Key Experience: Entrepreneur since 1985, CEO and Board member of Interrent Oy (Europcar Suomi) (2005–2020), Board member of Interrent AS (Europcar Norja) (2014–2020), CEO of Pohjan Autovuokraamo (1987–2020), CEO of NorthFund Oy (2005–2020)
Trustee Roles: Board member of KKOY Aviakaari since 2010, Board member of Lapin Liha Oy since 2019, Board member of Polarica AB since 2019
 
PEKKA KOIVISTO
Board Member

Born: 1970
Education: The Finnish Institute for Enterprise Management 1993-1994
Independence: Deputy CEO and Sales and Marketing Director of Kaskein Marja Oy, Shareholder of Polarica AB
Place of Residence: Lappeenranta, Finland
Current Roles: Sales, NPD and Marketing Director of Polarica Group, Deputy CEO of Kaskein Marja Oy
Key Experience: In Polarica Group since May 2021, in Kaskein Marja Oy from 1991 to 2022, owner of Kaskein Marja Oy from 2010 to 2021, CEO of Kaskein Marja Oy from 2007 to 2021
Trustee Roles: Board member of Polarica AB since 2021

What we stand for

We want to inspire people to take care of themselves by providing healthy, innovative, and functional berry- and fruit-based products.

We are committed to sustainability, social responsibility, and a transparent value chain.

We aspire to create a safe, encouraging, and positive work environment that motivates employees to realize their fullest potential and produce extraordinary results.

Polarica_bilberryjuice_LiisaValonen-1

Our Values

WE WORK AS ONE TEAM IN ONE COMPANY
We work together showing respect to each individual and interest group during the entire life cycle period of all our products. We share a corporate culture and common operating procedures, and our team, which includes the entire Group, collaborates to  accomplish its objectives.

WE ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT EVERYTHING WE DO 
We believe in what we do, and we have a passion for all the things we are involved in.

WE DISCUSS – DECIDE – DELIVER 
We seek solutions through dialogue and cooperation, and once the decisions are made, we stand united in diligent pursuit of their execution.

I ACT AS IF IT WERE MY OWN COMPANY 
Each one of us conducts business as if it were our own, and we are  responsbile for the overall success of the organization as well as the welfare of all its members.

 

Polarica’s story

The story of Polarica begins in the 1960s in the municipality of Pello in Lapland, where the village shopkeeper Armas Kristo came up with the idea that customers could pay off their debts with berries they picked from the nearby forests. Armas, in turn, sold the berries to growing Nordic industrial companies and abroad. The idea was soon turned into a thriving business which led to the founding of the company in 1972. 

In the 1980s, Kristo sold his share to his Swedish partner, Allan Lehto, while expanding the selection to include strawberries. As Nordic strawberries were sold fresh from the fields and supply was limited, the company decided to expand to Poland.

Around that time, the remote regions of Lapland started to become deserted, and it became increasingly difficult to find local berry pickers. As a result, Polarica started hiring pickers from further away, first from Poland and the Baltics, and later from as far away as Thailand. 

Polarica recognized the need of taking responsibility for the wellbeing of its pickers and thus became the first berry company to implement ISO 26 000 auditing in 2016.

Soon, new products like mango, boysenberry, pineapple, and blueberries were introduced to the North after being transported from Peru, Chile, and Costa Rica. Frozen products had the advantage of being picked when ripe and frozen immediately without the need for preservatives or chemicals, allowing high-quality products to be available all year round.

Polarica gained a foothold not only in Nordic countries but also in Central Europe and Asia. In 2019, Jukka Kristo, the son of Armas, became the majority owner and CEO, returning the company to its family roots. Polarica acquired the Finnish company Kaskein Marja in 2021 to enhance product processing, innovation, and eco-friendly production, enabling it to offer high-quality products worldwide.

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Around that time, the remote regions of Lapland started to become deserted, and it became increasingly difficult to find local berry pickers. As a result, Polarica started hiring pickers from further away, first from Poland and the Baltics, and later from as far away as Thailand. 

Polarica recognized the need of taking responsibility for the wellbeing of its pickers and thus became the first berry company to implement ISO 26 000 auditing in 2016.

Soon, new products like mango, boysenberry, pineapple, and blueberries were introduced to the North after being transported from Peru, Chile, and Costa Rica. Frozen products had the advantage of being picked when ripe and frozen immediately without the need for preservatives or chemicals, allowing high-quality products to be available all year round.

Polarica gained a foothold not only in Nordic countries but also in Central Europe and Asia. In 2019, Jukka Kristo, the son of Armas, became the majority owner and CEO, returning the company to its family roots. Polarica acquired the Finnish company Kaskein Marja in 2021 to enhance product processing, innovation, and eco-friendly production, enabling it to offer high-quality products worldwide.

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