Kokkikartano grows with an acquisition – product portfolio expands to include ready-to-eat products

Snellmanin Kokkikartano grows through an acquisition of the Finnish Eat & Enjoy brand. The acquisition expands the company's offering to include ready-to-eat products, such as various bread products and ready-to-eat cold salad meals. With the acquisition, Kokkikartano implements its strategy: offering the opportunity for better with a wider range of ready meal options and the best taste experiences for different meal moments as eating habits are changing. 

- Eating, meal moments and people's needs have changed and diversified over the past years. Consumers are buying a variety of products to meet a wide range of needs, such as convenient take-away sandwiches or salads that are easy to eat as they are, both at home and on the move. We want to offer alternatives, and these types of products were missing from our offering, so Eat & Enjoy products are a natural and strategic addition to Kokkikartano's range of high-quality and tasty ready-to-heat meals, says Tommy Snellman, Managing Director, Snellmanin Kokkikartano. 

Kokkikartano acquires the Eat & Enjoy brand from Ricoplaza Oy, a family company founded in 1998. All the company's products are handmade in Helsinki and are sold under the Eat & Enjoy brand in well-stocked retail food stores in the Helsinki metropolitan area, Pirkanmaa and Turku region, as well as at service stations in Pirkanmaa. The company's values, people-oriented approach and family business background contributed to the quick finding of a common thread.  

- We have many common factors. Both Kokkikartano's and Eat & Enjoy's products are developed and produced with good taste and carefully selected ingredients as the starting point. In this respect, too, I feel that we are a good match, continues Tommy Snellman.  

For the time being, Eat & Enjoy products will continue to be sold under their own brand name. The company's 27 employees will continue to work for Ricoplaza. Kokkikartano will continue to develop the brand together with the current owners, who will remain with the company. Product manufacturing will continue at the current premises in East Helsinki. Financial terms and transaction price are undisclosed. 

Additional information:
Tommy Snellman, Managing Director, Snellmanin Kokkikartano, email: tommy.snellman@snellman.fi, tel. 044 7966 305 

Vilma Wiitakorpi Björkman, Director, Communications and Sustainability, Snellman Group, email: vilma.wiitakorpi-bjorkman@snellman.fi, tel. 050 3080 879 

Snellmanin Kokkikartano:
Kokkikartano is a small food factory in Kerava, whose mission is to provide people with better prepared food, employees with better jobs, partners with better cooperation and retailers with better customer service. Kokkikartano was founded in 1999 and became part of the Snellman Group in 2006. From the beginning, Kokkikartano's food has been prepared with taste and quality in mind, in the same way as it would be made at home. This is also appreciated by consumers, as surveys show that Kokkikartano is the favourite ready meal brand of Finns. 

Snellman Group:
Snellman Group is a Finnish food house that offers the best tastes under the most trusted brands on the market. As a family business, we manufacture our products as if we were making them for ourselves, always bearing in mind the well-being of people, animals and the environment. In addition to Finland, Snellman Group has operations in Sweden, and we export our products to several countries. We employ around 2,000 passionate experts and food professionals who put their heart into making food and never compromise on taste.