Lapin Kulta is Finland’s most successful beer on the international market, and around 20 per cent is exported. Since 1988, the EU’s northernmost brewery in Tornio has loaded 30 million crates of Lapin Kulta for export. Exports were up 24% in 2008. Growth in our largest export market, Sweden, amounted to 15%.
Lapin Kulta’s major export markets are Sweden, Russia, Estonia, Denmark, Norway and the United Kingdom. Smaller volumes are also exported to several other European countries. Lapin Kulta has become the second bestselling imported beer in the off-trade in St Petersburg, a highly competitive international market. The range of imported beers available in St Petersburg and their popularity have recently soared.
Growth in exports of Lapin Kulta is expected to continue. We will start building it into a regional beer brand in the Scandinavian and Baltic markets.
“This means that we will make marketing investments for Lapin Kulta in Scandinavia and the Baltic region. The work will call for tenacity, nothing happens overnight,” says Tapani Ilmanen, Export Manager at Hartwall, who has handled Lapin Kulta’s expansion on the international market for 20 years.
Distribution to sales outlets in St Petersburg and trendy restaurants in London
“Lapin Kulta’s popularity in Russia is based on a product that’s seen as a clean, safe and quality choice. We have not used advertising; growth has been achieved through prominence in sales outlets in cooperation with our partner. A lot of Russian tourists visit Finland, they take a liking to Lapin Kulta and want to buy it when they return home,” says Ilmanen.
In order to succeed on the international market, the company has taken an interesting initial step in London, where the importer distributes Lapin Kulta to 50 trendy wine bars, fine dining restaurants and fashionable eateries, and not to pubs and retail outlets. Many restaurants have decided to add one exotic quality beer onto their menu – Balls Brothers is just one of the chains that have selected Lapin Kulta as the only lager for its restaurants.
“Lapin Kulta is brewed with pure Arctic water at the EU’s most northern brewery. We don't market Lapin Kulta per se, because we don't have other lagers. We simply let the beer speak for itself. Brits are very discerning when it comes to beer. And in our business, customers would let us know very quickly indeed if they don't like the beer," says Nigel Dean, General Manager of Balls Brothers.
“Unlike other Finnish beers, Lapin Kulta has a story that resonates abroad. We have worked determinedly to spread the story on the international market since 1988,” says Ilmanen.
The story is entwined in the mystique of Lapland – its untouched wilderness, six seasons, the blazing colours of autumn, the Northern Lights, the midnight sun and shimmering snow, and its history is rooted in the great Lapland gold rush of 1870. A brewery was established in Tornio in 1873, and Lapin Kulta is still brewed there using the finest ingredients. Lapin Kulta is the only beer in northern Europe that is brewed using soft water from an untamed river that originates in the arctic fells. The flavour of the malting barley matures under the rays of the midnight sun.