Orkla moves Panda chocolate production to Estonia

Orkla Suomi will end Panda chocolate production in Finland and move it to Estonia, Yle reports. Production at the company’s Vaajakoski factory in Jyväskylä, which has continued for almost 100 years, will be transferred gradually between 2027 and 2030.

The Vaajakoski factory will continue making liquorice and dragées. Orkla Suomi will begin change negotiations in September affecting 147 employees.

The announcement was met with shock and sadness outside the Panda factory shop in Vaajakoski. Some customers said they were prepared to campaign for chocolate production to remain in Finland.

“I seem to remember that when a crisp factory in Åland was due to close in 2016, a popular movement emerged. Surely we can organise a popular movement here for chocolate as well,” said Jukka Kieleväinen, who was visiting from Vantaa.

Kieleväinen and his travel companion, Minna Hiltunen, had stopped at the factory shop while travelling from Vantaa to Leivonmäki after hearing the news. Hiltunen said she would rather pay more for chocolate made in Finland than buy products manufactured abroad.

The pair said they would stop buying Panda products whose production is moved abroad. Hiltunen also hoped those making the decisions would reconsider so that the jobs could remain in Finland.

Several people outside the shop said Panda chocolates were connected with memories and emotions. The Juhlapöydän assortment, in particular, had traditionally been bought for Christmas tables.

Liisa Tarvainen from Pieksämäki said the chocolates had been local treats that people bought for Christmas because they were understood to be Finnish and made nearby. She said she was no longer sure whether she would buy them, and expected to look more broadly at the available selection.

Kimmo Päivinen, who lives in Palokka in Jyväskylä and works in the food industry, said he was surprised and disappointed that chocolate production would end in Vaajakoski. He had been used to visiting the factory shop and liked the fact that the products were made next door.

Päivinen said food production should remain in Finland generally. In a crisis, he said, it might not be as easy to obtain food from abroad as it would be if it were produced domestically.

The announcement has also prompted an unusually large number of comments on social media. Nearly 500 people had commented on the story on Yle News’ Facebook account, with many saying they would no longer buy Panda chocolate.

Some commenters said the news had ruined their day, while others feared the quality of the chocolate would decline after production moved abroad. Several also noted that Panda’s owner, Orkla, is a Norwegian company, meaning the decision did not surprise everyone.