Cloudberry season wanes in Ranua as heat impacts harvest in Finland

The cloudberry season in Southern Lapland is coming to an end, according to experienced berry entrepreneur Reijo Sääskilahti from Ranua. “Cloudberries can only be found in the darkest corners of Ranua now,” he notes. However, in the northern parts of Lapland, such as Posiolla and Kemijärvi, cloudberries are still being harvested, and in even more northern areas, they are just beginning to ripen.

This year’s cloudberry season has been relatively short due to the heat, and Sääskilahti reports that the quantity and quality of the berries this year have slightly decreased compared to last year. “This has been an average cloudberry year,” he adds.

Currently, Sääskilahti is paying pickers €12 per kilogram for cloudberries, an increase from the €10 per kilogram he was offering earlier this summer. Prices for customers have also seen a slight rise, hovering around €20.

Ranua is considered Finland’s cloudberry capital due to its abundant boggy terrain, which provides an ideal environment for the fruit.