Record early cloudberry harvest begins in Northern Norway, Finland to follow

Cloudberries have ripened unusually early in Northern Norway and Northern Sweden, prompting pickers to start harvesting at full pace, according to reports from Norwegian broadcaster NRK and Swedish broadcaster SVT.

In Finland’s Lapland, the season has yet to begin, though a few ripe berries have appeared in Ranua, the country’s unofficial cloudberry capital. Local picker Lenna Takarautio, who has gathered cloudberries for nearly 60 years, said conditions are slightly ahead of schedule.

Takarautio expects a moderate to locally good harvest in Ranua, despite a June forecast from the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) predicting no bumper crop this year. She noted frost damage in some bogs and a shortage of pollinators, though calm, warm weather could still improve yields.

Luke’s senior researcher Rainer Peltola explained that cloudberry pollinators, which are weak fliers, require still, warm days for effective pollination—conditions that have been scarce in northern regions. Southern Finland has seen better weather, but suitable habitats are less common there.

Takarautio, who typically picks around 100 kilograms annually, estimates full-scale harvesting could begin in about two weeks if warm weather continues.