Ethical wild berry business impossible in Finland, says Lapland entrepreneur

A Lapland-based berry entrepreneur has abandoned plans to support her family through wholesale wild berry sales, stating that Finland’s berry industry refuses to pay fair prices for ethically sourced berries.

Tiia Muotkavaara, owner of Pohjoisesta luonnosta, said the core issue is not a lack of domestic pickers but a lack of buyers willing to pay the higher cost of ethically harvested berries. She has spent years attempting to establish an ethical berry wholesale business but has now conceded it cannot sustain her livelihood.

Muotkavaara aimed to pay local pickers the same rates they would earn through direct sales to consumers. However, she said berry processors have dismissed her prices as too high, claiming consumers would stop buying berry products as a result.

“Finns have made it pretty clear they’re willing to pay more for ethically sourced berries,” she said.

Birgitta Partanen, executive director of industry group Arktiset aromit, disputed Muotkavaara’s claims, stating that problems in the sector are a thing of the past. Foreign pickers are now employed under formal contracts and receive good wages, Partanen said, noting their earnings have been strong in recent years.

Foreign berry pickers in Finland have been covered by the Rural Livelihoods collective agreement since 2025, with a minimum hourly wage of nearly €10. Some, like those working for Ostrobothnia-based Marja Bothnia Berries, have opted for more lucrative piecework instead.

Partanen did not dismiss the idea of ethical berry wholesaling entirely. She called Muotkavaara’s goal “honorable” but stressed that raw material pricing must remain realistic.

In Muotkavaara’s business, selling prices were nearly double what pickers were paid, due to processing, packaging, transport costs, and VAT. Berry prices are expected to rise this season due to a shortage of pickers, after authorities issued just over 100 visas to foreign workers out of more than 2,200 applications.

Muotkavaara said she fears backlash for criticizing the industry. After posting a video in July about her struggles, she received both support and harassment, ultimately disabling comments. She has since abandoned the idea of making a living from berry wholesaling and suggested processors buy directly from pickers to cut out middlemen.

She remains uncertain whether the berry industry can operate sustainably at all.