Avena Nordic Grain Oy, which is part of the Apetit Group, has today inaugurated its EUR 1.8 million investment in domestic grain reception, storage and export facilities at the port of Inkoo. The new port will increase Avena’s annual grain export capacity and provide growers in the south of Finland an opportunity to deliver grain directly to an export facility and the international grain market. Avena’s operations in the port are in co-operation with Inkoo Shipping Oy Ab and Nylands Svenska Lantbrukssällskap.
Avena 20 years
Avena celebrated its 20th anniversary in conjunction with the inauguration. Avena was founded in 1995 when Finland joined the EU. It was a ‘start-up’ company of the day, established to serve the market-based grain trade. ”During its 20 years, Avena has become an internationally respected company that brings together grain buyers and sellers in Finland and abroad. As a Finnish company Avena wants especially to serve Finnish growers and its other customers in Finland,” says Kaija Viljanen, Avena’s Managing Director.
Juha Vanhainen, Apetit Plc’s CEO, emphasised the importance of primary production to the food industry and for the security of supply. Primary production and the food industry need each other. The wellbeing and competitiveness of all parties in Finnish food production must be safeguarded. This requires political will, investments by the food sector and a reform of primary production. Without healthy primary production, we would be hard pressed to produce high-quality Finnish foods that are also in demand internationally.” Vanhainen also emphasised that it is important to find ways to improve our export competitiveness. “Steps already taken in this direction include the temporary halving of fairway dues, but we have to look at Finland’s export competitiveness in the longer run."
Efficient grain route
Avena has built a grain laboratory in the storage area in which analysis services will be provided by Nylands Svenska Lantbrukssällskap. Sampling is automatic, improving the efficiency of operations. In addition, Inkoo Shipping has invested in a new full-length weighbridge to speed up the weighing of grain lorries. The new grain stores will open for deliveries next week. This autumn we will be taking feed barley.
Work on the new grain stores was started in early spring 2015. There are three grain stores and their total floor area is 6,120 m². The first of them is already able to accept grain deliveries and the other two will be completed during August. Their total storage capacity is over 20,000 tonnes of grain, depending on the grain variety.
The new grain terminal in Inkoo is an important delivery location for growers in South Finland, where there is a lot of production but no industrial customers or other grain terminals. It creates a shorter route to international markets for grain growers in the provinces of Uusimaa, Southwest Finland and Häme. The port is highly efficient and can load both smaller ships and large ocean-going vessels up to the Panamax class, with a capacity of up to 60,000 tonnes of grain.
For more information, please contact:
Juha Vanhainen, CEO, Apetit Plc, tel. +358 10 402 00
Kaija Viljanen, Managing Director, Avena Nordic Grain Oy, tel. +358 40 501 2814
Avena Nordic Grain Oy is Finland’s leading trader in grains, oilseeds and animal feedstuffs, and is a manufacturer and supplier of vegetable oils and expeller. Avena’s main market is the European Union, but it also trades in many other markets. Avena is especially active in its home market, Finland. The company’s principal location is Espoo, but it also operates in other parts of Finland: Vaasa, Pori, Salo, Kirkkonummi, Loimaa, Hämeenlinna, Kouvola and Porvoo. Its oil milling plant, Mildola Oy, is located in Kirkkonummi. Avena Nordic Grain’s net sales in 2014 totalled EUR 214 million and the company employed 83 people. Avena is part of the Finnish food company Apetit Plc, which is listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd. In 2014, Apetit Plc had net sales of EUR 385 million and employed 723 people. For more information, please visit www.avena.fi and www.apetitgroup.fi.