Meira switches to environmentally friendly biogas as energy source for ketchup production

The Meira factory located in Vallila, Helsinki, has switched from natural gas to biogas in ketchup production. This reduces the factory’s environmental impacts even further.

Established in 1914, the Meira factory is one of the few factories in central Helsinki and has for a long time been powered by environmentally friendly natural gas, a fuel the use of which does not result in any particulate or sulfur dioxide emissions.Meira has now switched to carbon dioxide-free biogas in its ketchup production, reducing the factory’s environmental impacts even further.

Environmentally friendly biogas is an excellent choice for enterprises operating in urban areas.Biogas is carbon dioxide-free, which means its production does not generate any CO₂ emissions, and biogas is also 100% Finnish.In industrial and process use, biogas – just like natural gas – is an efficient, effortless and safe form of energy.

“At Meira we also want to promote sustainable urban development in our operations.Biogas is therefore a natural choice for us and switching to it an important step towards more sustainable production,” says Meira Production Director Patrik Lindholm.

The biogas is sold and delivered by Suomen Kaasuenergia.“The significance of ecological aspects has become emphasized even further in consumers' purchasing behavior and biogas is an excellent match to this trend.Many food industry companies have switched to biogas as this enables them to create added value for their products thanks to an environmentally friendly production process.In a factory like the Meira one located close to the city center, biogas is a great way of making production more environmentally friendly,” Suomen Kaasuenergia Sales Manager Pekka Karinen points out.

Biogas is produced in Finland by Gasum, which has 12 biogas plants of its own and 3 partnership plants.Gasum Sales Manager Max Miilakangas also wants to emphasize how environmentally friendly biogas is:“Gasum biogas is a carbon-neutral fuel made from fully renewable feedstocks sourced from industrial and municipal side streams.We’re living in an era where ecological choices are more important than ever, and the use of biogas has increased considerably in the past few years. That’s something we’re very happy about.”

For more information please contact:

Patrik Lindholm, Production Director, Meira Ltd, phone: +358 40 704 3941,
patrik.lindholm@meira.fi

Heidi Päiväniemi, Marketing Manager, Meira Ltd, phone: +358 40 743 7850, heidi.paivaniemi@meira.fi

Pekka Karinen, Sales Manager, Suomen Kaasuenergia Oy, phone +358 40 739 1388,
pekka.karinen@suomenkaasuenergia.fi

Max Miilakangas, Sales Manager, Gasum Ltd, phone: +358 40 068 6814, max.miilakangas@gasum.com

Meira Ltd manufactures and markets coffees, spices, baking ingredients, almonds and nuts for consumers and professionals.Meira’s best-known coffee brands in the Finnish market are Kulta Katriina, Saludo, Cafe HIENO and Reilu kahvi.Meira Ltd is part of the Italian Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group, one of the largest European coffee companies.Meira Ltd’s turnover in 2017 was €86.9 million and the company has 176 employees.Meira products are always a reliable choice:tasty, made from quality ingredients as naturally as possible ‒ with Finnish roots and local work. www.meira.fi

Suomen Kaasuenergia is a Finnish energy company that sells and delivers clean and efficient natural gas and biogas to industry, property developers, housing companies, restaurants and consumers. The company believes in the competitiveness of natural gas and biogas as clean fuels that are unbeatable for a variety of applications. The retail and distribution business operations of Suomen Kaasuenergia are divided into three companies. Suomen Kaasuenergia is responsible for gas sales, Auris Kaasunjakelu for gas distribution and Auris Energiaratkaisut for industrial and property heating solutions. The companies operate in 13 cities in Southern Finland and are the biggest retailers and distributors of gas in Finland. In 2017, the companies’ total combined turnover was around €35 million. www.suomenkaasuenergia.fi