Finland\u2019s Competition and Consumer Authority has proposed fines of more than \u20ac9 million against major berry industry companies after uncovering what officials described as a long-running nationwide cartel that affected wild berry prices for a decade.<\/p>\n
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The authority, known as KKV, said<\/a> five of the country\u2019s largest wild berry companies coordinated the prices paid to berry pickers between 2013 and 2023 while also exchanging commercially sensitive market information linked to frozen berry sales.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n The case covers blueberries, lingonberries and cloudberries collected across Finland\u2019s forests, an industry that relies heavily on seasonal foreign labour, especially workers recruited from Thailand.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n KKV said the companies used phone calls, text messages and WhatsApp chats to align purchase prices during berry harvest seasons. Officials said the arrangement reduced competition and allowed companies to pay pickers less because rival firms were offering similar rates.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n KKV has asked the Market Court to impose penalties totalling about \u20ac9.4 million on Arctic International, Kaskein Marja, Marja Bothnia Berries and Polarica. The authority said Kiantama, which also took part in the arrangement, avoided fines after cooperating with investigators and helping expose the cartel.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \u201cThe conduct was a serious and long-lasting competition violation,\u201d KKV Director General Kirsi Leivo said during a press conference on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \u201cThis directly harmed pickers and weakened competition on the sales market.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n According to KKV, the companies involved controlled about 80 per cent of Finland\u2019s domestic wild berry purchasing market and nearly 78 per cent of the wholesale frozen berry market in 2023.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The largest proposed penalty targets Polarica and related companies with a demand of almost \u20ac6 million. Marja Bothnia Berries faces proposed penalties of about \u20ac1.8 million, while Arctic International and related companies face fines of about \u20ac970,000. Kaskein Marja faces a separate proposed penalty of about \u20ac785,000.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The final decision rests with Finland\u2019s Market Court.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n KKV said the investigation began in 2022 through cooperation between the National Bureau of Investigation and regional labour authorities. Officials carried out raids on company premises in Finland and Sweden during the inquiry.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The authority reviewed about 20,000 documents, including roughly 8,800 text and WhatsApp messages exchanged between company representatives.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Research Director Pekka Mattila said mobile communications played a central role in the investigation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the first time communication on mobile devices has had such a significant role in one of our cartel investigations,\u201d Mattila said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Officials said the companies appeared aware their actions were questionable because they often avoided formal written correspondence.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n KKV said it could not identify a single company or executive that initiated the arrangement. Mattila said the practice appeared to have become an established industry pattern over time.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems this had existed in the sector for years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Kiantama said it had worked closely with authorities throughout the investigation. Chief executive Janne Piikivi said the company had introduced staff training and updated internal procedures after the case emerged.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \u201cKiantama has actively cooperated with KKV during the entire process,\u201d Piikivi said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Without cooperation, KKV said Kiantama would have faced proposed penalties of about \u20ac1.4 million.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The case emerged under Finland\u2019s leniency system, which allows companies involved in cartels to receive reduced penalties or immunity if they help expose illegal conduct.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Several companies rejected the allegations on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Polarica said KKV\u2019s conclusions were unfounded and argued there was no evidence of illegal competition practices. The company also pointed to a previous investigation by Sweden\u2019s competition authority, Konkurrensverket, which examined similar conduct in Sweden without imposing penalties.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Marja Bothnia Berries also denied wrongdoing. Chief executive Tommy Gustafsson said communication between berry companies reflected normal market practice in a sector where picker prices were publicly visible.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \u201cIt is strange that Finnish authorities interpret a transparent operating model as a serious competition violation lasting more than ten years when Swedish authorities viewed similar conduct as normal industry practice,\u201d Gustafsson said in a statement.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n KKV said it could not determine whether the alleged cartel affected consumer prices directly. Officials said the arrangement focused mainly on prices paid to pickers and wholesale frozen berry sales rather than retail products sold to consumers.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Research cited by KKV estimates that cartels often increase prices by between 10 and 30 per cent above normal market levels.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The berry industry in Finland has faced growing scrutiny in recent years over labour practices and corruption allegations tied to the recruitment of foreign pickers.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Several executives connected to companies named in the cartel investigation have also faced separate criminal investigations linked to alleged human trafficking<\/a> and bribery.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Former Kiantama chief executive Vernu Vasunta received a prison sentence in 2025<\/a> for aggravated human trafficking involving Thai berry pickers. The ruling is not final.<\/p>\n
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