Lapin Kulta
Encyclopedia
Lapin Kulta was a brewery
in the Lapland town of Tornio
, Finland
. As of August, 2010, it is only brewed in the southern Finnish town of Lahti
. It was founded in 1873 under the name Torneå Bryggeri Aktiebolag (Tornio Brewery Limited Company in Swedish). It is now owned by Hartwall
, which is now owned by Heineken.
The brand name Lapin Kulta is used on a variety of lagers of varying strengths.
company with an identical name in order to rightfully use the name. The company's articles of association still state the line of business to be "prospecting for gold and the manufacture and sales of beer".
Lapin Kulta's focus is on high quality ingredients (malt barley, clear water, and the company's own yeast
strain). This, coupled with successful marketing made it the most popular beer brand in Finland for a long period. Recently, the competitors Karhu
and Olvi
have overtaken.
After a merger with the Hartwall
beverage company in 1980, the brand name entered the export market and by now it is available in most Europe
an countries.
In October 2009 Hartwall announced the closure of the Lapin Kulta brewery in Tornio for 2010, and is no longer brewed in Lapland.
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
in the Lapland town of Tornio
Tornio
Tornio is a town and municipality in Lapland, Finland. The municipality covers an area of of which is water. The population density is , with a total population of . It borders to the Swedish municipality of Haparanda...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. As of August, 2010, it is only brewed in the southern Finnish town of Lahti
Lahti
Lahti is a city and municipality in Finland.Lahti is the capital of the Päijänne Tavastia region. It is situated on a bay at the southern end of lake Vesijärvi about north-east of the capital Helsinki...
. It was founded in 1873 under the name Torneå Bryggeri Aktiebolag (Tornio Brewery Limited Company in Swedish). It is now owned by Hartwall
Hartwall
Hartwall is a beverage company based in Helsinki, Finland. It was founded in 1836. Its soft drinks range includes Hartwall Jaffa and Hartwall Novelle water. The company also owns the license for manufacturing and selling PepsiCo's Pepsi, 7 Up and Mountain Dew brands in Finland...
, which is now owned by Heineken.
The brand name Lapin Kulta is used on a variety of lagers of varying strengths.
History
The brewery was founded in 1873, but the name Lapin Kulta was not adopted until 1963. The brewery had to acquire a gold miningMining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
company with an identical name in order to rightfully use the name. The company's articles of association still state the line of business to be "prospecting for gold and the manufacture and sales of beer".
Lapin Kulta's focus is on high quality ingredients (malt barley, clear water, and the company's own yeast
Yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
strain). This, coupled with successful marketing made it the most popular beer brand in Finland for a long period. Recently, the competitors Karhu
Karhu
Karhu is a Finnish beer brand brewed by the Sinebrychoff brewery in Kerava. It is a pale lager with a strong taste. The brewing of Karhu began in 1898 and in terms of market share, it has become the most popular beer in Finland in the last few years. Currently there are three beers with different...
and Olvi
Olvi
Olvi is a Finnish brewery and soft drinks company founded in 1878. It currently holds 18.7% of Finland's market share in beverages, making it the largest Finnish-owned business in its sector. Its subsidiary, A. Le Coq, is the second largest beverage company in Estonia...
have overtaken.
After a merger with the Hartwall
Hartwall
Hartwall is a beverage company based in Helsinki, Finland. It was founded in 1836. Its soft drinks range includes Hartwall Jaffa and Hartwall Novelle water. The company also owns the license for manufacturing and selling PepsiCo's Pepsi, 7 Up and Mountain Dew brands in Finland...
beverage company in 1980, the brand name entered the export market and by now it is available in most Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an countries.
In October 2009 Hartwall announced the closure of the Lapin Kulta brewery in Tornio for 2010, and is no longer brewed in Lapland.