Finland´s university chose Estonian food startup Thormi as a cooperation partner for the 2024 academic year marketing course. It is Laurea University of Applied Sciences, located near Helsinki, whose business management students will design and implement Thorm’s marketing strategy in the Finnish market under senior lecturer Marika Mäki.

“Despite the non-existent marketing budget, we now have a 16-member marketing team in Finland,” said Marge Tava, marketer and co-founder of Thormi.

Such cooperation projects are carried out every academic year, said Marika Mäki. “These collaborative projects give our students practical experiences, increase their employability and help companies use fresh ideas and innovative solutions offered by the next generation of professionals.”

Mäki noted that an Estonian food manufacturer was chosen as a partner because Thormi’s product portfolio, which is focused on sustainability and increasing people’s well-being, strongly matches the university’s values. “We decided to work with Thormi because we see a unique opportunity to support an innovative company in its efforts to expand internationally. We aim to help establish Thormi’s brand presence in new markets and provide them with strategic insights on local visibility on social media.”

The goals are high in cooperation with Laurea University, and next year, a turnover of at least €0.5 million is expected from the Finnish market.

University students are helping Thormi in the Finnish market

At the beginning of the summer, Thormi introduced its assortment of eight items to Kesko stores in Helsinki. The sale was successful, and starting in September, Kesko, one of Finland’s largest retail chains, began selling environmentally friendly food from Estonia as part of its general assortment.

“Today, the first 10 Thormi products are available throughout Finland. In the face of intense competition, there is a need to facilitate the movement of the products from the store shelf to the shopping basket. Cooperation with Laurea students is a gift. Despite Thormi’s non-existent marketing budget, we now have a 16-person marketing team,” said Marge Tava.

“Environmentally friendly food is much more important to Finnish consumers than to Estonians. Our products have been very well-received. At the Postitalo vegan fair held in September, we were honoured as the fair’s highest revenue generator,” she added.

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