Many ice cream brands sold by Fazer, Kesko, Lidl, and the S Group are still produced by Froneri Finland, a subsidiary of the multinational Froneri Group, which has continued operating in Russia.
The Froneri Group, which produces Pingviini ice cream, among others, also manufactures Russian ice cream and frozen deserts that imitate Western brands.
Finnish ice cream sellers told Yle that they condemn Froneri Group’s operations in Russia, saying they were working to influence the company to exit the country. However, they currently have no plans to change ice cream producers.
Froneri Finland produces all Fazer-branded ice creams under license, as well as some of the Pirkka, Kotimaista, and Gelatelli ice creams sold by retail chains.
Fazer and the Finnish retailers have not had direct ties to Russia for years. However, when it comes to their ice cream brands, their actions do not fully align with their stated values, according to Tampere University lecturer Anna Hannula, an expert in corporate responsibility.
“Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine is something you simply cannot ignore. There’s a contradiction if you say you condemn the war, yet still maintain even an indirect link to Russia,” Hannula said.
The retail chains and Fazer emphasise that Froneri Finland is a Finnish company that uses domestic ingredients in its ice cream production and employs Finns at its factory Turenki, in Southern Finland.
According to the university lecturer, while domestic production and employment are important, they carry less weight than the parent company’s ties to Russia.
“In the end, the issue is quite black and white: is there a connection to Russia or not? Is the war in Ukraine being supported, even indirectly? If there’s a link to Russia, then it is being supported,” Hannula said.
This assessment is also shared by international experts.
“What is undeniably true is that the hundreds of Western firms staying in Russia are helping Moscow finance the war in Ukraine,” Agathe Demarais, a senior policy fellow on geoeconomics at the European Council on Foreign Relations, wrote in the publication Foreign Policy.
In the article, Demarais wrote that during Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine, Western companies have collectively contributed over 14 billion euros to the Kremlin’s war chest, adding that a significant share of their profits stays in Russia, and their continued presence carries major propaganda value for the Kremlin.
Alternative manufacturer
The Froneri Group and its Finnish subsidiary told Yle that its Russian operations are isolated from the rest of the company’s business.
2The situation is not ideal, because we would prefer to work only with operators who have no connections to Russia — not even indirect ones,” said Lara Saulo, Managing Director of Fazer Confectionery.
Fazer has been looking for another ice cream producer to replace Froneri. According to Saulo, a broad review conducted last year showed that no alternative was available. The reasons lie in the complex supply chains and the global food industry’s concentration into a handful of giant companies.
“To be honest, we couldn’t find an operator that could serve Finnish consumers as comprehensively, without having ties to Russia,” Saulo said.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, many Western companies have sold their Russian operations at a huge loss and withdrawn from the country entirely.
The most recent major exit occurred last autumn, when British food giant Unilever pulled out of Russia entirely under public pressure.
Unilever, alongside Froneri, is one of the world’s largest ice cream producers. At its factory in Sweden, it manufactures, among others, ice cream under the Ingman brand, which was previously Finnish-owned.
According to Saulo, Fazer has taken note of Unilever’s withdrawal with interest. At the same time, she pointed out that due to global supply chains, it is practically impossible to guarantee that there are no connections to Russia at all.
Fazer won’t discontinue products
Last year, Fazer said it was even considering discontinuing all of its ice cream products if it could not otherwise sever its ties to Russia.
Since then, the company has decided to abandon the idea of exiting the ice cream market.
“If that had happened, consumers would have had even fewer domestic options, as the space would likely have been filled by more international players, Saulo said.
