The Christmas market at Knehtilä organic farm in Hyvinkää is bustling. Amidst the cheerful crowd, Jyrki Raikamo, donned in a Santa hat, offering tastings of a new creation – a drink extract beverage crafted from Finnish blackcurrant leaves. As the name, POWERI, suggests, it is a real power drink.
“Just 200 meters from this building, there’s a field where we planted 350 organic blackcurrant bushes of two different varieties in the spring. We’ve harvested the leaves, and right behind me, using this brewing apparatus, we extract the beverage,” he explains.
POWERI beverage extract is rich in vitamin C, calcium, and antioxidants, making it exceptionally healthy. Raikamo’s hope is that local production could eventually replace, for example, orange juice, the concentrate of which is currently imported from other parts of Europe.
In honour of Christmas, each package comes with a small spice pouch, transforming the beverage into a refreshing Christmas drink. “You can mix the contents of the pouch with a liter of the extract and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. The recipe for the spice blend is a secret, but I can reveal that it includes cardamom, given my background as a baker,” Raikamo hints. The entrepreneur from Tuusula is also known from the specialized frozen bakery, Leipätalo Oy. “I’m currently training myself to become a berry producer.”
Awarded Organic Farm
WWF awarded Knehtilä Organic Farm as the most environmentally friendly farm in the Baltic Sea in 2015. The purpose of the award is to increase knowledge about environmentally friendly cultivation and recognize agricultural producers who are pioneers in using methods to reduce waterway eutrophication.
Nowadays, the farm offers various products from different small producers for sale, including bread, eggs, honey, meat, and other food items. They have also operated a small mill, event venue, and a café.
Only organic blackcurrant leaves are used in the POWERI beverage extract, which have not been sprayed with pesticides, as they tend to accumulate in the leaves of plants. In terms of food use, organic leaves are the safest.
“I know the farmer of Knehtilä, Markus Eerola, from before through the organic bakery. I called Markus and asked if he knew of suitable berry farms in the area, but to my surprise, he invited me to his own farm. The groundwork for the field began in April 2023 with a soil analysis, and the first batch of the beverage was ready by September of the same year.”
Poweri Juomat (Leipätalo Oy)
The POWERI beverage extract is crafted at Knehtilä’s Organic Farm, where 350 blackcurrant bushes were planted.
Haapasaarentie 75
05470 Hyvinkää
FINLAND
