Potato growers in Kristinestad are interested in supplying their second-grade potatoes as feed for larvae. This emerged during a meeting between potato growers and Jepro, a company that produces feed from larvae, organised by KristinaEco.
Kristinestad has long been one of Finland’s strongest potato-growing regions. Up to a third of all table potatoes in Finland are grown in Kristinestad and the surrounding area. The potato industry not only provides jobs for growers, packing houses and peeling plants, but also employs the transport sector, the service sector, the metal industry and many other related industries.
As part of the Cirkular Bio project, which we are running in partnership with Prizztech in Pori, we will investigate how we can increase the value of by-products – including within the potato industry. The fact is that between 10 and 20 per cent of potatoes cannot be used as table potatoes and are regarded as virtually worthless.
One solution could be the newly established company Jepro in Nykarleby, which aims to produce protein-based oils and flour for use in animal feed, amongst other things.
“We have been testing various recipes and solutions on a small scale for some time now. The aim is to have our larger production line up and running this summer – and that will require a lot of raw material,” says Jepro’s CEO Pontus Sundvik.
As part of the project, we therefore organised a meeting between Jepro and potato growers in Kristinestad on 8 April in Lappfjärd.
Jepro’s CEO Pontus Sundvik spoke about their project and company, and several major potato packers were present, including Öströmin Perunatuote, KRS Potato Products, Botnia Grönsaker and Berglunds gård.
Potatoes from Kristinestad have already been delivered to Jepro this winter and spring. However, the intention is for this to begin on a larger scale from summer 2026 onwards.
Sundvik explained that potatoes are the most important raw material in their production and that the demand for potatoes could be as high as 10,000 tonnes per year, which is a significant amount.
“We are very interested in collaborating with potato growers in Kristinestad and the surrounding area,” said Sundvik.
And the local potato growers also showed an interest in supplying.
“So you want whole, washed potatoes from us,” asked Christoffer Berglund.
“Yes, that’s the very best for us,” said Sundvik.
Ronny Hoxell, supervisor at Krs Potato Products, asked what the company was prepared to pay for the potatoes. After all, it is obviously important for the partnership to be profitable.
“We pay a fair price; it should cover transport costs and also provide a small profit,” said Sundvik.
For us at Business Kristinestad, it is important that we can help our local businesses with such partnerships. We are actively monitoring the progress of this project and will provide further updates once the partnerships have moved to the next stage.
Here’s how to make high-quality feed from larvae – read KristinaEco’s article on Jepros’s larval breeding facility: https://kristinaeco.fi/en/2026/03/19/the-larvae-eat-our-potatoes-and-we-get-protein-rich-feed/
Reporter: Janne Smeds