TRACE YOUR PRODUCTS
K Group is constantly striving to improve the transparency of its purchasing chains. On this website, our customers can find out more about where the products they purchase from K Group stores come from.
THE PRODUCTS
Where do mywear t-shirts, Pirkka and K-Menu tuna products, Pirkka Fairtrade roses, and PROF Timber sold in our stores come from? We want to increase the transparency of our purchasing chains by providing information on the origin of our products and their journey to our stores. Choose a product to find out more.
BANANA
Bananas are a long-standing favourite among Finns and one of the best-selling fruits in K Group grocery stores. By choosing an organic Pirkka Fairtrade banana, you can make a responsible purchase decision.
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Better fashion
The men’s Cole T-shirt made of GOTS certified organic cotton is the most popular product in K-Citymarkets’ own mywear selection.
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TRACING TUNA
Tuna is one of the most popular fish species and easy to cook. All our own brand Pirkka and K-Menu tuna has been sustainably caught.
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FAIR ROSES
Finland sells the most Fairtrade flowers per capita in the world. Fairtrade premiums have a significant positive local impact on local communities in Africa.
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SUSTAINABLE TIMBER
The PEFC label on the timber sold at K-Rauta building and home improvement stores indicates its sustainable origin and shows that the timber comes from certified, sustainably managed forests.
MoreHIGH-QUALITY PIRKKA FAIRTRADE ROSES ARE LONG-LASTING
HIGH-QUALITY ROSES
Pirkka Fairtrade rose is one of the most popular Fairtrade products in Finland. Pirkka Fairtrade roses come from certified Kenyan Fairtrade flower farms. Optimal climate and other conditions, timely harvesting, on-site packaging, and well-designed logistics ensure the high quality of the cut roses.
LONG-TERM COOPERATION WITH FAIRTRADE
Pirkka Fairtrade roses first appeared in K-food stores in 2006. Today, K-food stores also sell Pirkka Fairtrade spray carnations and floribunda roses. In 2023, K-food stores sold over 2 million bunches of Pirkka Fairtrade roses.
FAIRTRADE PREMIUMS SUPPORT LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Farmers are paid a guaranteed price and a Fairtrade premium for the products. Fairtrade premiums have been used to build day-care centres, schools and healthcare centres for local communities, as well as housing for workers. In 2023, a total of €318,392 was paid in Fairtrade premiums to the farmers of the Fairtrade flowers sold at K-food stores.
LONG-LASTING JOY
Cut roses can thrive in a vase for up to three weeks if you take good care of them. Roses need plenty of water and thrive in deep water. A freshly cut absorption area – as well as clean tissue that is intact at the base of the stem – ensure unhindered access for water to the conducting tissue in the stem. Roses keep longer when they are not exposed to draughts, heat or direct sunlight.
ENSURING SUSTAINABILITY IN ALL STAGES
Sustainable production is monitored with audits
We ensure social responsibility in our suppliers’ production with third-party audits. Attention is paid to the working conditions in factories and plantations, including occupational safety, salaries, working hours and compliance with the ban on child and forced labour, among other aspects.
Fairtrade audits ensure that working conditions, labour rights, Fairtrade premiums and environmental considerations are in line with the Fairtrade criteria.
Taking care of the environment
The Fairtrade criteria also include requirements related to environmental protection, aimed at promoting the sustainable use of soil and water resources, for example.
On Kenyan flower farms, environmental considerations are promoted in many ways, such as reusing water and using renewable energy sources. Flower farms collect rainwater in pools for irrigation. If necessary, water can also be taken from wells, lakes and rivers.
Quality assurance
At K Group’s Quality and Product Development Unit, the laboratory monitors product safety and the quality of the company’s grocery brands and imports. In quality assurance for flowers, attention is paid to outer quality and product labelling, in addition to ensuring that the quality of the flowers remains high all the way to the consumer. During a preservation study, the preservability and shelf life of flowers are checked throughout the chain, from the packaging department in Kenya to the Finnish consumers.
Flower buckets are reused as flowerpots
The bunches of flowers are delivered to the stores in black plastic buckets – nearly 400,000 buckets are used for this purpose each year. In 2019, K Group collaborated with Lassila & Tikanoja and Orthex to develop a model for the efficient collection and processing of the flower buckets for reuse as flowerpots, which are now sold in K-food and K-Rauta stores.
ROSE FARMING
Pirkka Fairtrade roses, spray carnations and floribunda roses come from various Kenyan flower farms, such as Nini, Ravine Roses and Penta Flowers.
The sunny weather in Kenya is ideal for rose farming throughout the year. Kenya’s location on the equator provides for daily sunshine, with only minor changes in temperature. Kenya also has excellent transport connections.
Saumu Nyadzua works at the Penta Flowers farm.
Photo: Fairtrade, Vincent Owino
Many species of roses
When choosing a rose species, attention is paid to the length of the stem, resistance to plant diseases, strength and suitability for the weather conditions in Kenya, as well as yield per square metre. Important selection criteria also include current trends, the beauty of the rose, the flower opening duration and the vase life.
Colours change by the season
The colours of the roses sold at K-food stores are chosen based on customers’ preferences and the season. Cold colours, such as pink, are favoured in the spring. Warm colours, such as orange and yellow, are popular in the autumn, while red and white are Christmas favourites.
FROM KENYA TO FINNISH HOMES
The temperature during the transport of Pirkka Fairtrade roses is monitored to ensure high quality. The roses are transported by refrigerated cargo plane from Kenya to the Netherlands. Studies show that despite the flight, the carbon dioxide emissions generated by roses grown in the warm climate of Kenya are around five times smaller than the emissions generated by roses grown in greenhouses in the Netherlands. The protective packaging is removed in the Netherlands, quality is checked and new absorption areas are cut on the roses, which are placed in buckets with water and flower preservative. The roses are transported to Finland in a temperature-controlled truck, which travels from Germany to Finland by ferry. In Finland, the roses are delivered to Kesko’s central warehouse in Vantaa, where they are collected to be included in loads delivered to K-stores. The roses arriving in Finland can be available for customers at stores as early as the next day.
FAIRTRADE PREMIUM
In 2023, a total of €318,392 was paid in Fairtrade premiums to the farmers for the Fairtrade flowers sold at K-food stores. The Fairtrade premium is paid to the producers in addition to the sales price. The local farming community is responsible for the use of the Fairtrade premiums. The funds are intended for the social or economic development of the community.
Zipporah Moraa Ombiro is sorting Fairtrade roses into bundles.
Photo: Fairtrade, Vincent Owino
Fairtrade premiums have been used for many purposes on flower farms
- Building classrooms for the local school
- Purchasing school supplies
- Providing a water tank with clean water for the pupils of the local school
- Building a day-care centre
- Granting scholarships to students
- Improving workers’ living conditions
- Acquiring a bus for the personnel's transports
- Establishing a computer room
- Planting trees
- Providing healthcare services for preventing and treating illnesses
- Creating opportunities for sports and cultural activities in the local community.
The K-food stores sold over
2
million bunches of Pirkka Fairtrade roses in 2023.
Pirkka Fairtrade roses first at K-food stores in
2006
FLOWER FARMS
Pirkka Fairtrade roses come from several Fairtrade flower farms in Kenya. We present the three main flower producers below.
Supplier:
Karen Roses Company The farm is situated 200 km west from Nairobi. Its main activities are to grow cut flowers and to process them for exports. In addition to the Fairtrade certificate, Karen Roses Company has other certificates such as GlobalGAP and MPS Socially Qualified.
Flower farm :
Ravine Roses The farm was founded in 1898 and has production area of 78 hectares. The roses are grown in greenhouses with more sustainable irrigation methods (drip line irrigation) and biological prevention mechanisms. The main production period is from October to February.
Sustainability:
Ravine Roses The Fairtrade criteria guide the operations of the flower farm. The Fairtrade Premium has been directed at building a daycare centre for the workers’ children, and the children’s education has been supported by scholarships and reasonable training credits. Furthermore, two classrooms have been built at the Simotwet school, and a laboratory and storage facilities for the Simontwet health centre.
Supplier:
Nini Group consists of the farms of two family businesses. The farms have several certifications related to quality and social responsibility, such as ISO 14001, MPS Socially Qualief and Fairtrade.
Flower farm:
Nini Group farms – Nini Limited and Lamorna Limited – are located side by side by the southern shore of Lake Naivasha in the Rift Valley region in the province of Nakuri. Nini grows all roses hydroponically in greenhouses using a closed irrigation system.
Sustainability:
Nini Group Fairtrade premiums are used to run a staff canteen and a day-care centre, as well as for acquiring personal protective equipment for workers. Classrooms have been built for the Ndumbiri and Mirere schools, as well as drinking water tanks for the Milimani school. Premiums are used to cover 70% of upper secondary school and university fees for the workers’ children. The newest acquisition is a bus for the personnel’s transports.
Supplier:
Penta Flowers Ltd. consists of two separate farms concentrating on growing roses in greenhouse conditions. In addition to the Fairtrade certificate, Penta Flowers has other certificates such as MPS Socially Qualied and SMETA.
Flower farm:
Penta Flowers consists of two farms: Ndarugu, situated in the Thika province, and Thika in the Gatanga area. The main activities of the farms are to grow various cut flowers and to process them for exports. The cultivation area totals 65.58 hectares. Thanks to the location, irrigation water for Ndarugu is obtained from the Ndarugu river, and the Chania river and the Gathambara dam offer water for the Thika farm. The farms have an environmental management system taking care of the protection of nature reserves and the proper waste handling. Furthermore, solar energy is used inside the buildings and in the use of water pumps.
Sustainability:
Penta Flowers Fairtrade Premium has been focused on the farm workers’ families, and support for scholarships has been increased. Additionally, a new classroom has been built at the Kisima Secondary School. A project is ongoing to provide daycare for the children of farm workers and of local community. The Penta flower farm workers can also apply for a zero-rate interest loan to help with home repairs and essentials. The workers are given information and training regarding, for example, driving, catering, IT skills, management, project management, economics.
Ravine Roses flower farms
The farms are audited regularly by a third party (GlobalGAP audits), most recently in
2021
Fairtrade audits are conducted regularly on the farms, most recently in
2022
The farms have
1,215
workers
The farms grow
100
million roses annuallyNini Group flower farms
The farms are audited regularly by a third party (GlobalGAP audits), most recently in
2021
Fairtrade audits are conducted regularly on the farms, most recently in
2023
The farms have
1,200
workers
The farms grow
110
million roses annuallyPenta Flowers flower farms
Fairtrade audits are conducted regularly on the farms, most recently in
2023
The farms have
1,317
workers, of whom 37.1% are female
The farms grow
2,200
Fairtrade roses annuallyMORE INFORMATION
LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY WORK
Kesko Corporation is the only company in the world to have been included on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World list by Corporate Knights every year since the list was first established in 2005.
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MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PIRKKA PRODUCTS
Do you have questions about the origin or qualities of Pirkka products? Contact K Consumer Service by phone on 0800- 0- 1000 or via email at kuluttajapalvelu(at)kesko.fi.
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MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FAIRTRADE
International Fairtrade began in the 1980s. The first Fairtrade product in the Pirkka range was Pirkka Fairtrade coffee, introduced in 1999.
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