The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (FCCA) has proposed a total of approximately 9.4 million euros in penalties against four major players in the natural berry sector. The companies are accused of running a decade-long purchasing and information-exchange cartel that artificially suppressed prices paid to wild berry pickers and distorted the wholesale frozen berry market between 2013 and 2023. A fifth company involved in the scheme escaped financial penalties by cooperating with the watchdog to expose the illicit network.
According to the FCCA, the conspiracy involved five of the largest entities in the industry: Arctic International, Kaskein Marja, Kiantama, Marja Bothnia Berries, and Polarica. These competitors allegedly used bilateral phone calls, text messages, and WhatsApp chains to coordinate the “picker prices” they paid for domestic wild blueberries, lingonberries, and huckleberries, with communication peaking during the annual harvest seasons.
Beyond fixing purchase prices, the companies regularly swapped commercially sensitive data regarding wholesale frozen berry prices, supply factors, and broader market conditions. FCCA Director General Kirsi Leivo condemned the behavior, stating, “The procedure can be considered a very reprehensible competition violation. It is a long-standing and serious cartel that has directly harmed the pickers and also weakened competition in the sales market.” By removing competitive friction, the companies ensured that pickers could not seek out better terms elsewhere, while simultaneously stabilizing wholesale prices to their own benefit.
The investigation, which began in 2022, relied heavily on inter-agency collaboration, pulling in resources from the Finnish Central Criminal Police, the Northern Ostrobothnia TE Office, and the Swedish Competition Authority. The case cracked open following unannounced inspections in September 2023, which prompted Kiantama Oy to apply for leniency. By disclosing the cartel’s inner workings, Kiantama successfully avoided a calculated 1.4 million euro penalty. FCCA Research Manager Pekka Mattila highlighted the importance of the mechanism, noting, “A company involved in a cartel can receive an exemption or reduction from the penalty payment if it discloses the cartel to the FCCA. This procedure is called leniency. Leniency is a key tool for uncovering cartels.”
The final decision on the financial penalties now rests with the Market Court. The FCCA’s proposed fines target several corporate structures, including 5.9 million euros for the Polarica entities and Kaskein Berry Oy, 1.7 million euros for Bothnia Berries Ltd, 785,699 euros for Kaskein Berry Ltd, and 970,479 euros for JN-Group Oy and Arctic International Oy—the latter of which filed for bankruptcy late last year. Notably, the FCCA indicated that individuals linked to these penalized firms are also tied to publicized human trafficking and corruption cases within the berry industry, though the antitrust authority declined to comment further on those separate criminal investigations.
