All in good taste

• Outsourcing energy to local biofuel producer made sense
• Benefits to local economy, green image, better control over fuel costs

Maustaja is a contract food-maker located in Pyhäntä, Finland. It plans, manages, manufactures, packs and delivers branded products for over 50 customer-branded products. It is the biggest manufacturer of ketchup in Finland and manufactures more than 50 % of mustard nation-wide. Its salad dressing line is another strong market for the company.

Management's comprehensive maintenance programme, which includes monitoring and controlling heating appliances, helps Maustaja optimise its energy use. One measure to offset rising energy costs was to procure heat from a supplier called Latvaenergia.

Key benefits

Using a specialised energy supplier means:

• Staff are freed up to focus on the core business, since maintenance and fuel procurement are outsourced
• A boost to the company's green image; procuring wood-based local heat is environmentally friendly
• More predictable energy costs; the price of bioenergy is less volatile than oil prices
• Savings in energy costs, despite oil prices being relatively low 
• Benefits to the local economy (biofuel sourced in Finland and use of local companies)