This post is an informative journalistic coverage of a PR event with editorial & reportage elements that do not aim to promote any business, organisation, product or service.
Today - on the day of publication- I am a member of Ruokatoimittajat ry (Finnish Food Writers' Association), and attended this PR event as a food writer (not as an influencer).
18 November 2025 - Lahti
Fazer invited me to celebrate Wholegrain Day together, and instead of a quiet nutrition briefing, I found myself touring the world’s largest rye bakery in Lahti, tasting bread straight from the oven, and meeting a seven-kilo Puikula that completely stole the show.
A Wholegrain Day programme might sound like something politely educational. In reality, it started with a bus full of adults battling through a wholegrain quiz. I quickly learned that wholegrain has nothing to do with a poetic list of grains on packaging - it simply means keeping the bran, germ and endosperm together in the natural ratio nature intended.
Photo by © Reka Csulak - Three Pod Studio
The heart of the celebration: Fazer’s Lahti bakery, where rye has been baked for generations. The scale is impressive — tens of thousands of loaves per line, all made from Finnish grain and carefully monitored by the 400 people who keep rye flowing across the country.
We swapped jewellery for hairnets, walked through a laser-activated hygiene system, and stepped into production where dough travelled through rollers, cutters and blazing ovens like a well-rehearsed choreography. Every loaf passed metal detection because safety standards for everyday bread are surprisingly elite. Rye here isn’t treated as a trend. It’s treated as a duty to cultural heritage.
Photo by © Reka Csulak - Three Pod Studio
Photo by © Reka Csulak - Three Pod Studio
Photo by © Reka Csulak - Three Pod Studio
Photo by © Reka Csulak - Three Pod Studio
Photo by © Reka Csulak - Three Pod Studio
Photo by © Reka Csulak - Three Pod Studio
Photo by © Reka Csulak - Three Pod Studio
Photo by © Reka Csulak - Three Pod Studio
To mark the day, we met the record Puikula: seven kilos of rye and 87×51 cm of pure, edible wow. Roughly eighty times the everyday version and surprisingly elegant. Fazer’s Lahti bakery produces around 24,000 pieces of Puikula per hour — even the giant one felt modest next to that number.
The tasting bites created by Chef and Food Designer Linnea Vihonen showcased what makes rye timeless. Normal and record-size Puikula slices fresh from the bakery paired with smoked rainbow trout with dill and lemon zest, hazelnut fresh cheese with country ham and mustard seeds, and roasted pumpkin with pea–mint hummus. Simple ideas, done exceptionally well, that instantly made us want to recreate our favourites at home.
Photo by © Reka Csulak - Three Pod Studio
Finland recommends 90 g of wholegrains daily, yet only about 11% of men and 2% of women reach that goal.
Marika Laaksonen, Lead in Health Research & Senior Manager in Nutrition at Fazer, reminded us that wholegrains aren’t a niche preference. Too little wholegrain intake is now considered the most significant diet-related health risk globally. Rye supports energy, digestion, brain function, and everyday stamina - and it also helps supply plant-based protein. Finland excels at that thanks to a long love story with bread.
Photo by © Reka Csulak - Three Pod Studio
Thanks to Tarja Kuusela - Communications Director at Fazer Bakery, Marika Laaksonen, Teija Lehtonen - Executive Assistant and Specialist, Communications, Heli Karonen - Communication Manager, Jarno Hämäläinen - VP, Supply Chain, Marko Bergholm - Managing Director, Fazer Bakery Finland, Jani Heinonen - Bakery Director, Niko Lietonen and Linnea Vihonen for the invite and warm welcome! I appreciate the powerful reminder that wholegrain is an everyday superpower that just happens to taste incredible... especially straight from the oven!
You can read Fazer's related press release here + see more insights and photos on my Instagram.
DISCLOSURE
The organiser has not set any special criteria and has not initiated any financial/alternative compensation that would require the creation of any written or visual content related to this PR event nor the promotion of any products/services in exchange for attendance - but I decided to share my experience anyway as I think you'd enjoy exclusive insights from my recent gastro adventure. Any PR products/samples/food, drink/services/raffle prizes handed out by the organisers, other participants or exhibitors (if applicable) were not a form of compensation, nor part of an exchange agreement.
