Jalostaja was founded in 1936 as a company aiming at "industrial refining and sales of garden products". The company rented the cooling plant in Artukainen, Turku, and production began immediately.

Jalostaja was incorporated into the Huhtamäki Group in 1940. It's most important wartime products were dried products for the defence forces. During the war the company premises in Artukainen were considerably enlarged.

After the wars it became necessary to consider new possibilities for the food industry, since the refining of garden products was seasonal. Up until the 1950s examples of Jalostaja's products included maize syrup, marmelade and juice.

Jalostaja's first canned foods were launched in 1947: green peas and cauliflower. In 1948 the production of preserved fish began. At that time Jalostaja also began the production of mild and strong mustard, which was given the brand name Turun Sinappi. In the late 1940s Jalostaja had become a cannery with a varied range of canned fish, vegetables, fruit and mushrooms as well as marmelade, jam and mustard.

In the mid-1900s Jalostaja was actively involved in contract cultivation. In the 1950s the company created a production line for large-scale consumers products and the product range was constantly growing. In the late 1970s the range of products included frozen products, ready-processed food, soups, sauces, processed meat, bakery supplies, drinks etc. Clients were schools, hospitals, the armed forces and canteens.

There was an enormous increase in Jalostaja's production of preserved food in the early 1950s, and in 1952 the still well-known products pea soup, meat balls and dill meat were launched. The production of various instant soups began in 1955 and the production of preserved full meat in 1956.

From herring fishery to the present day

In 1955 Jalostaja engaged in herring fishery. Jalostajan Kalastus Oy was founded and a fishing vessel was acquired. In the summertime the vessel fished for herring in the icelandic waters, with good success. In the late 1950s the production of frozen products began and the premises in Turku were enlarged once more. In 1961 Jalostaja began to manufacture Piltti baby food. The demand was greater than the capacity even though the work in the factory was carried out in three shifts. As a result, the factory was enlarged several times in the 1960s. As the production of preserved food increased Jalostaja bought Suomen Säilyke Oy in 1955, the cannery Marke in 1967 and Oy Noster Ab, a company manufacturing tinned fish, in 1968.

Oy Sotilassäilyke Ab was founded in 1926 and renamed to Mensa Oy the following year. Huhtamäki Group took over Mensa in 1960. At that time Mensa's products included various sausages, ready-processed food, preserved food and animal food. Mensa was incorporated as Jalostaja's independent profit centre in 1975 and focused on manufacturing perishables. In 1984 Jalostaja began to manufacture different ready-processed dishes and in 1985 the production of animal food began.

Apetit pakaste Oy was incorporated into Jalostaja in 1987 but was sold in 1989. At the turn of 1991 and 1992 Unilever bought Jalostaja's shares from Huhtamäki. At the end of 1997 Unilever sold the premises and part of the production to Nestlé. This was a time of upheaval at Jalostaja.

Oy Lunden & Co Ab bought half of Jalostaja's premises in Artukainen from Nestlé in 1998. In 2002 the trademark Jalostaja was also transferred to Lunden.

The history of Lunden

The entrepreneur Uuno Lundén founded a butcher's shop which produced processed meat. The store, Lundenin Liha, was located in Lemminkäisenkatu in the centre of Turku.

After the death of Uuno Lundén in 1973 his wife Helena Lundén and their daughter and five sons came into possession of the company. The brothers Hannu and Tapio Lundén carried on their father's business by founding Oy Lunden Ab.

The company's line of business was ship chandling and a fur ranch, which at that time was located in Tortinmäki. In 1982 the manufacturing and production of home meat products began in Kalevantie.

A kitchen for pre-preparing food was bought from Silja Line in 1988. The kitchen was first in use in Helsinki but later moved to Turku. Oy Lunden Food Ltd. was founded in 1994 and the company moved from Kalevantie to Lemmenkäisenkatu and the old LSO cannery. The same year the office and Catering moved to the harbour.

In 1998 Oy Lunden Ab bought Jalostaja's premises from Nestlé and for the first time the whole company was located under the same roof. From then on Jalostaja and Lunden share a common history.

The birth of Auran Sinappi (Aura Mustard)

As Oy Lunden Ab bought Jalostaja's premises from Nestlé in 1998 the subcontract was also transferred to Lunden. Previously Nestlé had been manufacturing Turun sinappi (Turku Mustard) to Unilever as a subcontracting work. This subcontract was valid until 2002 when Unilever informed Lunden of its intentions to move the manufacturing of mustard to Uppsala, Sweden. May 2003 was finally set as target date. Like many other manufacturers Lunden made a strong effort to acquire the rights to Turun Sinappi, but the price was too high.

When the situation came to a head Lunden decided to create a mustard brand of its own. After all the company still had an advantage: the know-how and experience of their mustard masters. A name competition was arranged and Auran Sinappi (Aura Mustard) was chosen as name for the new mustard. The product was launched in March 2003. It is an official secret that the mustard seeds from which Auran Sinappi is made are ground in the company's own mills, whereas other manufacturers use ready-made mustard flour in the preparation.

In the beginning Unilever and Lunden debated sometimes very intensely and even in court whether Auran Sinappi is a copy of Turun Sinappi with regard to the appearance as well as to the taste. The outcome was positive from Lunden's point of view. Unilever's rights had not been violated and impartial taste tests confirmed clear differences between the two mustards.

Pro Sinappi (Pro Mustard)

When Markku Haapio and Visa Nurmi heard the rumours that the manufacturing of Turun Sinappi will cease in Finland, they decided to take action together. The Pro Sinappi movement was born. The object was to convince Unilever to reconsider its decision and continue the manufacturing of Turun Sinappi in Lunden's factory in Turku or sell the brand to Lunden.

Pro Sinappi launched its own website and STT, the Finnish News Agency, was informed of this important issue. Stickers, badges and flyers were distributed. The movement also received advertising space in the country's leading newspapers. Many celebrities gave the movement their support, among others Matti and Teppo, Tamara Lund, Kaari Utrio, Loka Laitinen, Karita Mattila and Saku Koivu. In two weeks 40 000 people signed the list on the website.

Contrary to what was publicly suspected, Lunden was in no way involved in the Pro Sinappi movement. The company was one of the sponsors behind the movement, but Visa Nurmi and Markku Haapio were the heart of it. Thanks to them, the media climate was positive from the very beginning which made it considerably easier to launch the new product.