When our great-grandmothers were little girls, milk would swish into buckets crafted by the village blacksmith. Those were the days when the idea of the village’s very own dairy was taking shape in Suonenjoki.

It was a grand occasion indeed, when the Suonenjoki Co-operative Dairy (SOM) was established in 1915 next to the bridge spanning the river. Milk churns were transported by rickety horse-drawn carts, trucks and boats to the dairy’s riverbank, where horses would then haul the loads inside.

Over the decades, our dairy has passed through many turning points. The company’s name and partners have changed. Milk has moved from bottles to cartons, and on the product front, we have seen everything from the start of cottage cheese production in 1982 to the launch of yömaito, “night milk,” which made headlines, and to Maitomaa’s own BIG PRO protein drink production.

The countryside itself has changed. Milk-collecting platforms came and went, and farms with just a couple of cows gave way to a new era of professional dairy entrepreneurship.

Today, cows and the environment are cared for differently than in the past, while placing higher value also on people’s health and food safety. But some things remain the same. From the treasures of our own land, our dairy creates delicious flavours for your table with the same dedication and passion as always.