Hyvis glögi - Finland's first festive glögg drink made with waste apples from K Group's central warehouse

Hyvis glögi is based on the same principle as Hyvis juice, developed together by K Group and juice company Thrsty, which is made from the edible discarded fruit, berries and vegetables at the K Group’s central warehouse. Fruit and vegetable products may be damaged on their way to the warehouse, and some fruit and vegetables fail to meet the required standards due to their appearance. These kinds of edible apples that are not fit for sale make an excellent raw material for the Hyvis glögi.

“We are constantly thinking of ways to make waste into new products. This Christmas, K-store customers will be able to enjoy festive glögg made from waste apples, which, according to our information, is the first of its kind in Finland, if not the world,” says Timo Jäske, Vice President of Sustainability for K Group’s grocery trade division.

The waste apples that go to make the Hyvis glögi are meticulously screened to ensure that they are of the right quality and suited to making the glögi.

“It was the employees who came up with the idea of making festive glögg from waste ingredients. As the festive glögg is made from any edible apple variety that is being discarded at any given time, the flavour and colour may vary from bottle to bottle. The amount of glögg that we can produce depends on the amount of apple waste that is generated,” says Teemu Laine, entrepreneur at Thrsty.

There is a clear demand for glögg made from food waste, as over 9,000 bottles of Hyvis glögi have already been sold in advance. The first bottles of Hyvis glögi will arrive in stores during the autumn.

Products made from food waste are here to stay

The selection of products made from food waste at K-stores is growing all the time. In recent years, several Finnish products made from food waste have been introduced, such as Hyvis juice and the Bananasajäämä and Abbelsiinijäämä ice cream made from discarded fruit from K-stores.

Customers have been very interested in the products made from food waste.

“Food waste is a significant burden for the climate and we should all strive to reduce the amount of food that is wasted. Purchasing products made from food waste is a modern way to help the climate – customers feel it is a convenient and practical way to contribute to reducing food waste,” Jäske adds.

Active work to reduce food waste – K Group participating in Food Waste Week

Food waste is a major global problem and the K Group is actively working to reduce it. K Group aims to minimise the food waste resulting from its operations and utilise the organic waste that cannot be prevented in the production of biogas. In 2020, the amount of food waste generated at K-food stores was down by a record 9 per cent.

“Preventative measures, such as order systems that forecast sales, efficient logistics, employee training and optimisation of packaging properties, play an important role. Products approaching their ‘best before’ or ‘use by’ date are sold at a discount or donated to charity. Only after this is the non-edible organic waste used in energy production,” Jäske continues.

The K Group is participating for the ninth time in Food Waste Week in September. In honour of Food Waste Week, K Group and Motiva will arrange the Vuoden hävikkiteot (food waste actions in 2021) online event, which will discuss the latest research data on food waste and practical solutions for reducing it.