Luonkos entrepreneurs Piritta and Jonna want to act as an example of successful value-based entrepreneurship. Luonkos, which manufactures innovative natural cosmetics, has grown rapidly – in 2021 it almost broke the turnover of one million euro’s, which many entrepreneurs are aiming for. The duo radiates courage and perseverance, but what else can we find behind their success? And how did they end up starting their business in Naantali?
- About the company: Luonkos offers organic, water and preservative-free cosmetics and, simultaneously, encourages reducing unnecessary consumption of cosmetics altogether.
- Founded: in 2018
- Team: around 10 people in total, depending on the number of seasonal employees: in addition to founders, they have experts in sales, marketing and production
- Location of the office: manufacturing in Murikko, Naantali, boutiques in the center of Naantali and Turku, several retailers around Finland
- Latest achievement: establishing sister series Luostarin Aarteet in 2022
- Random fact: Jonna and Piritta are crazy about mushroom picking. Jonna is an actual mushroom expert to whom Piritta gives a telephone call from the forest. The forest is dear to them at work and in their free time.
My car starts in a foggy Turku morning. Yet the sunny weather is greeting me when I arrive at the Luonkos boutique. The entrepreneurs, CEO Piritta Fors and Jonna Vesterinen, who is responsible for product development, greet us warmly. We end up having a coffee in front of an idyllic wooden house – one that you can admire in Naantali along the city center. At the end of the street is a green church park; you can almost smell the scent of the Archipelago Sea opening behind it.
Our meeting falls on Piritta’s birthday, and with a twinkle in her eye, she tells us that Naantali is celebrating its anniversary on her birthday. Is this perhaps the reason why the company has chosen Naantali as its base? Let’s find out!
Why did you choose Naantali as our meeting place?
Our meeting place, the city center of Naantali, is known for its idyllic Old Town, beautiful seascapes, the summer 2022 Housing Fair and, of course, for the Moomins. In the day-to-day running of the business, however, other things are emphasized, such support services, a good location and the availability of employees. The city of Naantali and its residents receive praise from the entrepreneurs.
“Naantali is a very business-friendly city. We have found good facilities here and we are satisfied that the city’s business representative Lassi Rosala is always excited to help us. The same message has also come from the city mayor, and the citizens are genuinely proud of our success.”
Luonkos’ production facility was originally located in Murikko, Naantali with convenient connections to Turku. The area has remained the same, but the factory has moved to larger premises. If necessary, production can be doubled in a week. There is also a new factory store, connected to the production facility and a new training center will be opened soon.
“Naantali is a very entrepreneur-minded city!”
The Naantali boutique is located at Luostarinkatu, which leads to the Birgitta Monastery Church, built in the 1460s-80s. Luonkos’ new sister series, Luostarin Aarteet, containing liquid oils is inspired by the history of the region and the monastery’s pioneering work with herbs and the natural know-how. Also, the monastery has been the first institution educating women in Finland, which is an important symbol for female leadership.
What does the Turku Region offer for growth-oriented companies and experts?
Naantali is part of the wider Turku region, which provides multiple support services for companies. Also, Luonkos has benefited from these services, especially in the early stages of its journey. The entrepreneurs participated in the Business Up Acceleration Program, organized by the regional development company Turku Science Park Ltd. In the program, they developed different organizational areas of their company, together with mentors. After the program, the most active participants received free premises from Spark Up for 3 months; Luonkos was one of them. Especially, the community manager of the workspace still receives a lot of thanks from Luonkos’ entrepreneurs.
“Johanna Johansson supported, helped and encouraged us in absolutely everything during the entire program. There was no such problem, which she did not try to find a solution for. Thank you, Johanna!”
Luonkos applied for a business mentor last year, with whom the entrepreneurs still meet regularly. They found the right person on the first try, and the support of a colleague has been valuable. EEX Journey, a Finland-wide management program, aimed at startup entrepreneurs, brought a competent Advisory Board for a year to support the business development.
”Turku region has all the opportunities and facilities for innovative startups.”
Besides entrepreneurship, Piritta and Jonna consider Naantali and, in many respects, the wider Turku region as a good place to live for talents. The sea and the distinctive archipelago nature are close by, and the peace of nature is easily accessible by public transport. The Turku region is compact, and the convenient transport connections help in organizing daily life, such as work, children’s school, and hobbies, especially compared to the capital region. There are versatile services and excellent educational opportunities here, all the way up to a highly ranked university. From the point of view of entrepreneurship, the area has good purchasing power.
The entrepreneurs seem to be satisfied with their location both in terms of their business and their personal lives. At the same time, they encourage the region’s municipalities and other public sector actors to think about how entrepreneurship could be further supported, so that the region’s job self-sufficiency and attraction remain – especially in the current turmoil of the world.
What makes Luonkos a successful company?
While the question first triggers spontaneous laughter, the entrepreneurs then become serious.
“No company has become successful without someone having to work really hard. Stress tolerance and functioning in a completely uncertain situation is common, and solutions must be sought diligently.”
However, the founders are not complainers. Everything they do radiates positivity, courage, perseverance, and true desire to find the best solutions to the problems arising. The turnover has doubled every year and even the tough corona years have been profitable, despite the intensive product development and the expansion of the operational premises.
“We have a very solution-oriented approach to everything we do. Complaining does not create solutions.”
The key factor in Luonkos’ success is trust. Consumers can trust that the company is really doing everything it can to promote sustainability, without compromising on the functionality and the quality of the products. Strong sustainability can also be seen in the way the company encourages reducing the unnecessary use of cosmetics. Natural beauty and the fact that each of us is enough on our own, is emphasized in their marketing.
Products are created with the simple principle in mind: what the entrepreneurs themselves would like to use. An example of this is their best-selling product oil cleansing cake, which was created to meet the need for ‘one quick and effective product for all skin care’. The award-winning product cleans the skin, removes make-up, balances, and cares. By doing all this, it replaces many cans and jars.
Luonkos is persistently looking for new, innovative raw materials for their products and packaging materials. An excellent example on this is the forest microbe extract used in five products, which guarantees daily exposure to nature. Birch bark powder, used in dry shampoo from industrial by-products and Kotkamills’ biodegradable packaging, were first used in Luonkos’ products. Unprejudiced innovation and the strong desire to grow internationally puts Luonkos in the exciting world of startups. Luonkos’ entrepreneurs have pitched in the Slush semifinals and the company’s foundation has been solidly built to expand business to international markets.
“Next, it is time to head to the international market, and we are looking for investors to support us with that. Internationalization requires money and experienced people in opening markets.”
Luonkos products and entrepreneurs are ready to conquer the international markets. We’ll stay tuned for who is taking the journey with them!
Text and images by Susanna Lahtinen / CYF Digital