Vaissi is a family business whose cabbage rolls are handmade with love. The producer of the world’s most delicious cabbage rolls is also be biggest in the Nordics – we make 12 million rolls every year! Apart from our original cabbage rolls with vegetables and meat, we also make dozens of different variants for our main customers according to their recipes.
Vaissi’s cabbage rolls combine tradition with modern trends. Every roll is made by hand in rural Keuruu. In our vegan cabbage rolls, the rice has been replaced by trendy fava beans and oatmeal. This roll contains almost the same amount of protein as the one with meat. Our meat cabbage rolls also contain oatmeal instead of rice.
The story of the Vaissi farm began in 1829, when Pietari Tuomaanpoika bought land that had previously belonged to the crown. For six generations, the family has tried all kinds of crops, from tobacco to Christmas flowers and beetroot. The cultivation of cabbage began during the Second World War, when this nutritious and versatile foodstuff was in high demand. Fermented cabbage is known as a very healthy food thanks to its high content of vitamin C and enzymes.
The members of the Vaissi family have always been eager to try new things. Sometimes they have succeeded and sometimes not. When Ilmari “Grandpa” Vaissi decided to start selling frozen cabbage leaves in the 1970s, he planned to freeze them in regular chest freezers. Twenty-year-old Jaakko was of the opinion that they needed tunnel freezers to be able to freeze the cabbage successfully. However, Ilmari did not believe that this was the case, so they tried. After a few days, the cabbage began to ferment and came crashing out of the freezers.
The construction of a tunnel freezer began, because Ilmari had already sold 300,000 kg of frozen cabbage leaves. The first year, the company was only able to deliver 30,000 kg.
Jaakko invented a cabbage cooker, which turned out to be exactly what the company needed. In 1974, the factory was under the threat of closure because of its cabbage drill after a health and safety inspection – something had to be done, and fast. Thanks to the invention, the safety issues were resolved, and Vaissi’s silky soft cabbage leaf, which is easy to roll and retains its beautiful colour, was born.
In 2001, the production expanded from pre-cooked cabbage to cabbage rolls. Jaakko’s children shared their father’s and grandfather’s passion – it was time for the next big step.
Nowadays, Vaissi is led by Jaakko’s daughter Maria Hanho and son Juho Vaissi. They believe in cabbage rolls and that modernised classics appeal to customers.
“Everyone should have the opportunity to eat healthy, handmade food cooked with love. This everyday joy – a return to grandma’s dinner table – is something that we want to offer to our customers.”
