Huhtahyvät Oy, a Finnish family-owned business, has brought premium meat products and mayonnaise-based salads to Scandinavian tables for over 30 years. Known for its Lihamestari and Gourmet brands, the company delivers over 11 million pounds of high-quality food annually, striking a balance between artisanal heritage and modern innovation. 

The company set out to refine its pizza salami. This essential ingredient requires a uniform, premium cut, but the softer, fattier texture of typical Finnish-style salami posed a unique challenge. Standard cutting solutions failed to deliver the precision they needed.

“The Finnish type of salami has a higher fat content than similar products made elsewhere in Europe,” said Vincent Van Brussel, area sales manager of Northern and Eastern Europe at FAM STUMABO. “This leads to the need to operate at a lower temperature to achieve a product with enough texture for processing.”

A salami sample was sent to FAM STUMABO’s state-of-the-art lab in Belgium, where tests revealed the optimal cutting solution: Flexifam 55. The initial focus of the tests was on identifying the optimal cutting temperature. In a second stage, the machine parameters were adjusted to further enhance cutting quality, switching from serrated to flat circular knives to prevent the casing of the sausages from jamming in the blades.

“We have two fully equipped testing labs where we can test our complete portfolio of machines on our customers’ products,” Van Brussel said. “In addition to the standard cutting tools, we also maintain a designated stock of more specific tools, which can be used for challenging applications. This gives us the flexibility to fine-tune every parameter during the testing process.”

The tests yielded excellent results, identifying the Flexifam 55 as the solution for Huhtahyvät’s product. 

The Flexifam 55 has since been seamlessly integrated into Huhtahyvät’s mettwurst production line. Salami is pre-cut and precisely strip-cut by the Flexifam 55, efficiently conveyed into the packaging line using Forsfood’s output solutions. The result is improved throughput, minimal blade wear and consistently top-tier cuts. Additionally, the Flexifam 55 has proven effective with other soft meats, offering versatility and long-term reliability.

The successful outcome at Huhtahyvät highlights the power of collaboration. By leveraging Forsfood’s local expertise combined with FAM STUMABO’s global R&D, the Finnish producer has elevated product consistency and quality, strengthening its market position.

As Forsfood continues to expand its services, including a dedicated test lab in Kauhajoki, Finnish food producers gain access to world-class tools that help them thrive in a competitive industry.

About FAM STUMABO
FAM STUMABO engineers and develops industrial cutting machines as well as the manufacturing of precision knives for the food industry. We provide customers with the solutions they need for the cutting, slicing, and dicing of fruit, vegetables & nuts, cheese, meat & poultry, fish, pet food, potato chips and French fries. Over the past 60 years, we have established long-lasting partnerships in cooperation with highly reliable influential companies, customers, and leaders in the industrial food processing market. We are present on all continents, with customer experience centers, spare parts and services.