Everything you wanted to know about our signature blueberry juice drink
Finnish cuisine is known for its use of wild berries, and Finnair introduced blueberry juice as its signature drink in 2014. Since then, nearly one million litres of blueberry juice has been served on Finnair flights every year.
Blueberry has in recent years been branded a superfood, but for Finns, it has always been a natural part of Finnish cuisine, as it grows wild in the forests all over Finland. Every summer, Finnish forests are full of blueberries, and anyone can pick them.
An astonishing amount of 150–200 million kilos of blueberries are picked every year in Finland. Probably every Finn has picked blueberries, and you can buy them by the bucket almost everywhere when they are in season in August. Many Finns prefer to freeze most of their stash of blueberries and enjoy blueberries all year round.
Our blueberry juice drink is made from European wild blueberries, which are sourced from the Nordics and Central European countries, depending on the annual yield. There are over 30 different types of blueberries worldwide.
European wild blueberries, referred to as bilberries in some countries, are wild cousins of cultivated blueberries that are mostly produced in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Poland and Germany.
European wild blueberries are smaller in size, but they contain up to four times more antioxidants than man-grown blueberries. They also have a more intense flavour and colour. They are blue-purple coloured from inside to out.
Many customers have asked whether they can buy our signature blueberry juice drink on the ground somewhere. The good news is that travel-thirsty customers can, in fact, purchase our signature drink through distribution in supermarkets in Finland.
Since December 2020, you have been able to find our blueberry juice in a selection of K-Group’s over 300 grocery stores in Finland. This launch followed the success of our launch of Taste of Finnair ready-made meals inspired by our Business Class menu that our customers could enjoy at the comfort of their home during the pandemic.
“Blueberry juice has been a distinctive part of the Finnair customer experience, and it is loved by many of our customers. We wanted to offer this small piece of the Finnair experience to our customers who long for travel”, tells Marika Nieminen, VP of Finnair Kitchen.
The Finnair-branded blueberry juice drink is produced in Turku, Finland, by Eckes-Granini. It is manufactured with 100% renewable energy.
Unfortunately for our international customers, our signature blueberry juice drink is not currently available for international shipping. But next time you’re visiting Finland, you can visit your nearest grocery store and stock up with some to take home – it doesn’t need to be stored in cold.
Blueberry juice Q&A
We asked our followers on Instagram what they’ve always wanted to know about our blueberry juice. We gathered some of the most frequent questions and answers here:
Where are the berries sourced from and why?
Our blueberry juice is made from wild blueberries that are collected from Northern Europe and to some extent also from Central Europe, depending on the annual yield.
Is it made from blueberries or bilberries? Or is it just a blueberry-flavoured drink?
The juice contains water, blueberry juice and grape juice. The blueberries used are the wild ones (for example, in the US they are called bilberries).
Who picks the berries?
Berries are picked by local people; some extra help is needed during peak season.
Is there any added sugar or artificial colours?
Added sugar, natural colour, no preservatives.
How much sugar does the juice contain?
9.5g/100ml
Can you give some nutritional information about the blueberry juice?
Fat < 0.2g, carbohydrates 9.5g, protein < 0.2g, salt 0g/100ml
Why is the juice not blue?
The colour is close to purple. That is the natural colour of wild blueberries. No artificial colours are used.
What is the story behind the blueberry juice drink?
We were looking for authentic Finnish/Nordic signature items for our food and beverage offering. We came up with the idea of blueberry juice because wild blueberries are widely used in Finnish cuisine.
How many times can a passenger ask for a glass of this juice on board? Do you have a limitation?
The juice is a part of our complimentary drink offering and there are no limitations.
Am I able to buy your blueberry juice abroad?
Unfortunately, currently, we have distribution only in Finland.