Marli

Marli is a Finnish food and beverage company whose roots date to a wine and liqueur factory established in Turku by Anders Nordfors in 1867. The business later became associated with the Marli Berry Wine and Liqueur Factory and developed into a producer of juices and other non-alcoholic drinks. Its product portfolio includes the Marli brand as well as Juissi, Mehukatti, Trip, and Tropic. The company’s activities changed substantially during Finland’s Prohibition period, which began in 1919. Alcohol production was suspended, and the factory moved toward juices and other non-alcoholic beverages. In 1954, Huhtamäki-Yhtymä Oy acquired the Nordfors factory and combined it with the Marli Berry Wine and Liqueur Factory, formerly known as O/Y Marvi A/B. This created the industrial foundation for the modern Marli business. Huhtamäki sold Marli to Oy Rettig Ab in 1992 in an exchange involving Rettig’s Merijal and Seres confectionery factories. In 1999, Lappeenranta-based Chymos Juomat Oy was merged with Marli. The following year, the combined operations were divided: Oy Marli Ab continued the juice business, while a separate company handled alcohol-related activities. Rettig sold Marli to the German beverage group Eckes-Granini in 2001. The alcohol business was subsequently sold to V&S Vin & Sprit AB, with its Finnish operations later continuing under Pernod Ricard Finland Oy. The Finnish company is now known as Eckes-Granini Finland Oy Ab, although Marli remains the historical and consumer-facing identity associated with its juice and beverage operations. Its head office and factory are in Turku. According to the referenced company description, it manufactures and sells more than 150 products and has a workforce that expands during the summer season. Marli’s market position is centered on everyday beverages for Finnish consumers, including juices, juice drinks, berry-based drinks, children’s beverages, and other non-alcoholic products. The business is part of Eckes-Granini’s wider European fruit-juice and beverage portfolio.

Marli traces its origins to a wine and liqueur factory founded in Turku in 1867 by Anders Nordfors. The original business was part of the city’s long-established beverage-manufacturing sector. Finland’s Prohibition, introduced in 1919, halted the factory’s wine and liqueur production. In response, the business moved into juices and other non-alcoholic beverages, a direction that ultimately became central to its later identity. In 1954, Huhtamäki-Yhtymä Oy purchased the Nordfors factory and merged it with the Marli Berry Wine and Liqueur Factory, previously known as O/Y Marvi A/B. This consolidation brought related beverage operations under common ownership and strengthened the company’s capacity to develop a broader consumer product portfolio. Huhtamäki transferred Marli to Oy Rettig Ab in 1992. The transaction involved an exchange in which Huhtamäki received the Merijal and Seres confectionery factories that Rettig had acquired during the 1970s. Under Rettig, Marli remained active in beverages and subsequently expanded its corporate structure through the merger of Chymos Juomat Oy, a drinks company based in Lappeenranta, in 1999. In 2000, Marli was divided into two businesses. Oy Marli Ab retained the juice and non-alcoholic beverage operations, while a separate company was established for alcohol-related activities. This separation clarified the distinction between Marli’s consumer juice business and the group’s alcoholic beverage interests. Rettig sold Marli to Eckes-Granini in 2001. The acquisition brought the Finnish juice operation into the German group’s European fruit-beverage network. Rettig later sold the alcohol business to Sweden’s V&S Vin & Sprit AB in 2002. In Finland, the alcohol-related activities subsequently continued under Pernod Ricard Finland Oy, separate from the Marli juice business. The Finnish operation is now identified as Eckes-Granini Finland Oy Ab, while Marli continues to serve as a prominent brand name and historical identifier. Its operations are based in Turku, where the company maintains its head office and factory. The business manufactures and sells more than 150 products, including products sold under Marli, Juissi, Mehukatti, Trip, and Tropic. The company’s production and employment profile also reflects seasonal demand, with staffing increasing during the summer. Within Finland, Marli is associated primarily with familiar, widely distributed fruit and berry beverages aimed at household and family consumption.

• 2002

  Alcohol business divested

  [1]Marlien.wikipedia.org

  Rettig definitively sold the alcohol business to V&S Vin & Sprit AB; the Finnish activities later continued under Pernod Ricard Finland Oy.

• 2001

  Acquisition by Eckes-Granini

  [1]Marlien.wikipedia.org

  Oy Rettig Ab sold Marli to Eckes-Granini, bringing the Finnish juice business into the German group’s European beverage operations.

• 2000

  Separation of juice and alcohol operations

  [1]Marlien.wikipedia.org

  Marli was divided into Oy Marli Ab, focused on juices, and a separate company responsible for alcohol-related activities.

• 1999

  Chymos Juomat merger

  [1]Marlien.wikipedia.org

  The Lappeenranta-based beverage company Chymos Juomat Oy was merged with Marli.

• 1992

  Sale to Oy Rettig Ab

  [1]Marlien.wikipedia.org

  Huhtamäki sold Marli to Oy Rettig Ab in a transaction involving the transfer of Rettig’s Merijal and Seres confectionery factories to Huhtamäki.

• 1954

  Huhtamäki consolidation

  [1]Marlien.wikipedia.org

  Huhtamäki-Yhtymä Oy acquired the Nordfors factory and merged it with the Marli Berry Wine and Liqueur Factory, formerly O/Y Marvi A/B.

• 1919

  Shift toward non-alcoholic beverages

  [1]Marlien.wikipedia.org

  Finland’s Prohibition suspended wine and liqueur production at the factory, encouraging the development of juices and other non-alcoholic drinks.

• 1867

  Turku beverage factory founded

  [1]Marlien.wikipedia.org

  Anders Nordfors founded a wine and liqueur factory in Turku, establishing the industrial origins of the business later associated with Marli.

A Finnish mass-market beverage producer focused on accessible fruit juices, juice drinks, berry beverages, and family-oriented non-alcoholic products.

• Fruit juices and juice drinks

  Marli

  The core Marli name is associated with Finnish fruit juices, juice drinks, and related non-alcoholic beverages. It represents the historical beverage business that developed after the company moved away from alcohol production and remains the principal identity linked to the Finnish operation.

• Juice drinks

  Juissi

  Juissi is one of the principal beverage brands in the Marli portfolio. It is positioned within the everyday juice-drink segment and contributes to the company’s broad Finnish offering of accessible non-alcoholic beverages.

• Family and children’s beverages

  Mehukatti

  Mehukatti is a Marli-associated beverage brand aimed at family consumption, particularly children’s and household occasions. It forms part of the company’s wider portfolio of juice-based and non-alcoholic products.

• Ready-to-drink juice beverages

  Trip

  Trip is among the established brands manufactured and sold by the Finnish Marli operation. It belongs to the convenient ready-to-drink beverage segment and complements the company’s juice and family-drinks portfolio.

• Juice drinks

  Tropic

  Tropic is one of the named beverage brands in the Marli portfolio. It is associated with fruit-oriented, non-alcoholic drinks sold alongside the company’s other juice and refreshment products.

• 2001

  Sale of Marli to Eckes-GraniniM&A

  Background

  Oy Rettig Ab decided to divest the Finnish juice business after separating it from the alcohol operations.

  Action taken

  Eckes-Granini acquired Marli and integrated the Finnish operation into its European fruit-beverage group.

  Aftermath

  The Finnish business continued under Eckes-Granini ownership and later became known as Eckes-Granini Finland Oy Ab.

  Source

• 2000

  Corporate separation of juice and alcohol operationsStrategy

  Background

  Following the merger with Chymos Juomat Oy, Marli contained both juice-related and alcohol-related activities.

  Action taken

  The business was divided into Oy Marli Ab for juices and a separate company for alcohol-related operations.

  Aftermath

  The separation made the juice business a distinct operating platform before its sale to Eckes-Granini.

  Source

• 1919

  Transition from alcohol to non-alcoholic beveragesStrategy

  Background

  Finland’s Prohibition made the factory’s established wine and liqueur production unavailable.

  Action taken

  The operation began producing juices and other non-alcoholic drinks, creating the basis for its later consumer-beverage business.

  Aftermath

  Non-alcoholic beverages became the enduring center of the business and ultimately the foundation of the Marli identity.

  Source

1. 1Marlien.wikipedia.org