Starting a little food business in Finland

[Cipo]

Hi

I am trying to find some info about all the issues related to starting a public food business (no alcohol involved) as a kiosk or renting some place. Need to find if and which kind of licenses are needed, which kind of taxation is involved and other related issues. I am aware that you need a special license for selling alcohol but what if that is not invloved ?
Any link/URL ?
THX4help
CIPO

[Rosamunda]

First off you need to take the Hygiene Pass exam which you can take in almost any language. More info here: http://www.evira.fi/portal/1490/

Then when you have definite plans about your kiosk you can apply to your local municipality for a licence. They will want to see your Hygiene Pass and also your hygiene protocol and a lot of details about how you prepare food, store food, dispose of waste, your cleaning routine, the materials and equipment you are using etc etc They might ask you to resubmit with more information before they grant the licence.

You will then be inspected by an officer from the local municipality before you can start trading.

With regards to tax, it's pretty much the same as any business. There are multiple threads on this forum about starting and running a business. Basically you need to register your company at the Patents Office http://www.prh.fi (you need to choose between a limited company and a sole trader) and then you register for VAT. Depending on your company status the bookkeeping is slightly different.

I suggest you go on an entrepreneur's course before you start up. Then you can get face to face answers for all your questions and hear about other people's experiences too.

[Cipo]

Then when you have definite plans about your kiosk you can apply to your local municipality for a licence. They will want to see your Hygiene Pass and also your hygiene protocol and a lot of details about how you prepare food, store food, dispose of waste, your cleaning routine, the materials and equipment you are using etc etc They might ask you to resubmit with more information before they grant the licence.

- Is the license generally free of charge and granted based only on the above requirements ? Or is there some sort of fixed number of licenses to be given every year or so ?
- The above means I need to have all the machines and kiosk/room/location in place before being able to apply, right ?

You will then be inspected by an officer from the local municipality before you can start trading.

Fair enough, any cost involved in this ?

Thx 4 the help, I appreciated.

[rinso]

Is the license generally free of charge

Or is there some sort of fixed number of licenses to be given every year or so ?

That depends on the type of business. If the city feels that some branches are over represented, they might indeed refuse the licence till the situation is balanced again.

The above means I need to have all the machines and kiosk/room/location in place before being able to apply, right ?

I think it is possible to get the licence based on a careful and detailed plan.
You cannot start your business before the inspection. And if the situation differs from the plan, you don't get the ok.

[Rosamunda]

When we opened our kiosk we called the municipality and told them about our plans, just to find out if they were OK with the idea in principle (it was a small municipality, not in the Helsinki area). We asked them if there were any special requirements; some have a template or forms to fill in. We got the kiosk ready before we sent them the paperwork. They asked us for some extra info eg we had to supply the phone number of a 24/7 deep-freeze repair man we could use in case of an emergency with our freezers and they also wanted extraordinary details on our cleaning products. They also ask questions about your staffing arrangements. For example, we had to make toilet facilities available for our employees somewhere close by.

As Rinso says, the municipality may decide not to grant a licence on other grounds eg noise, disturbance... an ice-cream kiosk about 5kms from ours was shut down last year because there had been complaints about the local kids using it as a gathering place and making a noise. What a shame

[Cipo]

Is the license generally free of charge

Maybe I can get some URL or info about the possible price ? I guess I need to pay with money and not with :lol

I think it is possible to get the licence based on a careful and detailed plan.
You cannot start your business before the inspection. And if the situation differs from the plan, you don't get the ok.

Ok, sounds logic
Thx

[Cipo]

When we opened our kiosk we called the municipality and told them about our plans, just to find out if they were OK with the idea in principle (it was a small municipality, not in the Helsinki area). We asked them if there were any special requirements; some have a template or forms to fill in. We got the kiosk ready before we sent them the paperwork. They asked us for some extra info eg we had to supply the phone number of a 24/7 deep-freeze repair man we could use in case of an emergency with our freezers and they also wanted extraordinary details on our cleaning products. They also ask questions about your staffing arrangements. For example, we had to make toilet facilities available for our employees somewhere close by.

As Rinso says, the municipality may decide not to grant a licence on other grounds eg noise, disturbance... an ice-cream kiosk about 5kms from ours was shut down last year because there had been complaints about the local kids using it as a gathering place and making a noise. What a shame

Thank you Penelope, I am planning to open it up in Helsinki. Do you know where I should go to ask more info ? Or from where URL I can read more about the license issue ?

THX 4 help

[Rosamunda]

I don't know about Helsinki, I don't even live there. I guess it is more complicated because there are already so many people with food businesses in the city centre. There was an article in Six Degrees recently about the Brit who set up a mobile Fish and Chip business. He had some really serious problems trying to get a licence for Helsinki.

You could try contacting the TE-Keskus... they should be able to help you build a business plan and get the admin sorted out.

[Cipo]

Thank you, will check with TE-Keskus too ..... thx4help

[CAD_Guy]

Living in Finland for 10 months now I knew it was a bit over regulated but I can honestly say I didn't think it was this bad.

I get the hygiene and all that and I'm glad they have that. The whole thing of closing businesses based on complaints because other people kids is pretty lame. Also the over control of what food businesses are allowed is pretty crap too. How many kebab and pizza places do we need btw?

I've heard that a lot of push of what happens in Helsinki is down to competition with local businesses not wanting any.

Anyway good luck with your venture.

[Rosamunda]

The whole thing of closing businesses based on complaints because other people kids is pretty lame.

My example was an ice-cream kiosk and it wasn't closed down. They just didn't give permission to them to open in the same place this summer. Yes, maybe it's a bit extreme but that's the provinces for you.

I've heard that a lot of push of what happens in Helsinki is down to competition with local businesses not wanting any.

Same everywhere, not just Helsinki. There are a million ways "they" can make it hard for you to open a business. Apart from the turf issues, businesses can poach your staff, start a price war, control your suppliers... all standard practice in the retail and restaurant sectors. And Finland is a small country, everyone knows someone who knows someone in the town hall...

[CAD_Guy]

My example was an ice-cream kiosk and it wasn't closed down. They just didn't give permission to them to open in the same place this summer. Yes, maybe it's a bit extreme but that's the provinces for you.

Oh I guess I read that wrong, my mistake.

Same everywhere, not just Helsinki. There are a million ways "they" can make it hard for you to open a business. Apart from the turf issues, businesses can poach your staff, start a price war, control your suppliers... all standard practice in the retail and restaurant sectors. And Finland is a small country, everyone knows someone who knows someone in the town hall...

That sounds like typical competition stuff. I just think it's sad that in a pretty flat market like Finland that they can destroy something before it even gets going. I won't go into my opinion about the retail and restaurants sectors in Finland.