The confectionery manufacturer decided to donate 100 percent of its five-day online sales to Ukrainian children and families in need through UNICEF. Now the packing house is in a hurry.
Like many Finnish companies and households, Kouvola's Lakritsi also thought last week about how to help Ukrainians in need.
When the five-day fundraising campaign to help Ukrainian children and families started last Wednesday, no one could have predicted the popularity it would achieve. The donation amount collected through Kouvola's online store swelled to 126,004.14 euros in five days. The entire amount will be donated to UNICEF, with Kouvola's Lakritsi covering the material and salary costs themselves.
- We have always known that Finns are good people, but this willingness to help completely surprised us. Hopefully we were able to attract people who might not have otherwise donated, reflects Timo Nisula, CEO of Kouvola Lakritsi .
A total of 4,994 individual orders were placed from the online store during the campaign . This exceptionally high number of online orders means a backlog for the factory. The production of the liquorice itself is not a problem, but this will be reflected in the delivery times as a delay.
- All orders are delivered, but it takes us a month to unpack and mail the orders. Fortunately, people are understanding about this. The short wait is worth it, because together with our customers we were able to raise a significant amount of money for Ukrainian families, Nisula says with gratitude.
The amount of positive feedback has also surprised the licorice factory. One person from outside the company has even volunteered to help pack the shipments.
"Along with our customers, our committed staff also deserves special mention. They have responded wonderfully to this and have gone above and beyond to deliver an exceptionally large number of online orders to the world," says Jari Hautala, Happiness Chief Officer at Kouvola Lakritsi.
You can make a donation to Ukrainian children and families through UNICEF here .
Further information and interview requests:
Timo Nisula, CEO, Kouvola Licorice
0400490020
lakutehtailija@kouvolanlakritsi.fi
The press release was published on Monday, March 7, 2022.