The taste of Kouvola

Local products and local food are trending like crazy right now, but here in Kouvola, it’s been a part of our everyday lives for already a while. Naturally, we’ll celebrate special occasions with treats from the region, but your average Monday will become slightly less intimidating, when you can eat something from the neighbourhood.

We gathered here some local delicacies that you can try when visiting Kouvola. Remember also to take something home so your family and friends can also get a taste of Finland.

Don’t forget, that every autumn in September we celebrate local food and locally made products with the traditional Local Food Fair in the village of Elimäki. 

Wine and cheese

Just a short drive from Helsinki and you are ready to start tasting all the wonderful flavors in Kouvola. Mustila Wine, located along Route 6, is famous for their locally made berry wines. The wines are made from Finnish berries and the taste is quite different from normal wines. In addition to wine, you can also buy other locally made products, like mustards and jams.

Right next to Mustila, quite literally on the other side of Route 6, you’ll find Café Alppiruusu. You can buy handicrafts from their gift shop, they also have a farmers' market dedicated to local products.

Wine and cheese are best friends, this is nothing new. As you might have guessed, the best friend to locally made berry wine is locally made cheese. Polven Juustola is a family run business and their different cheeses are delicious on their own, but they are also the perfect companion for the wines made in Kouvola.

There’s something for wine and cheese lovers in Kouvola, but don’t worry. Friends of quality meat products will also find tasty treats in the city. Korian Palviliha (site in FI) is another family run company that specializes in quality products. Their factory outlet is located in Koria (Kirjapainontie 4, 45610 Koria) and they have a great selection of food products, including delicious sausages.

Something sweet

We Finns take coffee very seriously. Coffee is the (un)official drink of the nation and there’s plenty of different traditions and customs that relate to coffee and enjoying coffee.

Here in Kouvola, we don’t just drink any coffee, we drink Kouvola-coffee. You can buy this local specialty at Papulaari (site in FI), a small coffee shop that also sells different treats and pastries. If you happen to be more of a tea lover, don’t worry, they also have an excellent tea selection.

Kouvola has a long history with the paper industry in Finland and in this old factory milieu, you can also explore the creative industry. Taideruukki – Art Factory was born in and old factory location and now the old brick buildings are full of arts, handicrafts and culture. Taideruukki is also the home to Café Ruukitar and their superb selection of salty and sweet pastries and bakery goods.

Another excellent location for traditional Finnish bakery products is the factory outlet (Leipurimestarintie 2, 45610 Koria) of Korian Leipomo (site in FI). The shop is located along Route-6 and especially in the morning, there is something delicious and fresh that you can try out.

Now, let’s not forget that Kouvola is the liquorice capital of the world. In addition to Lakumesta, Kouvola is also the home of Kouvolan Lakritsi (site in FI), one of the most well-known companies in the entire region. Liquorice does have a rather special taste to it and it is very popular in Finland. Kouvolan Lakritsi has a factory outlet in the city centre (Torikatu 4, 45100 Kouvola) so you don’t have to venture far from your hotel to try out this tasty candy.

Locally in a restaurant

When the locals don’t feel like cooking, they usually head out to eat in one of the restaurants in Kouvola, for example the Gastropub Betony (site in FI).