Domestic yarn manufacturer since the 1980s

Suomen Lanka is a domestic yarn manufacturer from Southern Ostrobothnia, from the small village of Karvala in Lappajärvi.

We have been producing high-quality domestic yarns since the 80s, for over 40 years, with a long-term vision, relying on practical expertise, and valuing domestic work.

The roots of Finnish yarn in local textile tradition

Our company was originally founded by Harri Ikonen, and operations began under the name Harri Ikonen Ky. In the initial phase, the company offered sizing services to weaving mills in the surrounding areas during a time when there were still hundreds of weaving mills in nearby municipalities and the textile industry was a strong part of the local economy.

Many farms in the area had their cows removed from the barns at that time and were converted to textile production. Textile work provided an additional source of income for many families, and the roots of Suomen Lanka are built on the textile and craft culture that prevailed in the region at that time.

Initially, in connection with offering warping services, the company imported polypropylene yarns from abroad, but by the 1980s, the domestic production of its own warp yarns began. The production of fishing lines started in the late 1980s, and over the years, the operations have grown and evolved into their current form.

From cleaning services to a manufacturer of fishnets and recycled products

We consider fishing line to be a particularly important part of our company's expertise, as we are the only manufacturer of them in Finland. Nowadays, we have fishing line available in over thirty different colors and five different thicknesses. In addition to normal thickness fishing line, we also produce a thick, 18-strand warp fishing line.

Our company manufactured 100% virgin cotton products until the early 2000s, when we began to expand our product range to include recycled cotton products. At that time, our company launched the Moppari twisted cord and the Maksi mop yarn. Later, in 2020, we also launched our first 100% recycled fiber product, the Kieppari twisted cord.

The strength and durability of our yarns, their bright colors, and pleasant feel have been central to our operations for decades. Our extensive experience is still evident in the durability, practicality, and feel of our yarns in your hands.

The company's new phase

The business was transferred to the current entrepreneurs in the summer of 2018. The operations continue as a small family business where daily work, production, and development are strongly involved in everyday life. Taking over the business was not just about business for us, but also a desire to preserve the expertise built over decades, domestic manufacturing, and the tradition of domestic yarn production in Karvala. At the same time, we want to develop the operations long-term and advance domestic yarn production in the future.

As a small company, we can operate with flexibility and develop products in close collaboration with our customers. Many products and ideas are born through practical work, experimentation, and customer feedback.

Extensive experience and in-house manufacturing

Yarn twisting still takes place in our own production facilities in the village of Karvala in Lappajärvi. It is important to us that manufacturing, expertise, and practical work remain in Finland also in the future. Over the decades, production, materials, and work methods have evolved significantly, but the foundation of our work has remained the same: the desire to produce high-quality and durable yarns suitable for their intended use.

Extensive experience has brought a strong understanding of materials and a practical grasp of how different material structures behave. It is important to us to know the materials we use as well as possible and to pay attention to the safety, durability, and responsibility of our products.

Domestic origin and responsibility

Suomen Langan has been awarded the Key Flag symbol in recognition of work done in Finland and domestic manufacturing. Additionally, our company was awarded the EcoCompass environmental certificate in 2025.

Responsibility is reflected in our operations primarily through everyday practical choices, material procurements, and the long-term development of our own products, as well as production development and design. We use organic cotton grown according to the organic standard in our products increasingly, and recycled materials whenever possible. On a small company scale, we take big steps towards responsibility and continually strive to develop our entire operation in a more responsible direction.

Cooperation and the future

We collaborate with various handicraft sector operators, designers, companies, and retailers. Our best-known collaborative projects include our work with Molla Mills.

We want to cherish the tradition of domestic yarn manufacturing and develop products that will withstand use and feel good in your hands in the future. It is important for us to maintain the authenticity of our work, our knowledge of materials, and the expertise built over decades – the very things that gave Suomen Lanka its start and on which its future will be built.