The strong mustard-in-a-tube long produced in the central Estonian town of Poltsamaa will end this month after the factory gas been sold.
Mustard production is to be moved to a production plant in Latvia and will be marketed under the Felix brand, after parent company Orkla Eesti decided in autumn to sell the Poltsamaa business and brand, in order to focus on strategic product groups.
“Unfortunately, mustard production will not continue in Poltsamaa,” Sven Voites, CEO of Svensky Kaubanduse AS who bought the facility, said, adding Orkla would still produce the mustard itself and using the same recipe.
“The buyer is taking over the production complex, the brand, the products and the employees’ contracts,” Orkla Eesti CEO Kaido Kaare said, adding the Poltsamaa plant would, under the agreement, continue to supply other products, such as pickled vegetables.
“Consumers need not worry about the sale of the Poltsamaa factory and brand – Orkla Eesti will continue producing and marketing the beloved mustards, but from now on we will do so under the Felix brand,” said Orkla Eesti spokesperson Hanna-Liisa Ruul, adding the Felix range, including three milder flavors as well, would start appearing on store shelves this month.
Production of Poltsamaa strong mustard began in 1961, and around 60 million tubes had been sold to date – this averaged out at nearly a million tubes a year, or nearly one per Estonian person per year.
“Estonians truly love mustard, and the undisputed favorite has been Poltsamaa strong mustard,” Ruul noted, adding that the bulk of the Poltsamaa output was consumed domestically, with only small amounts exported.
Poltsamaa mustard, even the milder variants, is not for delicate palates and is very similar to strong mustard brands, such as Colmans, produced in the U.K. – in fact, the mustard powder used in Poltsamaa production comes from Canada.
Maaleht cited statistics which show that overall mustard consumption in Estonia has gone up in recent years, from 89 tons in 2020 to 96.7 tons in 2024. (ERR)