This is Kyrö
This is Kyrö
The multi-talented people behind your favourite spirits
Since 2012, Kyrö has grown from five naked men into an extended, global team (some of whom even wear clothes). Get to know the Kyrö Distillery Company's team in its full glory.
Founders
Jouni Ritola
Our CEO still remembers how to small talk from the year he spent in Chicago, but this hasn't been a particularly useful skill in Finland. Jouni's sales areas are Travel Retail and North America.
Mikko Koskinen
Mikko, whom you already know from our iconic ads, currently heads up Kyrö's experiences from sauna and beyond. In his spare time, Mikko enjoys diving, sailing, and spreading the word about Kyrö.
Kalle Valkonen
Before becoming the Master Distiller at Kyrö, this (crazy) scientist was developing biofuels and brewing beer. To be honest, we're not fully sure he ever stopped.
Miko Heinilä
Miko is a walking history book. He looks after sales in Finland, Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as travels, organizes, and fixes things, and apparently never sleeps.
Miika Lipiäinen
Our former CEO Miika is currently away working on his PhD on – you guessed it – whisky. Because what else.
Distillery Operations
Mari Saarenpää
The leader of the whisky team is a fan of smoked whisky and animals. The distillery's unofficial mother figure looks after not only her team but also the whiskies with the warmth and love they deserve.
Timo Mäkelä
A daytime distiller, this bassist is a surprisingly loquacious introvert who can tell you a story or two about the history of the Isokyrö Church (built in the 14th century so there's a lot to talk about).
Sanni Aittanen
If this former fighter plane engineer and military professional had a choice, she would live in the 50s and never give up her flower dress and puffy hair. Sanni's dreams include a trip to Cuba and a retirement in Italy – both accompanied by wine, of course.
ásgeir bergmann pétrusson
Geiri names Madrid as his favourite city for its good weather, food and wine, yet he still moved to Isokyrö. Officially developing new drinks and distillates, unofficially responsible for many smiles.
Outi Heinäluoma
The bottling plant and logistics manager pulls just the right strings to ensure that all ordered products are delivered to customers on time and team members are as satisfied as possible. The Fernet-Branca coins may or may not have something to do with this. Loves Turku (a truly controversial opinion).
kaisa havunen
Everyday life is more than a Hanami picnic in Tokyo, but our bottler Kaisa can say she has experienced that. Drinks her whisky neat. Loves the Foo Fighters and going to gigs.
ann-marie kallio
Gardening enthusiast who keeps packing materials strictly in order, and spices Isokyrö up with her Swedish flavour.
Alina Antonova
This packaging & logistics helper creates in her spare time the most stunning nails you can get in Isokyrö, if not in the entire Southern Ostrobothnia.
Marketing & eCommerce
Matti Kovanen
Matti is a master of many skills. He can be spotted playing the piano, photographing, signing off on new packaging designs... while always forgetting to eat on time. Matti is Kyrö's one-man brand police, keeping the Kyrö brand nice and shiny.
Ella Hakala
As marketing lead for the Kyrö Visitor Centre, Ella rocks out first thing in the morning to ensure a good atmosphere. On her days off, this Nurmo native organises cinema clubs and bakes her famous mocha buns.
Oliver Saarinen
Oliver has his camera, excel, and InDesign at his fingertips and is responsible for creating marketing materials for Kyrö internationally.
He enjoys cultural discussions over a glass of wine. Don't tell his bosses.
Tiina Robin (on parental leave)
Tiina overseein our marketing all around the globe. When she joined Kyrö's ryeful journey, she had just returned to Finland after several years of adventuring in the UK. Tiina is on maternity leave until the end of 2025, with Matti acting as her replacement.
Jenna Toivonen (on parental leave)
Jenna has been the marketing lead for the Visitor Centre for many years. This absolute ray of sunshine is on maternity leave until the end of 2025, with Ella acting as her replacement.
Isokyrö Visitor Centre
Susanne Koivisto
Susanne makes sure that everything works as it should and that there are enough people around to look after our guests. She is a dedicated cat lover, loves Asian food and dreams of a long trip to Korea.
Iida Paasonen
This powerhouse of a woman does burlesque, is interested in shamanism and breathes music. Iida hikes both in nature and at the distillery while giving tours and sharing Kyrö stories with our visitors. This Wonder of the East lives in Lapland during the winter moths.
Sales
Samuli Franke
Samuli is a barrel-chaser and fatbike adventurer who enjoys German rock tunes and spreading the good news of pickleball. He's also a father of five, trying to keep up with his pack of dogs and one overly-enthusiastic cat. Contact Samuli for all your barrel selling and loaning needs.
barrelsales@kyrodistillery.com
+358 50 325 2580
Micha Fritzen
Our German Brand Ambassador Micha once dropped out of acting school and then directing school, only to completely immerse himself in the German bar scene for the following years. In his free time, he devotes himself to his puppy Gizmo and enjoys the small adventures of everyday life.
HR & Finance
Jenni Soini (on parental leave)
The (sometimes) happy renovator of a century-old house knows everything about everything. Jenni has been part of the Kyrö story almost from the very beginning, but today she's responsible for the HR and finance side of things.
olga kharchenko
This multi-talent handles financial management and logistics with incredible efficiency. She wishes she had a few more hours in the day, as there are still 1001 things Olga would like to learn or do. Free time is spent with the kids, knitting or pole dancing. The dream is to have a house with a big yard and a garden.