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.

jouni@kyrodistillery.com

Mikko Koskinen

Mikko, whom you already know from our iconic ads, currently heads up Kyrö's central marketing team. In his spare time, Mikko enjoys diving, adventuring, and spreading the word about Kyrö.

mikko@kyrodistillery.com

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.

kalle@kyrodistillery.com

Miko Heinilä

Miko is a walking history book. He looks after sales in Finland, Asia, and Africa, as well as travels, organizes, and fixes things, and apparently never sleeps.

miko@kyrodistillery.com

+358408349835

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. 

mari@kyrodistillery.com

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.

Jussi-Pekka Litmanen (on parental leave)

The distiller fondly remembers childhood lotto nights at his grandmother's house, complete with Finnish pancakes. He spends his summers at the cottage and his winters with his cat. He can also code and make music.

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 Heiniluoma

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.

elisabeth killinen

As a kid, this master of logistics and bottling used to drive around in a truck with her dad listening to Swedish hits. Nowadays she loves to wake up early and admits her favourite drink is milk.

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.

matti@kyrodistillery.com

Laura Grant

Laura heads up Kyrö's eCommerce Business and merchandise partnerships. She also spends way too much time on social media, a true millennial trying to infiltrate Gen Z. Laura's lived in seven countries – you can try and guess which ones from her accent.

laura@kyrodistillery.com

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.

ella@kyrodistillery.com

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.

oliver@kyrodistillery.com

Tiina Robin (on parental leave)

Tiina takes care of marketing Kyrö in Finland and abroad. 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 2024, with Mikko 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 2024, with Ella acting as her replacement.

Isokyrö Visitor Centre

Tony "Tonto" Sivula

The leader of his dog pack (literally, as Tonto has five dogs) also moonlights as the Visitor Centre CEO. He bakes sourdough bread in his spare time, and always manages to find his keys wherever he definitely didn't leave them.

tonto@kyrodistillery.com

Joni Pukkinen

Grandma's pancakes with real butter and sugar, and the joy of finding wild strawberries is how the story began. Our head chef makes journeys to Kyrö unforgettable for your taste buds.

joni@kyrodistillery.com

Saija Hautala

Spent her time as a child on the baseball field, now in the kitchen of Kyrö. Keeps herself busy even when she's not working, at least by travelling virtually on Google Maps. Always thinking about food and drink.

Lyydianna Hangassalo

When she's not busy hosting distillery tours, she enjoys Hogwarts spiced with magical tattoo ideas and ice cream bowls.

tero leinonen

You'll hear the easy-going dialect of the North as Tero cooks in our kitchen. He came to the plains in search of love, now trying to settle down to country life after the hustle and bustle of the fells. In his spare time, he gets excited about new quizzes and cocktails.

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.

Kristiina Perkiö

In the bar of the Visitor Centre, you'll find Kristiina, who thinks arguing should be done in Spanish and mornings should be dedicated to sleep. In her free time Kristiina twerks and practises tattoos.

Katariina Kallio

A guest star of our distillery tours. As a paramedic, Katariina is by far the safest person to be around at the distillery.

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.

Julia Laiho

At the visitor centre's bar, you'll find a humming Julia, who is studying to become a cultural producer. She loves all things green. In her spare time, she dreams of a cabin in the woods without neighbours.

Ilja Koreaus

Our resident rockstar has wandered off to Ostrobothnia to distill. When the kettle's not on, he can be found playing gigs or studying in Tampere. "Liquor and music weren't highly recommended as career choices at school, but it seems to have worked out for the best," he says.

Nanni Nyberg-Koskela

Nanni dreams of living in a village school and touring Europe in a minibus. On the other hand, she also sees herself as Viiru or Pesonen on a small farm. Nanni loves everything beautiful and grows both babies and plants. Nanni spreads the Kyrö message at the distillery.

linda ruismäki

You'll find this charming all-rounder entertaining our groups with a relaxed approach. Linda's everyday life is kept busy by her agrology studies. Linda's heart beats especially for tattoo art and the gym.

Sales

Dominic Buecker

Our German sales director is a seasoned veteran of the alcohol industry. Dominic can be found in a nightclub at 4am, and back at work the same morning as if nothing had happened. Dominic is responsible for European sales, as well as international bulk & barrel sales.

dominic@kyrodistillery.com

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.

micha@kyrodistillery.com

HR & Finance

Jenni Soini

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.

jenni@kyrodistillery.com

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.