Founded in 1819, Sinebrychoff is one of the oldest still-operating companies in Finland. The traditional brewery is also known for its long careers, as its employees have already amassed an average of 18 years of service at Sinebrychoff.
Sinebrychoff works actively to develop a people-oriented corporate culture that emphasizes well-being and safety at work. Three employees share their thoughts about their work and what makes them enjoy it.
Essi Hämäläinen
Customer Development Manager, 8 years at Sinebrychoff
I started as a sales assistant in the on-trade channel, where I quickly took on responsibility for my own customers as well. After a couple of years, I moved to my current team, which serves the retail sector, into a sales-support role as a Customer Support Manager. I’ve now been in my current position for half a year.
People here are encouraged to develop, and they are offered opportunities to grow.
The best thing about Sinebrychoff’s culture is that people are encouraged to advance and are given opportunities to develop. I’ve constantly been asked what I’d like to do and what kind of training I’d need. Every year, I’ve received training both in Finland and abroad—for example, in negotiation skills and customer work—and a few years ago I also completed a specialist vocational qualification in leadership alongside my work.
In my view, the company culture is a blend of old and new. People are genuinely proud to be part of Sinebrychoff and of its products, and I’ve noticed how highly customers value us. At the same time, both in Finland and at the group level, new things are being developed all the time, which is great to see. Younger employees especially appreciate the focus on sustainability and social media presence.
The food and beverage industry is a stable field to work in because people will always need to eat and drink. Before I started, I was somewhat warned about the male-dominated brewery industry, but I’ve never encountered anything unpleasant as a woman. Nowadays, two out of three customer team leaders are women, which speaks for itself.
Samim Nasseri
Technical Lead, 4 years at Sinebrychoff
I applied for an internship at Sinebrychoff while studying mechanical engineering. I came back again the following summer, and since then I’ve worked permanently in many different roles. In my current job, I’m responsible, for example, for equipment reliability and seasonal maintenance.
No one has to solve anything alone; help is always available. That drives team spirit.
My work description is very broad, and I work with many different people across various teams. One great thing here is that no one has to figure things out alone—there is always help available. That really builds a sense of community. It feels like we’re all part of the same organization, even though we do different things.
A huge amount of attention is paid to safety. It starts with onboarding, and there are continuous processes to keep improving things. When everyone feels safe at work, it also makes the workplace more enjoyable. This includes psychological safety as well. I regularly talk with my supervisor about all kinds of things—not just work, but also how we’re doing in general.
I was born in Afghanistan and came to Finland at the age of eight. There aren’t yet a large number of employees with immigrant backgrounds, but I recommend applying here to many of my friends whenever new positions open. This is a good company that gives people opportunities and motivates them to learn new things.
Jukka Hämäläinen
People & Culture Business Partner, 18 years at Sinebrychoff
When you ask people what makes them enjoy working here, almost everyone mentions their colleagues first—the fact that we have a fantastic group of people. We work toward clear goals, but everyone can be themselves.
We coach managers especially in how to engage with people.
A good company culture doesn’t happen by accident; it needs to be consciously led. We coach supervisors particularly in how to meet and interact with people. A new theme in our training is growth culture, which is based on actively learning new things.
Through our parent company Carlsberg, we’ve become an increasingly international organization. There are more international employees than before, including in leadership, and new types of international opportunities are opening up for people.
Long careers also mean that in the coming years quite a few employees will be retiring, and we will have a significant wave of recruitment ahead. I believe this will diversify Sinebrychoff’s workforce even further.
