We were named the Mikkeli region's Startup Entrepreneurs of the Year 2026
The Mikkeli Region Start-up Center named our family business, Kirjalan Paahtimo, the Mikkeli region's Startup Entrepreneur of the Year 2026. The award was presented to my sister Anna and me on September 8, 2026 in Mikkeli. In this post, I, Väinö, son of Roaster Olli, will briefly tell you how we actually ended up here, and how our coffee roastery, café and online store got started.
Hello, dear readers!
First of all, thank you for stopping to read! The text is a bit long, but full of substance, and hopefully you'll stay with us until the end!
(This text was produced in collaboration with Kirjalan Paahtimo, and it contains advertising as well as discount codes for our coffee products.) The story was also published in our newsletter – as a subscriber you get our news and benefits among the first.
This text is being written into the travel journal by Kirjalan Paahtimo's Väinö in the corner of my kids' bedroom on September 23, 2026, sitting in a soft armchair as the kids' chatter fills the fresh air of the room. At least future generations will have a story to read, if our pages are still standing by the time they get around to it.
Mikkeli Region's Startup Entrepreneur of the Year 2026
Let's talk about one milestone we were granted on September 8 in Mikkeli: we had the honor of receiving the title of Mikkeli Region's Startup Entrepreneur of the Year 2026. In truth, quite a bit of suffering lies behind this honor. Behind it are four years of raw entrepreneurship in a fairly difficult market and a difficult economic climate, not to mention a family-heavy company whose shareholders are me, my dear older sister Anna, and our father, Roaster Olli. Our mother is involved too, but as a subcontractor. Thankfully, at least our oldest brother Lauri had the sense to stay in construction, unlike me.
The award was covered by Länsi-Savo and Mikkelin Kaupunkilehti, and the moment was also shared on Facebook.
Since nowadays no text is a text without some sort of advertising and collaboration, let's add one here too:
Sponsored ad
From Kirjalan Paahtimo, with a satisfaction guarantee (a "taillight guarantee"), the most uplifting hot drink of Christmas to give your relatives as a gift: coffee with your own photo. Order a bag right now to wait in the hallway for the Christmas-season rounds of visits. Example: take a selfie or a family photo of yourselves, add a Christmas greeting to the image, and put at least 10 units in your cart. With the code OMAKUVA20 you get a 20% discount. Christmas visits and Christmas gifts sorted in one go. To be continued…
But in short, how we ended up here
Our father has been an entrepreneur for about thirty years. Anna apparently swore she would never become an entrepreneur. I, meanwhile, thought I'd spend my whole life in various construction jobs. Already in my early twenties, the idea of entrepreneurship in construction kept circling in my mind, and my friend and I brought it up now and then at regular intervals.
I truly could not have imagined myself in the specialty coffee industry, let alone behind a café counter. It genuinely makes me dizzy and raises my blood pressure to think about it in more detail.
Having followed our father's career and ideas, we nevertheless concluded that we had to do something, if we were going to make a living from this work. I'd also just had my first child, and putting bread on the table looked shaky. (It looks even shakier now, but at least we've tried our best.)
Whenever something new needed developing, let alone acquiring, our leader father-Olli's first answer was: ABSOLUTELY NOT, THINK ABOUT IT FOR A MOMENT. The second answer was: become entrepreneurs yourselves and then see if it's as easy as you think. To which Anna and I replied: well, daaaamn it, I guess there's no helping it. (We were the only employees, after all, so Olli wasn't exactly given room to complain.) Then we reached out to Heli at the Start-up Center and begged for a meeting.
Sponsored ad
If the discount above doesn't tempt you, here's a 20% discount code for our coffee selection, once your coffee order reaches the free shipping threshold (€59): TARINA20. THAT'S IT, this is the last ad.
No sooner said than done, and we set about founding a limited company together with Heli, Anna and Olli. Anna became CEO, responsible for the company and its development as well as being the face of the business, since she already had experience with coffee and café work.
The whole thing soon became concrete. Shoes on in the morning and off to carry out the café's opening procedures, with stress levels running at about 1000% above normal. Café doors open and nose pointed toward new setbacks!
And here we are now, a few years later, against all odds.
Huge thanks for reading, and a truly wonderful autumn to you! Don't forget to make use of the discount codes mentioned above (each usable once per customer). Take a look at our coffee selection at your leisure.
Coffee regards,
Väinö from Kirjalan Paahtimo
All bad feedback can be addressed to Noora.
Kirjalan Paahtimo in brief
Kirjalan Paahtimo is a Mikkeli-based family business, founded in 2022 under the name Kirjalan Kahvipaahtimo Oy, combining our own coffee roasting, a café, and an online store. The company is run by my sister Anna and me, together with our father, Roaster Olli. The Mikkeli Region Start-up Center (Mikkelin seudun Uusyrityskeskus ry) named us the Mikkeli region's Startup Entrepreneur of the Year 2026. The selection particularly highlighted our innovative communication, continuous development of the business, and our open-minded experimentation with new ideas. You can read more about us in the post Kirjalan Paahtimo – About Us.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Kirjalan Paahtimo located?
Kirjalan Paahtimo is a coffee roastery and café operating in Mikkeli. Coffee can also be ordered from our online store at kirjalanpaahtimo.fi.
When was Kirjalan Paahtimo founded?
The company was founded in 2022.
What award did Kirjalan Paahtimo receive in 2026?
Kirjalan Paahtimo was named the Mikkeli Region's Startup Entrepreneur of the Year 2026. The award was granted by the Mikkeli Region Start-up Center (Mikkelin seudun Uusyrityskeskus ry) and presented on September 8, 2026 in Mikkeli.
What discount codes are in this post?
OMAKUVA20 gives a 20% discount on the Coffee with your own photo product when your cart contains at least 10 units. TARINA20 gives a 20% discount on coffee when the coffee order is at least €59. Each code can be used once per customer.