Minttu

Minttu was originally developed by Chymos based on an idea from Finnish national alcohol retailer Alko.

Alko had obtained a sample batch of American peppermint liqueur at a trade fair in Italy in 1986.

had had an idea for a new, unique and exotic product, and wished to develop it in the Nordic countries, which were seen by them as a cold, far-away place.

Alko was not interested, but it offered the production company Chymos the possibility to develop a beverage suited to the Finnish taste, while also meeting the American objectives.

The Americans sold off the yellow-coloured batch, at a higher price, untruthfully claiming that the yellow liqueur was of an "older vintage" and thus more expensive.

[1] Minttu entered the Finnish market in the early 1990s, and its reputation elsewhere in Europe helped boost its sales from the start.

It was also suggested that the rectangular bottle be replaced with a round one as originally desired by the development engineers, but the marketing department did not agree.

[1] In 1993 salty liquorice liqueur Salmiakki Koskenkorva became a competitor for Minttu, but not a major one, as the consumer targets were different.

Press stories appeared about problems with young drinkers and heart disease patients because of the common effect of alcohol and the ammonium chloride in salty liquorice.