Christoph Vitzthum, CEO of Fazer: "Reputation is extremely important for a company like Fazer."
Fazer is Finland’s most reputable company in 2023. The company has been among Finland’s most reputable for 11 successful years. Riku Ruokolahti, Development Director at T-Media, interviewed Fazer Group CEO Christoph Vitzthum to find out how reputation is managed in a family business with a long history.
Fazer and its products are important to Finns. The company’s national significance is also reflected Reputation&Trust T-Media’s Reputation&Trust, which has been conducted since 2012. Fazer has consistently ranked among Finland’s ten most reputable companies throughout the survey’s eleven-year history.
How is reputation managed in a family business with a rich history?
Christoph Vitzthum, who has served as Fazer’s CEO for ten years, says that Fazer’s reputation is the result of 132 years of work by a family-owned company. Vitzthum explains that Fazer strives to serve its customers as well as possible and with the highest quality—while continuously improving the company’s operations over time.
Riku Ruokolahti, Head of Development at T-Media, shares Vitzthum’s view on quality and explains that reputation is a key indicator of quality. Reputation takes into account customers, employees, and all other stakeholders of the organization. Everything Fazer does leaves a mark on society:
“Earning respect requires strong performance at every level,” Ruokolahti says, congratulating Fazer on achieving the results of Finland’s most prestigious company.
Fazer moves with the times, drawing on tradition
Fazer has a strong history and is well-known for its products. The family business’s story begins in 1891, when Karl Fazer founded his French-Russian pastry shop on Kluuvikatu in Helsinki. Production of Fazer’s most famous products—chocolate bars and confections—began three years later, in 1894.
Vitzthum explains that despite its history and traditional products, Fazer is not a museum:
“We need to reinvent ourselves and think about the future, using our history and these old products as a foundation.”
“We have to keep up with the times. Fazer isn’t the same company it was five or ten years ago—let alone 132 years ago. The company evolves over time and responds to consumer demand in each era through its own values and principles,” says Vitzthum.
“There’s a lot of talk about agility and a company’s ability to respond quickly to new situations. On the one hand, we have the traditional, reliable, safe, and predictable Fazer, which brings beloved products and services to consumers. And on the other hand, we have a modern and agile company that is also capable of bringing new products, services, and dimensions to consumers. This is a great combination of both.”
Reputation&Trust a comprehensive set of metrics
Christoph Vitzthum explains that Reputation&Trust is a comprehensive set of metrics, and that focusing on just one aspect makes it difficult to achieve a high level of reputation. Ruokolahtea is interested in what other lessons on reputation management Vitzthum, who has led Fazer for ten years, has picked up along the way.
“The most important thing is for companies to focus on what they do best: delivering excellence in their products and services. When it comes to products, for us it’s not just about the taste, but the overall experience surrounding that product,” Vitzthum explains.
Vitzthum also believes it is important for Fazer’s employees to embody the company’s brand and values and to communicate the company’s activities to stakeholders in their own way.
“When we conduct our own employee surveys, pride in working at Fazer is extremely high. That’s a wonderful thing, but it shouldn’t be confused with arrogance. We strive to remain humble and open-minded. We want to learn and hear new perspectives and ideas from others so that we can improve what we do.”
Video: Vesa Koivunen
