Mustard production is to be moved to a production plant in Latvia and will be marketed under the Felix brand, after parent company Orkla Eesti decided in autumn to sell the Põltsamaa business and brand, in order to focus on strategic product groups.

"Unfortunately, mustard production will not continue in Põltsamaa," Sven Voites, CEO of Svensky Kaubanduse AS who bought the facility, told Maaleht, adding Orkla will still produce the mustard itself and using the same recipe.

"The buyer is taking over the production complex, the brand, the products and the employees' contracts," Orkla Eesti CEO Kaido Kaare said, adding the Põltsamaa plant will, under the agreement, continue to supply other products, such as pickled vegetables.

"Consumers need not worry about the sale of the Põltsamaa factory and brand – Orkla Eesti will continue producing and marketing the beloved mustards, but from now on we will do so under the Felix brand," said Orkla Eesti spokesperson Hanna-Liisa Ruul, adding the Felix range, including three milder flavors as well, will start appearing on store shelves this month.

Production of Põltsamaa strong mustard began in 1961, and around 60 million tubes have been sold to date – this averages out at nearly a million tubes a year, or nearly one per Estonian person per year.

"Estonians truly love mustard, and the undisputed favorite has been Põltsamaa strong mustard," Ruul noted, adding that the bulk of the Põltsamaa output is consumed domestically, with only small amounts exported.

"Aktuaalne kaamera" spoke to some aficionados of Põltsamaa mustard, including local residents, who expressed universal disappointment at production moving south of the border.

"A lot of things have disappeared. The wine disappeared, the juices disappeared, and what else do we still have here? E-piim shut its doors, and now the mustard is going too. What more do you want? Life is bitter enough already. I still always use it with aspic and meat. There are other mustards too, but this one is ours here," said Põltsamaa resident Riina.

"It's really such a shame, because I use this mustard, and all the people of Põltsamaa do too. I know it's a favorite of very many customers, such a shame," said Meeli, another local resident.

"I actually live in Helsinki. My home is here, though, and it's sad that Felix and everything else have disappeared. Estonian mustard is really good, the Põltsamaa one. The Finnish one doesn't even compare, it's like jam," added Monika.

In the eateries open in Põltsamaa when "Aktuaalne kaamera" visited, the familiar tubes of strong (Estonian: Kange) mustard were still set out on the tables. There, too, people expressed a hope that there would be no quality dip, wherever the product continued to be put out.

"For the locals, this is a big thing, as it is specifically Põltsamaa's mustard. I think we definitely get through four or five tubes a day, and we also use it in preparing our dishes. It's strong; Estonians really do love a sharper, stronger mustard," said Ingrid, a cook at the Puhu-Risti Söögimaja in the town.

Annika Oja, marketing director at Orkla Eesti, said the familiar Põltsamaa recipe will not be changing, even as the packaging will.

"The recipe will be exactly the same, the raw materials are the same, the process is the same. Our people from Põltsamaa have also gone over the products together with colleagues in Latvia and carried out the initial production runs. Consumers will not notice any difference," she said.

Põltsamaa mustard, even the milder variants, is not for delicate palates and is very similar to strong mustard brands, such as Colmans, produced in the U.K. – in fact, the mustard powder used in Põltsamaa production comes from Canada.

Maaleht cited statistics which show that overall mustard consumption in Estonia has gone up in recent years, from 89 tonnes in 2020 to 96.7 tonnes in 2024.

Editor's note: This article was updated to include the "Aktuaalne kaamera" report from Põltsamaa.

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