Finland Seeks €9.4 Million From 4 Wild Berry Buyers Over 10-Year Cartel

1 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · May 27

€9.4 million in proposed fines would hit four Finnish wild berry buyers after authorities said they ran a purchasing cartel for about a decade.
The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority said the companies coordinated the prices paid to people picking berries in forests and swamps and shared market information.
Phone calls, text messages and WhatsApp were used to exchange that information, according to the authority's findings.
The case targets a niche but important part of Finland's foraging economy, where companies buy wild berries collected by individual pickers across the country.

Does Finland's berry cartel reveal a deeper vulnerability to organized crime?

Will exploited pickers see any compensation from the €9.4 million cartel fine?

With its labor model broken, can automation save Finland's wild berry industry?