Own recipe, made in-house
A common denominator in Hesburger products is the delicious mayonnaise made in-house. The white cucumber mayonnaise was created by Heikki Salmela in 1972, when Puutorin Grilli, a grill located in Turku, Finland, began selling its double-decker hamburgers. Five double-deckers were sold on the first night. As this number grew quickly, Heikki knew that his mayonnaise recipe was a winner. Then he created the red pepper mayonnaise for shish kebabs that also turned out to be a big hit.
In the beginning, the two kinds of mayonnaise were produced in litre quantities. As the business grew, larger and larger quantities of mayonnaise were needed. Today, as much as 4,000 litres can be produced during a single work shift. Approximately ten full-time employees are engaged in the Hesburger sauce production.
The recipes for our cucumber and red pepper mayonnaises have remained virtually unchanged over the years. Alongside mayonnaise, we have added our own ketchup and mustard, as well as numerous salad dressings and dessert sauces.
Tomato chaser
Ketchup is one of the most important condiments for hamburgers, along with mustard and other sauces. This is the reason why Hesburger has long wanted to pay special attention to its flavour.
Hesburger ketchup is the result of Finnish product development and its production began in the mid-1990s. Indeed, in-house sauce production has given the company a really competitive edge. Domestic production and high-quality raw ingredients guarantee an outstanding end result.
Hesburger ketchup, made according to a secret recipe, is exceptionally rich in tomato taste because nearly two kilograms of tomatoes are used to produce one kilogram of ketchup. Tomatoes make the ketchup thick and tasty, which is why Hesburger ketchup goes so well with a variety of foods.
Measuring out the raw ingredients and ensuring a proper heating are very important processes in production. Raw ingredients and production processes are closely monitored to ensure that the ketchup is consistently high-quality and guaranteed delicious.
Each year, Hesburger makes nearly a million kilograms of ketchup, which accounts for approximately 30% of all the sauces produced by the company. The ketchup factory located in Kaarina, Finland also produces all the ketchup going to Hesburger restaurants abroad. The sauce production in Kaarina employs ten people.
Iceberg lettuce to the restaurants
In addition to sauce production, the Hes-Pro production plant is responsible for processing the iceberg lettuce used in the Hesburger restaurants in Finland. The lettuce undergoes several stages from washing and drying to shredding. One of the stages involves a separation process, during which sensors are used for detecting and removing any foreign objects. Finally, the cleaned and shredded lettuce is packed and distributed to the restaurants.
Watch a video on Hesburger ketchup (in Finnish).