Janne Kouri is bringing Loncaro to market in a partnership with his cousin, Samuli Huuhtaen of Rock Paper Scissors, a Finnish brewery. Initally the product will launch in Los Angeles, followed by the rest of California and then the rest of the U.S.
“Samuli and I have been dreaming of bringing the national drink of Finland to the US for over 20 years but this dream was put on hold when I was injured in a diving accident” says Kouri. “Known to all Finns as Lonkero, the citrusy gin-based beverage is light, crisp and easy to drink so we thought it would be ideal to launch in Southern California. We’re starting our roll-out launch in California, which is one of the clever reasons for naming the brand Loncaro (with a CA) instead of its original Finnish name, Lonkero.”
After the tragic diving accident left Kouri paralized, he started the non-profit NextStep to make life-changing rehab and fitness accessible and affordable to individuals living with paralysis. With eight locations in the US and abroad, a percentage of profits from Loncaro sales will be used to build more NextStep locations. Kouri lives by the Finnish saying SISU which means courage in the face of adversity, and uses the saying as a motto for Loncaro, the brands design partner Matterfulbrands, included it on both the can and the website design.