Case story: Olvi transforms risk management with Inclus
When the 147-year-old Finnish multi-beverage operator Olvi expanded its operations with four new acquisitions under an ambitious growth strategy, they needed a risk management solution that could scale with their growth. By implementing Inclus, Olvi transformed risk management into a participatory process where employees across different levels actively understand, own and manage their risks.
The platform's multi-level visibility and strategic alignment capabilities have enabled Olvi to systematically manage risks across transaction, takeover, and operational phases, while maintaining the agility needed to integrate new acquisitions and operate in nearly 80 export markets.
About Olvi
Founded in 1878, Olvi (https://www.olvigroup.fi/en/) is the only one of the 78 breweries that existed at the time of its establishment that still operates as an independent Finnish company. Over its 147-year history, the company has grown into a multi-local beverage house with operations soon in nine countries including Finland, the Baltic states, Denmark, and Belarus.
With products exported to nearly 80 countries and a portfolio where non-alcoholic products now represent close to 45% of sales, Olvi continues an active acquisition strategy, recently signing agreements to acquire Latvia's largest craft brewery Valmiermuižas Alus, Bosnia and Herzegovina's largest brewery Banjalucka Pivara Estonia's leading mineral water producer Värska Originaal AS and majority share in Brewery International group, a leading importer of premium beverages located in Norway and Sweden.
The challenge
As Olvi's international footprint expanded through acquisitions and organic growth, the company recognized that traditional risk management approaches weren't keeping pace.
They needed to systematically examine risks across four perspectives: strategic, operational, financial, and compliance, while being able to manage them in three distinct phases: transaction, takeover, and continuous operations.
The key challenge was finding a way to make risk management truly participatory across the organization. Effective risk management couldn't be centralized in headquarters alone; it required broad staff engagement and clear risk ownership at every level.
Inclus solution for Olvi
Olvi chose Inclus as their risk management platform to enable their vision of participatory risk management. The platform's capabilities aligned perfectly with their needs:
Multi-level visibility: Inclus provides different views from group level down to country-specific management teams and individual users, essential for a multi-national organization.
Trend visualization: The platform makes it easy to visualize trends and changes across the organization, helping leadership spot emerging risks early.
Strategic alignment: Inclus enables Olvi to link risks directly to strategic priorities, ensuring risk management supports business objectives.
User engagement: The system's accessibility allows broad staff participation, making risk topics familiar through regular reviews in different forums.
Results and benefits
With Inclus, Olvi has achieved their goal of making risk ownership and participation central to their culture. Staff across all countries have broad access to the system and truly own their risks and opportunities.
The platform has become integral to how Olvi asks critical questions throughout their growth journey:
What do we know ourselves?
What don't we know sufficiently?
What can be insured?
How are risks transferred to operational activities?
What can we learn from new colleagues after acquisitions?
Inclus has also enabled Olvi to implement long-term scenario work effectively, helping them translate scenarios into operational activities across their diverse, international organization.