Preserving a Scandinavian tradition.

In the world of trivia, Finland is known for three things: 43 of every 100 Finns have mobile phones, giving their sparsely inhabited Nordic country the highest cellular penetration rate in the world. Secondly, the sauna - itself a Finnish word - is such an integral part of life here that there's one sauna for every 4.5 people.

Finally, the Finns are the world's most voracious coffee drinkers. Per-capita consumption here stands at an astonishing 10.5 kg. (23.1 lb.) of roasted coffee and 13 kg. (28.6 lb.) of green coffee a year - putting the country well ahead of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Holland, Austria, Germany, and the U.S.

"We are very heavy coffee drinkers," confirms Raimo Varsa, purchasing manager at Meira Oy, one of Finland's leading roasters. "Some people say it's the cold climate. I don't know. We have had very strict alcohol policies. In older days, people didn't have wine or whiskey at home, so when you had a visitor, coffee and cake were served. One reason may be the high quality. Coffee is very good here, not like in the States, where coffee quality went down and consumption dropped."

Bertel Paulig, chief executive of the Paulig Group, couldn't agree more.

"There are a number of reasons why coffee consumption is so high here," Paulig says. "Clearly, one is quality. It's a very light roast, with a high acidity. Traditionally, roasters in Finland buy the best-quality Arabica. Secondly, coffee has become the national social drink wherever you go."

Robert Paulig, president of Robert's Coffee, and a distant cousin of Bertel's, adds, "It's due to the Finnish nature. Coffee is a social drink, and coffee and liquor go well together. Finns are not talkative, and coffee helps."

Whatever the reason, everyone agrees that coffee is firmly rooted in Finnish tradition. Historians say Finns began drinking coffee during Europe's wars against the Turks, when Finland's mounted infantry assisted the Swedish monarch's forces in southern Europe during the Thirty Years' War, and brought their acquired coffee tastes back home.

Ironically, coffee was prohibited twice during the 18th century because it was considered a drain on the local economy. But the beverage's lure proved too strong, and the edicts never lasted for more than 20 years at a time.

Anders Bystrom, mayor of Helsinki from 1789 to 1794, is considered one of Finland's coffee pioneers. He ran a coffee house at Fort Sveaborg, mainly for officers. In 1876, businessman Gustav Paulig - originally from Lubeck, Germany - established his own importing company. The two coffee families, Bystrom and Paulig, went into business together, and in 1904, Paulig opened Scandinavia's first roastery in Helsinki.