The services offered by Juva Truffle Center include the following:

  • Establishing truffle orchards and truffle orchards managements
  • Truffle safaris (truffle seminar, truffle lunch, and truffle hunt show with trained dogs)
  • Retailing tree seedlings inoculated with truffle ectomycorrhiza and retailing truffle merchandise
  • Guiding dog owners in helping their dogs for hunting truffles

Truffle Orchard at Juva Truffle Center

Establishing Truffle Orchards

Juva Truffle Center has established 33 truffle orchards in Finland, one of which is in Kultaranta (Finnish President Summer Residence), 2 in Latvia and 2 in Lithuania. The biggest truffle orchard in Finland is located in Partala, Juva.

Juva Truffle Center offers training, consultation and start-up materials for the establishment of truffle orchards for private landowners (in Finland or outside) based on a mutual written two years (or more) contract. Juva Truffle Center does not reserve any rights to the truffle crop produced in the area under the contract, but has the right to use and publish the results and photos obtained from the truffle orchard.

JTC helps the landowners in selecting the suitable field area for truffle orchard and tree seedlings cultivars inoculated with truffle. JTC analyzes the soil samples from the established orchards in the first and second year as a part of truffle orchard management. Our clients receive the instructions for planting the seedlings, protection methods of the seedlings during summer and winter, and general care. JTC employee also takes follow-up on each orchard by visiting the orchards 1-2 times a year. As an orchard management practice, JTC employee collects root samples randomly every year from orchards in order to examine the existence and development of truffle mycorrhizae in the root systems of the tree seedlings. The photos of the truffle mycorrhizae are sent by email to the clients.

President Tarja Halonen and the Director of JTC Dr. Salem Shamekh at Truffle farm of President’s Summer Castle

Tree Seedlings Inoculated With Truffles

JTC has also been producing various tree seedlings cultivars of Finnish origin inoculated with various truffle species such as T. aestivum/uncinatum, T. melanosporum, and T. borchii. JTC has now made these seedlings available for retail. These seedlings are sold along with planting instructions that are suitable for Finland.

Seedlings inoculated with truffles (Tuber aestivim/uncinatum or T. melanosporum or T. borchii) produced at JTC

Analysis of Finnish Wild Truffles

We are happy to receive samples of findings of wild tubers that are picked by Finns from forests/gardens. During the last ten years, JTC employees have assessed hundreds of tubers that have been sent to us by Finns to check the authenticity and species of truffles. The most likely time to find Finnish wild truffles is from July to November.  All the wild Finnish truffles found in Finnish forests and house gardens have been white truffles and were collected from under trees other than oaks. Few truffles species of wild Finnish truffles have been identified and published in scientific international Journals.

Truffle Safaris

JTC has been organizing truffle safaris every summer since 2013. As a part of truffe safari, we also organize truffle hunt show where we guide the dog owners in training their dogs to hunt truffles. In August of 2014, we had the VIP truffle safari during which President Tarja Halonen, Minister Olli Rehn, and Ambassador Tanja Jääskaläinen were our guests.

During the safari, all dogs practice truffle hunting in JTC’s truffle orchard. In summer 2015 JTC had more than 30 Lagotto Romagnolo dogs with their owners for practicing truffle safari.

A dog practicing truffle hunting at the Juva truffle field

JTC’s truffle safari includes the following activities:

The safari program which lasts up to four hours includes an oral presentation about Finnish truffle orchards, a demonstration of the truffle mycorrhizae under a microscope, Finnish, Italian and French truffles, a truffle hunt show in our orchard, and an exquisite truffle lunch. JTC offers truffle safari program for all kinds of social groups such as friends, families, companies, and institutes.