We – Tero and Merja – have been together for 35 years. During that time, we’ve dreamed about traveling abroad, nice jobs, a home, and countless other things – and we’ve managed to make most of our dreams come true.
We’re born-and-raised city people from Helsinki and have spent our careers in the digital business. Along the way, we began to wonder what urbanization, digitalization, and remote living are doing to people – to our interactions, and to our relationship with nature.
Travelling around the world for a year was a turning point in our lives. Our experiences of different cultures and ways of life, especially meeting relaxed and kind people in rural areas, often living with very little, made us realize that you don’t need much to be happy.
A new shared dream was born
We began to imagine a place nestled in the forest, near a lake, with a log house built using traditional methods. A place where people could find peace, refresh themselves, and succeed. We wanted to offer such a place to those who otherwise might not have access to the forest or who were going through a difficult time in life. And so began our search and the development of the concept.
We named our idea Hyvinvointikylä – the Wellbeing Village – as it brings together the two things we are most passionate about: wellbeing and a sense of village-like community.
As we searched for our dream location, we noticed that we didn’t know much about rural life. So, we asked our friends if anyone knew someone with a farm where we could volunteer. That’s how we ended up, among other things, making hay in Ostrobothnia, cleaning a henhouse in Savo, and shearing alpacas in Häme.
Frustration and learning
Over the years, we often got frustrated when we couldn’t find the right place. As Merja once said, “We have a crazy hobby – driving around southern Finland every weekend looking at farms and forest properties.” But along the way, we learned a lot and met amazing, unique people. In the summer of 2016, our luck turned: we finally found a small farm in Pääkslahti, Vihti, that was perfect for our needs.
We turned into a pair of “city-country people,” amazed by the silence and darkness of the countryside, enjoying forest walks and new kinds of neighborly relations – for example, with nearby animal farms. The rhythm of the city still beats strongly in us, so we draw strength from both worlds.
From this foundation grew Hyvinvointikylä Oy – a company whose original concept developed during our search, through discussions with many businesses and social and healthcare organizations, through pilot projects with SOS Children’s Village and HelsinkiMissio, and through brainstorming with our multidisciplinary Village Council. At one point, we had to admit that doing good is not always easy, and we needed to adjust our direction.
Freedom and responsibility
Over the years, we’ve learned that change is the only constant – even in the life of a micro-entrepreneur. Based on that, our work and services continue to evolve through both challenges and successes. As entrepreneurs, we have the freedom to experiment and the responsibility to succeed.
Our service promise to our customers is: All Is Well
We apply this philosophy in everything we do
OUR STORY
“Your wonderful place created a perfect setting for our workshop group. It was easy and enjoyable to organize the event with you.” - From our guestbook