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Story of Fonari

Fixer and developer smell in the kitchen of Harustie 1M1 in Rantakylä, Joensuu. Black-and-white photos of lumberjacks working around lake Koitere dry on the kitchen table. A young boy back from school looks at the pictures and wonders about the stories and the lives of the men in the pictures. Friends knock on the door, asking to come and play street hockey. Childhood summers are spent in Lammassaari or Multavieru islands of Koitere, food being mainly self-caught fish and rye bread. Leica cameras are used often and posters, cards, and picture collections of Koitere are being published.

Activity of Fonari quiets down as my father heads to work in Africa. My studies take me to theatre and sociology of art. I mainly see the old materials and publications when I visit the attic of our summer cottage in Tyrjä.
The stories heard, and pictures seen as a young boy are today more important than ever. The world desires stories. 20 written plays and thousands of tales heard from people of all walks of life create a rich story bank from which to draw from. The renewal of Fonari family business is a collaboration of experts whose multi-dimensional approach and ability to create personified, high quality services make us a very attractive service provider for both small and large enterprises.
From Lake Ladoga’s Mantsinsaari island, the ancestral home of our family, we have inherited the values we represent to this day: Genuineness, creativity and originality.

Lauri Jänis, Creative Director of Fonari Oy