Local farmers establish Kuopion Karjanmyyntiosuuskunta (KKO) in 1903, led by Bruno Ilmoniemi, who has been inspired by the co-operative movement.KKO's sausages win over the locals in Kuopio when a shop is opened in the city's market hall in 1909.
At the beginning of the 20th century, farmers lived in rather modest conditions. They had difficulty receiving a fair price for the animals that were sent to slaughter.The Oskar Lithells butcher shop begins operating using a manual meat mincer. The Lithells brand will eventually become one of Sweden's best known food brands.
The meat trade was centralised in towns and cities such as Kuopio, the birthplace of Lihakunta.The roots of the Maks & Moorits brand extend to the Estonian company AS Valga Lihatööstus, founded in 1910.
