In Karesuando, in the middle of Sápmi on the border between Sweden and Finland, the Eliasson family has been processing reindeer meat for decades.
After the corona restrictions ended, sales have really picked up again.
- Yes, we have sold out of almost everything, we have very little left, some smoked and dried stuff, says merchant Alexander Eliasson.
Cleanse and suovas hottest
And some of the products are extra popular.
- Skav is the biggest volume-wise we sell, but then suovas and fillets are very popular, says Alexander Eliasson.
Ann-Sofie Stålnacke, store seller of Norrland products in central Kiruna, testifies that it is reindeer shaving products that are increasing.
- Right now we have sold a lot of suovaskav, it's going really well and reindeer fillet has increased a lot in sales to restaurants.
But it is suovas that has increased the most, says Stålnacke.
Expect high kilo prices
Last slaughter season generated the smallest slaughter volumes since the Sami Parliament started keeping its statistics in the 1990s, with 1025 tons of meat and 40,528 reindeer slaughtered.
And there won't be much more meat on the market this year either.
- Due to inflation and the fact that demand is greater than supply, the prices of meat will go up in the autumn, says Alexander Elisson.
But the high price is not something he believes deters customers.
- It is time to eat natural meat, which is raised freely in nature, it is popular, says Eliasson.