Janne Kouri, CEO and Founder of Non-profit NextStep, Brings Famed Finnish Long Drink to the US Market

**Loncaro, an authentic ready-to-drink Long Drink, crafted by the award-winning Rock Paper Scissors Brewing Co. in Kuopio, Finland, launches in Los Angeles in March 2022.**

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Finnish-American Founder of non-profit NextStep, Janne Kouri, brings Loncaro, the first authentic ready-to-drink (RTD) Long Drink recipe to the US in March 2022. Partnering with his cousin, Samuli Huuhtanen of award-winning Finnish Brewery Rock Paper Scissors, Kouri’s Loncaro will first launch in his home market of Los Angeles, followed by the rest of the US in mid 2022.

“Samuli and I have been dreaming of bringing the national drink of Finland to the US for over 20 years, but this dream was put on hold when I was injured in a diving accident,” explains Kouri. He continues, “Known to all Finns as Lonkero, the citrusy gin-based beverage is light, crisp and easy to drink so we thought it would be ideal to launch in Southern California. We’re starting our roll-out launch in California, which is one of the clever reasons for naming the brand Loncaro (with a CA) instead of its original Finnish name, Lonkero!”

After the tragic diving accident left Kouri paralyzed, he started the non-profit NextStep to make life-changing rehab and fitness accessible and affordable to individuals living with paralysis. With eight locations in the US and abroad, a percentage of profits from Loncaro sales will be used to build more NextStep locations. Kouri lives by the Finnish saying SISU which means courage in the face of adversity, and uses the saying as a motto for Loncaro; the brand’s design partner Matterfulbrands included it on both the can and the website design.

“Loncaro will be one of the first two authentic Long Drinks to help grow the category in the US. Others are coming in as a malt beverage, but don’t be fooled, if it does not contain gin, it is not a real Long Drink,” says Huuhtanen, Brew Master at Rock Paper Scissors.

Finns traditionally enjoy the Long Drink outdoors, so Kouri and his team carefully chose their hometown, Los Angeles, as the launch location because of the diverse outdoor culture. After the Los Angeles launch, Kouri will focus on the rest of California, and neighboring states, before expanding nationally.

Loncaro’s 2022 product launch will first include the authentic Long Drink flavor from Kuopio, Finland, followed by three additional SKUs in 2023.

Follow Loncaro on Instagram, Facebook and learn about the product and mission at loncaro.com.

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