Our Team
Tuulia Järvinen
Co-Founder and CEO
Superpower of Chief Dreammaker!
What’s your role?
My job is to bring the story of Vegemi alive and support our amazing team to be in the best position to make Vegemi’s veggie adventures available for as many children and families as possible! We dream of a world where all the kids would understand the link between healthy choices and their health, and find the best possible ways and collaboration models to make it our reality. It’s sometimes challenging, but also very rewarding and always changing – I never have a boring day!
If you could be a fruit/veggie, what would you be and why?
I’d be an avocado – versatile, supports brain function, and stabilises blood sugar. This is what I’d love to bring to everyone through good nutrition!
Emilia Järvinen
Co-founder and COO
Superpower of Chief Inspirer!
What’s your role?
My job is to make sure every child’s learning journey with Vegemi is as educative, effective and exciting as possible! With our creative and skilled team we aim to meet children and their families everywhere their daily choices are affected and made – to create impact as wide as possible – my role is to also support our team in that.
The best thing in my work is to see how people are touched and inspired with our little Veggie hero Vegemi. So happy to be able to be part of the positive impact Vegemi makes.
If you were a fruit or vegetable, which one would you be and why?
Definitely apple!! In Finnish it’s actually one of my nicknames 😉 The apple is fresh, sweet and tangy, and it’s packed full of vitamins, fibre and energy – the perfect snack to take for an adventure! Like Vegemi and apples – I like to bring positive energy and a sense of encouragement and adventure to our education and also to our team.
Laura Holland
Co-Founder and CIO
Superpower of Chief Global Grower
What’s your role?
My job is to make sure Vegemi travels around the world, making friends with as many children and families as possible, from all different countries and backgrounds. Through international collaborations and partnerships, we inspire fun foodie adventures that nourish minds and bodies, whilst nurturing our beautiful planet through sustainable food choices, which makes Vegemi very happy too!
If you were a fruit or vegetable, which one would you be and why?
Blueberries… all those antioxidants and that beautiful colour provide powerful and protective nutritional qualities! I’d love every child to feel powerful and protected.
Justus Hämäläinen
CTO
Superpower of Chief Digital Creator
What’s your role?
My job is to drive the tech development of Vegemi, across all platforms, but in particular the Vegemi App!
Cecilia Portnoj
Project manager
Superpower of Innovator and Nutrient Navigator
What’s your role?
I work with maintaining the relationship with our existing partners as well as prospecting for new partners and cooperations both in Finland and other Nordic countries. In addition to this I create new cooperation models, take care of project management and create nutrition-related content and materials!
If you were a fruit or vegetable, which one would you be and why?
I’d be a sea buckthorn – I love living by the sea and preferably in the archipelago!
Emma Richardson
International Projects and Marketing Manager
Superpower of Global Grower and Content Innovator
What’s your role?
I work on internationalising Vegemi, researching and connecting us with new markets, partners and customers. Paired with this, I also work on our ever-evolving tech and educational content development, and on our marketing and communications!
If you were a fruit or vegetable, which one would you be and why?
I’d be a strawberry, – aka, at its best after plenty of sunlight!
Katri Tolvanen
Social Media Manager
Superpower of Social Networks and Content Creator!
What’s your role?
I’m Katri, nice to meet you! I work at Vegemi as a Content Creator, and my job is to bring the voice, face and thoughts of Vegemi to the public – to bring the journey of as many children and families as possible together with Vegemi through the power of social media!
My work includes a lot of content planning: searching for information and inspiration, doing visual things like photography and editing, and tracking data. I also produce various text content for Vegemi’s website and app, and I am involved in developing various learning materials for early childhood education as well. The best thing about working at Vegemi is that I get to be really creative and get to do many kinds of things with a lovely and professional team!
If you were a fruit or vegetable, which one would you be and why?
I would definitely be a tomato! I have loved delicious tasty tomatoes for as long as I can remember. I picked tomatoes from my grandmother’s vegetable garden as a child and now as an adult I hunt for good tomatoes, for example on trips.
If you’d like to get in touch with any member of our team, drop us an email! hi@vegemi.com
Our Advocates
Leonor Diaz Alcantara
Former CEO Montessori Global Education and Early Years Education Expert
“In a world where unhealthy food choices are all too common, Vegemi is leading the way by making fruits and vegetables fun and engaging for children. It’s not just about teaching children what to eat—it’s about using child-led tools to inspire a lifelong love for healthy nutrition, and empowering children to make food choices that nourish both mind and body. With Vegemi, we’re nurturing the foundation for healthier, happier futures for our children.”
Heli Kuusipalo
Senior Specialist, Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare
“Vegemi is a new kind of app that appeals to children, complemented with an educational method to inspire children about the health benefits of vegetables and to increase their consumption of vegetables. The microbiome hero Vegemi and the superpowers of vegetables is an innovative way to bring the health benefits of vegetables into the world of children. It is important that we have new tools for children’s food education and for strengthening the revised Nordic nutrition recommendations in the everyday lives of families with children.”
Kristiina Patja
Professor, Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki
“It’s clear that we need new prevention tools widely implemented to solve the health crisis globally. Finland has a crucial role in this. It’s important to create a life cycle approach to health promotion, and Vegemi is a great example from the beginning of the life cycle. I’m eagerly following the development and international expansion of this new Finnish innovation!”
Maijaliisa Erkolla
Professor, Department of Nutrition, University of Helsinki
“It is great to see a Finnish, science-based solution gaining international attention! The low consumption of vegetables by children and unhealthy diets are global health challenges that need to be addressed. Hopefully, Vegemi can play a significant role in this by offering food and nutrition education to children in a new and exciting way. This is also crucial for the implementation of the new Nordic and national nutrition recommendations.”