The history of Tammisto

The History of Tammisto

The main building of Tammisto was commissioned in 1916 by Atte Frank, the director of the Naantali Spa at the time and a descendant of a well-known merchant family. It is believed that his intention was to establish a guesthouse connected to the spa, although there is no definitive evidence of this. However, the building’s floor plan suggests this possibility. With its mansard roof, the estate is a refined manor-style building from the turn of the century.

Despite its manor-like appearance, Tammisto does not have a noble history. Instead, farmer Uuno Nieminen purchased the house in an unfinished state around the 1920s. Through his wife Lyyli, the estate also acquired fields from Siiri Farm, located in Ihala, Raisio. This marked the beginning of Tammisto’s nearly 60-year journey as an agricultural farm. By the mid-1980s, there was no successor to continue farming, and 25 hectares of fields were rented out.

In 2016, the fields returned to the family when Heikki Harismaa, the husband of the current hostess, leased the land for horse hay cultivation. Today, as the city has expanded, Tammisto is situated in the heart of a lush residential area of the same name, nestled between the cities of Naantali and Raisio. A fast road connection brings you to the center of Turku in just ten minutes.

Uuno and Lyyli Nieminen with their family. Next to Uuno is Antti Nieminen, the next master of the estate. The current hostess is Antti’s daughter.

Pirkko Vaissi (née Nieminen), who became the daughter-in-law of the family in the 1960s, started the accommodation business at Tammisto in the 1990s. She was one of the pioneers of bed and breakfast hospitality in the Turku region. A few years later, Moominworld opened on Kailo Island in Naantali, leading to a rapid surge in demand for accommodation. Even today, Tammisto remains especially popular among families with children.

Pirkko initially renovated a few rooms in the main building and later converted some of the estate’s outbuildings for guest use. During her years as hostess, Tammisto also hosted numerous meetings, corporate events, and family celebrations. Pirkko retired in 2008, passing the reins of the business to her daughter, Anu.

Pirkko Vaissi lived on the estate for nearly 50 years.

Tammiston Entrepreneur Anu Vaissi-Harismaa

The current hostess of the estate, representing the third generation, returned to her roots in 2008. Anu Vaissi-Harismaa is a trained à la carte chef and later pursued further education in hotel, restaurant, and catering management. She spent 17 years living in Helsinki and also worked abroad at times, gaining experience in Helsinki’s fine dining restaurants before settling back in her childhood surroundings.

Over the years, Anu has expanded the accommodation business from six units to fifteen, with around 50 guests staying on the estate daily during the summer season. For the first ten years, Tammisto hosted numerous private events and celebrations, but in 2022, the opening of Tammiston Kuulas restaurant—right in the midst of the pandemic—shifted the business focus. Since then, private events have no longer been hosted on the estate.

Anu has drawn inspiration for her restaurant from traditional agrarian culture and the estate’s history. Guests can enjoy a Picnic under the apple trees, sip on “Syytinkiläinen“, and watch sheep graze at the garden’s edge—or have coffee in the spirit of artist Katri Tätilä. The restaurant was an instant success and, in its first summer, was awarded the Master Award by Visit Naantali and the City of Naantali for its contribution to local tourism. Additionally, Anu’s “Picnic Under the Apple Tree” concept received national recognition as Finland’s Food Tourism Product of the Year in 2023.

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Our Sustainability Promise

Our Mission is that at Tammiston, everyone—guests, staff, partners, and the business—feels welcome. We work consistently to ensure that you, as our guest, can enjoy your stay with peace of mind.

We also use locally produced food, products, and services, clearly marking them so that they are easy for you to find. Through these choices, we aim to strengthen the local economy. We monitor the amount of waste we produce and continuously strive to reduce general waste by recycling and sorting. We also track our food waste and work to minimize it.

In our daily operations, we only use environmentally certified cleaning chemicals and soft paper products. We follow dosage instructions to reduce the accumulation of chemicals in the environment.

We take responsibility for both people and the environment!