People of DeLaval: Elisa Kervinen is building trust, one farm at a time

Growing up on a family-owned dairy farm, Elisa Kervinen, 28, Sales representative in Liminka, Finland, always loved cows and developed a passion for all aspects of farm life. While she knew early that she wanted to stay close to agriculture, she was also drawn to other parts of the dairy production chain.

At just 26 years old, Elisa joined the Finnish DeLaval team. For Elisa, sales is all about building trust with customers: trust in her as a knowledgeable professional who can support them in their daily work, and trust in knowing that she genuinely cares about their individual farms and understands their specific needs. 

“It is a great advantage to have grown up on a farm. I know exactly what life is like for the farmers in my sales area – basically, we speak the same language. When I was growing up, my family used a conventional milking system and had around 60 cows. In 2013, my family decided to invest in a robotic milking system. They wanted everyday tasks to be easier, reduce the physical workload, and create opportunities to grow. Today they have around 120 cows, so I really understand what that transition means. I’ve seen the process of going from conventional milking to robotic milking, and it makes it easier for me to talk about it with farmers who plan to do the same.”

“I understand our customers and sales conversations come naturally to me. My experience from the breeding company also comes in handy on many occasions. When I talk to customers, I truly understand their needs. Even though I am still new to my job, I am able to make great connections with farmers and gain their trust. I usually take extra time to visit our customers and show genuine interest."

"Most importantly, I have learned that when you promise something, you have to deliver. Don’t let customers down, even if it’s only something small you promised to follow up on. You have to do it on time, because our customers’ time is important. Make yourself available – but of course not too available, such as answering questions every hour of the day,” she says with a laugh. 

Elisa describes her current role as a dream job. Looking ahead, she is keen to continue learning and hopes to travel more internationally for work.

“When my daughter is a bit older,” she adds. 

More women in the business
Elisa is passionate about encouraging more women to pursue sales roles within the farm and dairy business.  

While progress is being made, she wants to show other women that it is possible to be both young and female and succeed in sales within the agricultural industry.

“Many of the farmers I meet are still men. And yes, I was a little nervous in the beginning – what if they didn’t trust me or think I had enough knowledge of the technical details? But it hasn’t been an issue. It’s all about understanding what customers expect from us. Farmers expect efficiency. They are always looking for better processes, and your job is to be clear, simple, and straightforward in your communication.”

As more young farmers begin investing in milking robots, Elisa believes diversity within sales teams will be increasingly important – and good for business. 

A passion for challenges
The best thing about working at DeLaval is the challenges. Every day is different, with new tasks and new situations to handle. There is also competition from other companies, which Elisa describes as something that helps her grow and develop every day.

“The best feeling is closing a deal. It makes me so happy – ‘Yes, I did it!’ – but more importantly, the customer is happy and I’ve helped make their day‑to‑day work easier. Finnish people are quite funny in that way: if they are happy, they are usually just silent. If they are really happy, they might send you a short text saying, ‘You did well,’ or something like that. Nothing more. But when you get that text, you know they are very happy, and that feeling is a real rush,” Elisa laughs.

She enjoys competition from other companies and likes the work of explaining how DeLaval’s systems can help farmers in ways that other solutions cannot.

“Competition is good, it makes us better. When my family invested in robotic milking many years ago, they chose another brand. And that’s actually a good thing for me in my sales role, because it helps me compare the robots and the equipment we offer. It comes naturally for me to talk about how easy those everyday tasks could be with our solutions at DeLaval.”

In her personal life, Elisa also loves to challenge herself. Together with her husband and friends, she enjoys visiting escape rooms – places where you spend an hour in themed rooms solving puzzles, mysteries, and quizzes as a team.

“I love the team feeling, and that’s something I experience a lot when working at DeLaval as well. The team spirit is great, and we are constantly moving forward together. I could never imagine working in a job where I’m alone most of the time, without interacting with people, or in an office job where I never get to go out and meet customers.”

When she is not trying out new escape rooms with her friends, her time is devoted to family.

“I spend all my free time with my family. It’s wonderful to watch my little daughter grow up. We are very active and spend a lot of time outdoors. My husband also grew up on a farm, so this lifestyle is part of who we are – just not on a farm. When summer comes, we love going cycling together. We have a bike trailer for our daughter, so we can take long trips.”

Together, they decided that they both wanted to work within the agricultural industry, without taking over their family farms.

“We want to live our lives like this. It was a difficult decision not to take over the family farm, of course. Farming is hard work, and there are great benefits to working for someone else. I have great respect for all farmers, and the hard, demanding work they do to provide us with clean and healthy food.”