Ühismets is a communal fund that makes forest ownership accessible. It also manages the forest so that investors can feel good about their investment. They will literally see it grow over the years.

While making forest ownership easy, we had to make it accessible to people who don’t know much about financial services. People who are risk-averse, looking for a reliable investment. Ideally in something that they can touch and feel. Normal people who are wary of the financial mumbo-jumbo and cautious about investments that promise a quick return.

A brand that has to work in the wild

The forest is an emotional investment.
But a sustainable one.

The identity system has to be robust and reliable. The communal character of it means that it needs to work on many levels and for people with different levels of expectations – experienced investors and first-timers, city slickers and tree-huggers, forestry professionals and financial gurus.

Ühismets is also very value based. The fund was founded by people who care about their country and want to be commercially successful without exploiting the land and trees on it. Grown responsibly, forestry is a sustainable business that benefits everyone. Therefore the founders are also looking for investors who share this attitude. Brand Manual worked with the client team to define these values and to set a common goal for everyone involved.

Ühismets truly believes that it is the best possible owner for the forest. Everybody wins – Estonia stays one of the most forest dense countries in Europe. Investors know that their money grows at a steady annual 3,5–4,5%. The fund is transparent – investors can monitor the value of their shares online or take a walk in the forest bound by orange signs. All activities – from planting to maintaining to harvesting – are reported.

Ühismets strives to become the definitive private forest owner in Estonia. Its aim is to become a benchmark of good forest ownership and also a top of mind investment opportunity. That will take years to accomplish – but it was never meant to be a fast buck.