About us

Few places combine culture and history as strongly as Café Ursula.

Although coffee moments have been enjoyed at the tip of the Kaivopuisto peninsula since the 1800s, the story of Ursula began in the 1950s when a group of determined women from Helsinki set out to realize their dream of a café, with the proceeds directed to a charity association.

By collecting bottles and newspapers, they raised enough money to build a small cabin-sized café named after the patron saint of women, Ursula, on the shore of Kaivopuisto in 1952, in preparation for the Helsinki Summer Olympics, providing a place for relaxation and refreshment.

Over the decades, the café has been expanded multiple times, but it has only operated year-round since 1986. Today, Ursula is a cozy lunch restaurant and café for all Helsinki residents, where one can proudly bring foreign guests to enjoy the cuisine, the sea view, and, on certain days, also high-quality music.

Ursula’s tradition as a benefactor continues. Tradeka-yhtiöt Oy donates 10% of its annual profit to support public welfare activities.

The owners are Tradeka and Kansan Sivistysrahasto 

Tradeka-Yhtiöt Oy purchased two-thirds of the shares in the Café-Restaurant Ursula on March 4, 2024. The previous owners represented five social welfare organizations that work for the benefit of mothers, children, and the elderly. The owners were Helsingin Ensikoti ry, Kansan Sivistysrahasto sr, Kesäkotiyhdistys Kallioniemi ry, Lomakoti Kotoranta ry, and Pienperheyhdistys ry. Kansan Sivistysrahasto sr will continue as an owner of Ursula with one-third of the shares. This arrangement strengthened Ursula’s financial base and made it possible to build a new café and restaurant building to replace the current one.

Tradeka-Yhtiöt Oy is responsible for managing Tradeka’s business operations. It fully owns Restel Oy, which operates in the restaurant sector, Lehtipiste Oy, which handles newspaper distribution, Med Group Oy, a social and healthcare service company, A-Katsastus Group Oy, which offers vehicle inspection services and driver’s license testing, and Tradeka-sijoitus Oy, an investment company. The group’s revenue in 2023 was 554 million euros, with a full-time equivalent workforce of 3,857 employees.

Kansan Sivistysrahasto is a private foundation that works closely with trade unions and workers’ organizations. The foundation was established in 1955 and registered in the foundation register in early 1956. The foundation’s assets are approximately 20 million euros.

The foundation grants scholarships upon application to creators in science and the arts, students, hobbyists, organizations, and working groups.

The core idea of Ursula has always been that the profits are directed towards charity and socially impactful activities.