The film is set in director Teemu Nikki's small hometown of Sysmä, with Nikki saying that despite having moved away decades earlier, he was always telling people "wild stories" about the town.
For the Italian premiere, the filmmakers shipped twenty litres of unfermented sahti beer to Rome, before brewing it at the Finnish Embassy there to serve and "introduce this drink to the entire world". Producer Jani Pösö was late to press for the film because he was buying a suitcase for the sahti.
Teemu Nikki originally envisaged the film with male main characters, but when he saw a play starring Elina Knihtilä and Pirjo Lonka he knew he had to cast them: "You don't fuck with these ladies. They demand respect and they are tough, although they carry this darkness with them."
Teemu Nikki, who generally writes roles with specific actors in mind, got Elina Knihtilä and Pirjo Lonka on board ahead of production. After they joined, he spent a year and a half writing the film, working collaboratively with them after each draft.