In 1873 the Finnish senate granted Rorstrand of Sweden permission to establish a subsidiary company in Finland and by the following year the Arabia factory on the outskirts of Helsinki began ceramic production. By 1875 there were 110 employees at the factory and within a couple more years Arabia accounted for more than half the ceramic production of Finland. Arabia is now part of the Iittala group of companies and continues to design and manufacture high quality ceramics.