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Posted in: Denmark Posted on

Kinga Eysturland on Faroese Food

Isolated in the North Atlantic, for many years the Faroese largely relied on eating what was found in the environment around them. They learned to use every bit of animal and how to store and preserve as much as possible for as long as possible resulting in a fascinating and unique food culture that I discuss with Kinga Eysturland who runs a bed & breakfast in the Faroes and is an author of “Faroe Islands: A Tourist & Cultural Guidebook.

This episode was recorded live on @nordicfoodtech‘s Instagram. If you’d like to see the foods Kinga shows and tells about, follow the link to the video here. 

  • 4:30 How the Faroe Island’s history and geography has influenced its food traditions
  • 12:30 Faroese fermentation or ræst and why it’s a revelation
  • 17:30 The Faroe Island’s alcohol prohibition and the upcoming beverage scene
  • 24:00 The influence of Koks and eating-out culture in the Faroes
  • 30:30 The dishes Kinga serves for a Faroese dinner

And my fall coaching program is now open! If you are an entrepreneur or changemaker looking to make a business or leadership breakthrough, sign up for a chemistry call here to work 1-on-1 with me. 

Posted in: Denmark Posted on

The Fabric Source's Mie Tingsager Nielsen on farming fabrics

My guest today is Mie Tingsager Nielsen whose relationship to design and sustainability is expansive. She is a sustainable business advisor at Closed Loop and the manager of The Fabric Source, a sustainable textile library with more than 2,000 sustainable fabrics from more than 200 suppliers around the world that is focused on showcasing the latest and most innovative materials that can be applied across the fashion and textile industry. Join us as we discuss the world of farming fabrics and how textiles made from crops like cotton and hemp are not so different from the agricultural commodities we grow, harvest, and eat.  

Posted in: Denmark Posted on

Juno the Bakery’s Noah Erhun on the resurgence of heritage grains

Noah Erhun has 8 years of experience working in artisanal bakeries in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and today in Denmark where he leads production at Juno The Bakery in Copenhagen. His expertise is in naturally leavened breads and heritage grains. In this episode, Noah takes us on a ride through time and around the world as we explore how heritage grains are making a comeback with the surprising help of Instagram.

  • 1:20 How Noah became a baker
  • 6:30 The resurgence of small craft bakeries
  • 9:00 How industrialization changed the game
  • 14:30 Instagram and the alternative grain economy 
  • 21:40 What you should know about Scandinavia’s heritage grains 

For more conversation, join our community on Instagram and hear more episodes at www.nordicfoodtech.io.

Posted in: Denmark Posted on

Dyrehøj Vingaard’s Betina Newberry on why Scandinavia wine production is good business

Climate change is warming the Nordics making it increasingly possible to produce wine commercially. Recently, the New York Times published a front page article exploring the budding scene of wine makers who see the Nordics as the next frontier. My guest is Betina Newberry who was featured in the article and owns Denmark’s largest vineyard, Dyrehøj Vingaard, along with her brother. This episode is full of insights on what it takes to produce wine in the Nordics and how the industry is developing as Betina shares her entrepreneurial journey. 

  • 1:40 How the vineyard started 
  • 5:00 Lessons learned in starting a Danish vineyard
  • 14:50 How climate change is changing the wine scene
  • 18:30 The taste of Nordic wine
  • 24:50 The future of wine making 

For more conversation, join our community on Instagram and hear more episodes at www.nordicfoodtech.io.

Posted in: Denmark, Iceland Posted on

Wholi Foods’ Malena Sigurgeirsdóttir on why a vegetarian eats insects

Malena Sigurgeirsdóttir is the co-founder of Wholi Foods, which was one of the first European companies to produce products with insect protein. Their portfolio includes snack bites, crisp bread, protein bars, and an insect-based meat alternative, which premiered at Roskilde Festival. 

In this episode, you’ll hear how insects are tiny, but mighty, able to fight poverty, boost nutrition, reduce pollution, and combat climate change. Malena gives us the inside scoop on how they solved her own health issues and why soon they may not feel like such a novel food.  

  • 4:30 The avocado of insects
  • 5:15 How Wholi Foods was started
  • 12:40 Insects vs beef in taste, sustainability, and nutrition
  • 18:50 Vegans, vegetarians, and flexitarians take on insects
  • 29:10 Why the western world needs insects in their diet

For more conversation, join our community on Instagram and hear more episodes at www.nordicfoodtech.io.

Posted in: Denmark, Iceland Posted on

Hey Planet's Malena Sigurgeirsdóttir on why a vegetarian eats insects

Malena Sigurgeirsdóttir is the co-founder of Wholi Foods, which was one of the first European companies to produce products with insect protein. Their portfolio includes snack bites, crisp bread, protein bars, and an insect-based meat alternative, which premiered at Roskilde Festival. 

In this episode, you’ll hear how insects are tiny, but mighty, able to fight poverty, boost nutrition, reduce pollution, and combat climate change. Malena gives us the inside scoop on how they solved her own health issues and why soon they may not feel like such a novel food.  

  • 4:30 The avocado of insects
  • 5:15 How Wholi Foods was started
  • 12:40 Insects vs beef in taste, sustainability, and nutrition
  • 18:50 Vegans, vegetarians, and flexitarians take on insects
  • 29:10 Why the western world needs insects in their diet

For more conversation, join our community on Instagram and hear more episodes at www.nordicfoodtech.io.

Posted in: Podcast Country Posted on

Tas2r's Alexandra Genis on designing food for a post-agriculture age

Alexandra Genis is an artist and the principal designer at TAS2R, a Food Design Studio in Berlin propagating Gastro-Intestinal Science-Fiction. She uses food as a biochemical and visual tool to transmit challenging ideas about ecology, innovation and science. Her projects seek to reframe human perception around what an edible substance is as well as challenge our consumption behaviors. In this episode, we look at the power of art and design to realize new possibilities. 

  • 1:20 The Atoma project (see visual), turning individual molecules into spices
  • 5:20 The complexity of flavor and the limits of what we can taste
  • 12:40 The importance of artificial foods in a post-agricultural age 
  • 25:30 Other design / art projects Alexandra’s worked on 
  • 28:30 Vision for the future food system

This podcast was recorded live at the Future of Food Hackathon in Riga, Latvia and is supported by the Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture. For more conversation, join our community on Instagram and hear more episodes at www.nordicfoodtech.io.

Posted in: Latvia Posted on

Baltic Studies Centre Dr. Mikelis Grivins on foraging across Europe, the Latvian food system, and alternative food networks

Dr. Mikelis Grivins is a senior researcher at the Baltic Studies Centre, a research institute focused on studying sustainable rural and regional development, agro-food systems, farming and innovations. We dive in Dr Grivins work on alternative food networks, foraging, and wild foods across Europe. We also discuss similarities and differences between the Nordic and Baltic food systems. There’s lots of food for thought in this episode as we explore history, philosophy, regulation, black markets, and new perspectives.

  • 2:30 Overview of The Baltic Food System and how it has evolved 
  • 8:30 Why alternative food systems are important
  • 20:00 4 types of foragers across Europe
  • 30:50 Exploitation, transparency & regulation in the wild food market
  • 50:40 The Nordics-Baltic food system and why collaboration is important 

This podcast was recorded live at the Future of Food Hackathon in Riga, Latvia and is supported by the Nordic Council of Minister’s Office in Latvia. For more conversation, join our community on Instagram and hear more episodes on www.nordicfoodtech.io.

Posted in: Denmark, Greenland Posted on

University of Greenland’s Aviaja Lyberth Hauptmann on how the world’s diet revolution is challenging Greenland

For a millennia, the Inuit people have managed to survive off the land of Greenland, an extreme Arctic environment. Assistant Professor Aviaja Lyberth Hauptmann has been conducting a two-year postdoc on the Greenlandic Diet Revolution, which looks at the microbiomes of traditional Greenlandic foods, an almost exclusively animal-based diet.

Aviaja’s work encompasses culture, climate change, nutrition, microbiology, biotech, big industry, and politics. Full of fascinating insights, this conversation will get you thinking about what health really means for humans and the planet and how the two can and can’t be connected. It’s also an important conversation to consider how vulnerable communities fit in to our global climate solutions.

  • 5:20 Overview of diet, traditions, and culture
  • 10:20 Why a plant-based diet is causing problems in Greenland
  • 26:00 Vision for the future food system 
  • 30:30 How Arctic micro-organisms create big business opportunities beyond oil & gas
  • 38:00 Wisdom collected from nature and the Inuits

Join our community on Instagram and find more episodes at www.nordicfoodtech.io. Lastly, Aviaja would love to work with top chefs on how the fascinating and rare fermented foods of Greenland could be used to gain new sorts of taste. If you’re a chef listen in at 35:50 for instructions on how to get in touch!

Posted in: Norway Posted on

TotalCtrl’s Charlotte Aschim on the digital fight against food waste

Charlotte Aschim is CEO and Co-Founder of the Norwegian startup TotalCtrl, which makes food waste prevention software for grocery stores, hotels, and restaurants. Charlotte has been named one of Europe’s most inspiring food waste change makers, one of the top 80 Norwegian leaders under 35, and is a European Green Capital Ambassador. Total Ctrl is looking to integrate with other software companies food management solutions so if you’re in that space, get in touch! in this episode, we also cover:

  • 1:40 How Total Ctrl works
  • 6:00 Players in difference in the food loss and food waste space
  • 14:50 How regulation is affecting the space
  • 16:00 The Norwegian food scene
  • 21:25 Vision for the future and desired collaborations

Join our community on Instagram and find more episodes at www.nordicfoodtech.io