Greenland's Maliina Abelsen on unleashing sustainable solutions

Maliina Abelsen is the Head of Programme at UNICEF in Greenland. From 2009-2013 she was a Member of Parliament in the Greenlandic Inatsisartut where she first served as the Minister of Social Affairs and Equality and then as the Minister of Finance. She has also served as the CCO of Air Greenland and the CEO of the Arctic Winter Games 2016. This episode was recorded in Nuuk as part of the UNLEASH Regional Innovation Lab, which gathered 200 people under the age of 35 from the Arctic and Nordics to develop solutions to the challenges we are facing as a region. We had a particular focus on biodiversity, education, and health and wellbeing. In this episode, we discuss what creating a sustainable solution from indigenous knowledge and modern science and technology can look like, why food is a powerful healer, and how we must consider the whole in our creations.

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Related Links

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Aviaja Lyberth Hauptmann on the Greenlandic Diet Revolution

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More episodes on the Nordics food heritage

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Trailer: Sumé – The Sound of a Revolution

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Kitchen Collective Founder Mia Maja Hansson on launching new food ventures

Mia Maja Hansson has been super influential in nurturing Copenhagen’s food startup scene. She launched Kitchen Collective, one of the first test kitchens in Europe followed by a co-working collective and street food festival for startups to test new products. The red thread in everything she does is a vision to create a more sustainable, diverse food culture that’s supported by healthy businesses and healthy people. In today’s episode, we talk to Mia Maja about her journey, common mistakes she sees food entrepreneurs make, and recommendations for running a test kitchen.

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Aarstiderne Founder Søren Ejlersen on pioneering home grocery delivery

It feels like grocery delivery services and subscription meal boxes are everywhere these days. But it’s actually not that new of a trend. Aarstiderne was one of the first to enter the space over 20 years ago. Today, they supply around 80,000 households in Denmark and 10,000 in Sweden with organic groceries. Their goal is to help more families make green food choices. Join me and the Co-Founder of Aarstiderne Søren Ejlersen as we dive into the highs and low of their startup journey and the philosophy behind their universe of good food ventures.

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Give Feedback, Win $200

Once a year I crowdsource feedback from listeners about the show as well as ideas for future guests / topics you’d like to see me cover. The 10 question survey is now open. Find it here.

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To say thank for answering it, I’m raffling off two prizes! 

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  • A $200 gift certificate to the restaurant of your choice anywhere in the world (the restaurant must agree to / offer digital gift certificates). The goal here is to support small businesses and good food 
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  • 3 coaching sessions with me. We can tackle any problems you might be facing around designing what’s next in your life to your career, biz advice, pitch deck review, etc. We will co-create what the sessions should look like together (this is the same process I follow with my coaching clients) 
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And if you’re not interested in a prize, but still want to give feedback that’s also okay! I read everything that’s submitted and it really helps me to get to know who is listening and what topics you want to hear more about.

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Deadline to answer the survey is Septmeber 30, 2022. 

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Answer the survey here

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About the Nordic FoodTech Podcast

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Top 10 Most Popular Episodes

Fringe Flavors and Ingredients (Sparks & Honey Guest Post)

If you’re only now talking about turmeric, you’re too late. Sparks & Honey’s Daily Culture Briefings focus on the cultural signals that are constantly shaping our new normal and how that affects your brand. Today, we look at new and emerging ingredients and discuss strategies for determining which flavors are fads and which are here to stay. Our guest expert is Analisa Winther, Host of the Nordic FoodTech Podcast and corporate innovation venture scout. This episode was recorded live on July 19, 2022 at the Sparks & Honey studio in NYC. It’s available as a podcast and video.

Heja Framtiden: Analisa Winther (Guest Post)

Heja Framtiden (Go Future) is a popular Swedish podcast by Christian von Essen. He interviews all kinds of people about the future and how we can make it better. While in Stockholm, I got to pop by his studio to share my story and thoughts on where the future of food is going.nAbout Heja FramtidennAbout the Nordic FoodTech PodcastnThe Top 10 EpisodesnNewsletternLink the show? The biggest way to thank you is by becoming a patron for a few dollars a month on our Substack. Sign up here.

3 Nordic Investors Views on the Future of Food

I pulled together three of the top investors in food and ag from the Nordics for a fast-paced, spirit conversation on how they view and are investing in the future of food. We have Marika King from PINC representing corporate venture capital, Lauri Reuter from the Nordic FoodTech VC looking at the bridge between science and entrepreneurship, and Gustaf Brandberg from the family office of Gullspånge Invest Re:Food, which has an evergreen strucutre. I’ve done individual episodes with each of these investors diving into their backstory and investment thesis. Find those in the show links below. This conversation was recorded at Sweden FoodTech’s Big Meet.

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Gullspång Re:Food Gustaf Brandberg on investing patient capital in the food system

Building a food company and transitioning to more sustainable agriculture takes time and requires more patient capital with a long-term view. Re:food is part of Gullspång Invest, a Swedish family office that operates with an evergreen structure. This means that they can invest for the long term without posing time constraints. Located in Stockholm and San Francisco,  Re:Food invested early in some of the most successful food companies that have come out of the Nordics so far like Oatly and Nick’s. The firm focuses on investing across four themes: alternative proteins & fats, regenerative farming, sustainable supply chains, and healthy diets. In this episode, Re:Food’s Co-Founder Gustaf Brandberg shares the company’s investment thesis, background, and vision for the future food system. 

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Aquaporin on using nature's genius to solve the water crisis

Water is key because we cannot live without it. We needed to nurture and water our crops and to manufacture all kinds of different things. In today’s episode, we explore the future of water as it relates to agriculture and life on Earth. My guest is Peter Holme Jensen, who is the Chief Innovation Officer of Aquaporin. They have developed an innovative technology to treat and filter water on an industrial scale. The design is based on how our bodies naturally filter water through something called an aquaporin protein. In this episode, we dive into Aquaporin’s approach to innovation and how they have built a business based on biomimicry or the science of applying nature’s genius to solve human problems. We also get into the science behind Aquaporin’s technology, why watter matters, and the company’s startup story since it was founded in 2005.

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Nordic Wasabi grows in the greenhouses of Iceland

Real wasabi is rare and expensive. It requires a specific temperature and a constant stream of fresh water to grow, which has isolated it to the mountains of Japan. That was until Nordic Wasabi came along. They’re growing wasabi in Iceland using the country’s natural geothermal energy and freshwater. In today’s episode, we tell Nordic Wasabi’s startup story. We cover everything you could want to know about real wasabi, the amazing possibilities that come with greenhouses, and the challenges of being the first company in Iceland to try and export vegetables.

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