This week has been absolutely wild, in every possible sense of the word! The contrasts have been wild, the workload has been wild (yes, more than usual 😅), new wild lessons have come to me, wild energy has unfolded in the pool, the employees are absolutely working hard to get everything done, and the wild plants are just bursting at the seams! Everything is wildly beautiful, but quite demanding and 😮💨
The week actually started on the weekend when Kyle Chalmers, an Olympic swimmer from Australia, participated in the Bergen Swim Festival together with 832 other swimmers, where I as a coach had Ylva and Anna with me 🏊♀️ and we got to see when Kyle swam the fastest 50 freestyle in the world this year, in Bergen! It was so extremely cool, and the AdO arena lifted! The Norwegian boys in the heat with him were also absolutely fantastic, and I felt how important swimming is to me 🩵 Yes, that joy of sport gives so much 😁! My two good girls swam really well, and Anna qualified for the Youth Championship!! Absolutely incredible fun 🤩
We stayed overnight at the cabin at Sotra and after the swimming competition on Saturday we enjoyed a boat trip at sunset, and my mom caught a really nice cod 🐟 I was completely shaking!
Then it was straight from Bergen to Beitostølen on Sunday evening, where Ylva suddenly (yes, on just a few hours' notice actually) had gotten an internship at Beitostølen Helsesportsenter 🤭 A great place to be, and she's absolutely over the moon with everything she's learned, and all the great people she's meeting! 🤩
Anyway, mom drove of course, and not just one, but two roads were closed up to Beitostølen, so three overtired ladies finally jumped in the car on a heavily damaged road and we had fits of laughter at all the comical things that happened on the trip 🚗
The next morning I drove home and then had plenty of time in the car for a phone meeting with two handsome guys in Tromsø who wanted to have a chat and some input ahead of their launch of a very exciting company with exactly the same values as Vossabia and I have 🐝 Back at the farm I jumped out of the car and went straight into a second interview with a potential new employee. And I wasn't even finished with it before a huge truck with trailers and a 10 ton compressor in tow arrived - to drill for water. I got to watch this for the first time - and was completely fascinated 🤓! Imagine that they drill 180 meters down and manage to handle all this heavy and violent equipment and at the same time are completely calm and sane 😱 Tough!
On the slopes with the well drillers, I of course took the opportunity to check that the Bee Bread, i.e. the willow pollen, is ready for the bees. A super important source of protein for the bees now that they have started to fly out after the winter 🐝
Tuesday was a webinar and lecture for Bondens Marked Norge producers. It was really rewarding to be able to give some inspiration and hopefully motivation and knowledge to producers who are so committed to fantastic products and who deserve people to discover their great products 🫶 We are part of Bondens Marked Bergen, and markets have ALWAYS been very important to Vossabia. It is not just a salsa arena for us, but most importantly it is a meeting place between us as producers and you as consumers 🙏🥰
We have been at markets for 21 years and will continue to do so, it is so important and fantastic! See you at Vossa Jazz Market on Saturday? 😉 Or the Garden Fair 24-26.4? Or next time come to Bondens Marked Bergen in May?
The conversations and lessons we can share from each side of the table about the products are so invaluable. And last but not least: experiencing the customers' engagement and interest in the products and the company is vital to keeping the strong drive and motivation up! 💚 Thank you to all those who come to markets, and to those who haven't been to markets yet: it's an experience that you can only look forward to ✨
Then there has been production from 6 in the morning to 23 in the evening. The employees of course have their hours from 8-16, but in busy times like this I skip yoga in the morning and produce before the others come, and last night Emil and I stayed up until 23 and produced together. It's really hard, but also very cozy and nice 🤗 It was wonderful to stand there with my talented son and work together and have nice conversations and feel how passionate we are about the same things 🥹
There are a lot of nettles growing outside now, but they are a little too small yet.. yes, I need to be a little patient… or no, I don't need to: I have a lot of big, nice, and ready-to-pick nettles in my greenhouse! Does anyone else grow both nettles and peaches in their greenhouse 😂?
Packaging is a wildly exciting topic – even though it may not sound like it at first glance! But, when you get to talk to a super expert, a whole new world opens up! And I did that yesterday! Then I met a Danish packaging expert who came to Bergen on an errand to meet Vossabia! Finally! 😊 And that's after years of doing research, having many meetings, agents in Europe on the matter, and trade fair visits – yes, I've actually been researching packaging for Vossabia products for over 17 years 🐝
Last fall, Linda and I were at the ScanPack trade fair in Gothenburg, and now after meeting Jakob from Denmark, I finally feel that something big is on the way! However, I don't want to replace today's packaging until we have an alternative that is truly better – not only for the environment (which is number 1), but also for quality, safety, aesthetics and security of supply, and a long list of demands on my part.. 🌍
Because plastic is not just plastic. Glass and aluminum have their advantages and challenges. Raw materials, production, transport, recycling and sorting options, and the environmental impact of all these steps – everything has to be taken into account. As Jakob said: “There is no one packaging solution that is best in everything.” 💡
We are therefore sticking to recycled and recyclable plastic and glass bottles where it works – until further notice! Because Jakob has now received specific assignments from me after many valuable insights he shared with me – and I am very excited to show what we end up with. There are some pretty exciting things going on in any case. But things take time as always, and it is important to use the time needed 🙏
♻️ In the meantime, I ask you, dear customers: recycle and reuse bottles and jars! Recycling is actually the most environmentally friendly thing we can do 🥺 I've used our jars for beads and small items for the kids, for spices on the stove and when camping, and maybe you have some even more creative ideas? 💭
The well-drilling crews drove over parts of my shampoo field where the Kjerringrokken is now on its way. Guess if there will be a lawsuit then, hahaha. Check it looks like a small asparagus then! In a month, the whole meadow will be full of the shampoo's beautiful main ingredient!
In 45 minutes the next candidate for a new position will arrive with us, and I'm looking forward to two exciting second interviews today, before I rush into the pool and become a seamstress 😅 Then there will probably be some production tonight and, hopefully, Emil will join us, and maybe my sister Heidi will come and assist and pack orders in the evening with us? That would be super cozy 💖 Then I'm going to make some brenneslepesto for Heidi so she can test it on the pizza base, because it's amazing. Absolutely extremely good on pasta and in salads and much more. You said the recipe, yes, it's so good 😋
And then there's Vossa Jazz!! We're going to the square in Voss on Saturday with our nice stall , and I'm trying to get out in the evening for some music and mingling, it would have been a nice start to Easter! Hope to see you at the square - and feel free to share pictures of your creative recycling ideas or pesto experiments 😁
Happy Easter to all of you!! 🐣💚🐝
Greetings from Voss,
Renate, Queen Bee 🐝 in Vossabia
Renate, Queen Bee 🐝 in Vossabia