Local shop in the archipelago
From hobbyist to artisan food entrepreneur
Sabina Ekholm says she started her artisan food business as a hobby. "I've always been interested in cooking, berries, mushrooms, and other natural products, as well as gathering them. I started cooking berries and making different products when I was young. Artisanal food and its production were initially my hobby," Sabina says.
The entrepreneur says she grew strawberries, and the harvest often exceeded her own needs. "I had to freeze the extra berries, but even the freezer started to run out of space. I thought that the berries could also be processed for sale, and I found the first artisan food training courses in Kemiönsaari and Uusimaa in 2013. I went to the training courses and since then I have been working as an artisan food producer," Sabina explains.
Sabina and her husband Torsten live in Kemiö, Kemiönsaari, and Sabina says she is originally from Nauvo. "Torsten is a farmer and farms with his brother. Our joint venture is strawberries, peas, beans, and dill," Sabina explains.
She explains that strawberries are the company's main berry and raw material, and that almost all of their jams contain strawberries. The entrepreneur continues by saying that they also buy locally grown rhubarb, blueberries, lingonberries, and various garden berries as raw materials for their products, in addition to strawberries. Sabina says she develops various products from berries, mainly jams, juices, and jellies.
The entrepreneur says that her company, Närboden/Lähipuoti, is open year-round, where she sells her own products. She says that the products are available in several retail outlets in Kemiönsaari. The entrepreneur adds that Närboden's products are also sold in some places in the Uusimaa and Turku regions.
Strawberry field. Photo: Sabina Ekholm
Local shop. Photo: Sabina Ekholm
Time as a challenge for entrepreneur
According to the entrepreneur, time is always a challenge when you do all the production stages yourself. "I don't have time to cook berries during the summer harvest season, so they have to be frozen and processed during the winter," Sabina says. She says she wants to develop products and do new things. "I would love to do and develop, but I have to slow down so I don't take on too much at once," the entrepreneur reflects.
Sabina says she has experienced moments of happiness when her products have been successful in competitions. She says she has participated in several competitions and won with her products. "Success in competitions has given me the motivation to continue as an entrepreneur," Sabina says.
The entrepreneur adds that she is always happy to receive feedback. "Customer feedback is very valuable and gives me the strength to keep trying, even though sometimes it feels like it takes too much time," the entrepreneur reflects.
Sabina says that she has not had time to develop new products at the moment, but she is fine-tuning her existing products. "I have made strawberry and cherry jam, which is already on sale. I want to develop it a little more, and if I get it ready, I will enter the product in a competition," the entrepreneur reveals.
Sabina and Torsten Ekholm. Photo by Sabina Ekholm
Gold medal from the Artisan Food Championship. Photo by Sabina Ekholm
Experiences from the Finnish Artisan Food Championship and tips for new entrepreneurs
Sabina advises new entrepreneurs to be careful when producing their products. "Always do things as well as you can. When you are careful, you won't suffer setbacks due to carelessness, such as spoiled raw materials," the entrepreneur sums up.
She also advises using good raw materials in products. As a third tip, Sabina encourages people to do things they are genuinely interested in. "Genuine interest and passion for what you do are driving forces in entrepreneurship," says the entrepreneur.
Strawberry jam from the local shop on top of a pancake. Photo: Sabina Ekholm
According to Sabina, previous artisan food competitions have given the company and its products visibility. "People have noticed us, and I've been able to participate in various trade fairs," the entrepreneur explains. She says that Kemiönsaari and the municipality have been interested in the products, inviting her to events and purchasing products.
For the entrepreneur, the most important thing about the competition is the feedback. "Feedback is the most important part of competitions for me. Feedback lets you know what you could do better and what you could develop. Even though it's been nice to win sometimes, feedback is the most important thing," Sabina sums up.
The entrepreneur says that she did not originally plan to enter any competitions, as she is not a competitive person. "I was asked to enter competitions many times, and I would not have dared to participate if others had not encouraged me," Sabina recalls.
She says she has since participated in other competitions. The entrepreneur says she participated in the Nordic Artisan Food Awards competition in Stockholm last year, where she won bronze for her product.
You can find Närboden/Lähipuoti at:
Facebookista:
Närboden/Lähipuoti Sabina och Torsten Ekholm
Instagramista:
@narbodenlahipuoti
Laura Horsma 2.8.2023. English translations made with DeepL translator.