Scan Magazine | Special Theme | A Taste of Sweden
Photo: Fredrik Rege
Hot potatoes Larsviken, a family-owned farm in the county of Skåne in southern Sweden, is run by a group of seventh and eighth-generation potato enthusiasts. Despite its long and proud history, this farm is certainly not stuck in the past. With a deep commitment to environmentally friendly agricultural methods, Larsviken is modernising the noble art of potato farming. By Pia Petersson | Photos: Larsviken
The most telling proof of Larsviken’s aim to constantly keep a finger on the pulse of modern and eco-friendly farming methods is perhaps its crisp production. The farm is, thus far, the only crisps manufacturer in Sweden that has kept the whole chain of potato cultivation, washing, sorting and production at the farm. Naturally, the potato lovers at Larsviken really care about how the crisps are produced and what they contain. “We’ve chosen to only use cold-pressed rapeseed oil from Skåne, which is unique in the crisp production context. Larsson’s crisps contain both Omega 3 and Omega 6, derived from the nutritious rapeseed oil,” Bitte Persson, who belongs to the seventh 88 | Issue 109 | February 2018
generation of the family at Larsviken, explains. Together with her brother, Bertil Larsson, Bitte owns and runs the farm these days. At the heart of Larsviken, in addition to the production of crisps, lies traditional potato farming methods. “While striving to bring the family’s proud cultivation traditions onwards, we also curiously look into the future. Lots of different potatoes grow here at Larsviken – 550 different varieties, in fact. We constantly try both new and old varieties to find those best suited to grow in our soils,” says Persson. Crucial to how Larsviken is run is a firm environmentally friendly approach to
modern farming. “We run our farm and the entire company according to LISA, which stands for Low Input Sustainable Agriculture. As a result, we’re trying to produce as little waste as possible and strive to make sure that we recycle and reuse everything in the most optimal manner,” Persson explains. Naturally there is a farm shop at Larsviken, selling plenty of tasty products, mainly consisting of homegrown meat and vegetables produced at the farm. The main attraction? You guessed it: it is potatoes, of course – what else?
Web: www.larsviken.se