Scan Magazine | Special Theme | A Taste of Sweden
Rising from the ashes When it was announced that the Skedvi Bröd crispbread bakery would close its doors, it looked like over 90 years of baking craftsmanship would be lost forever. Yet the impassioned support of the local community and others has helped ensure that the historic bakery’s woodfire ovens are burning brightly once more. By Liz Longden | Photos: Maria Hansson
The local area around Stora Skedvi, in Dalarna, has a strong tradition of artisanal food producers, but arguably none as iconic as Skedvi Bröd. The crispbread bakery has been at the heart of the village since the 1920s, and generations of master bakers have established its name as a familiar and trusted staple at Swedish tables. It is unsurprising, therefore, that the decision to close the bakery in 2013 caused shock and anger. Not only would it mean the loss of local jobs, but, as the 66 | Issue 121 | February 2019
old ovens were torn out, it was as if the village itself was also losing a piece of its heart. “There was a long tradition of baking in the village, and it was a source of huge pride for people here,” explains Maria Adeström-Jonsson, marketing manager at Skedvi Bröd. “It wasn’t just that it was a local business. There was a feeling that it was part of their identity and history.” Determined not to take the closure lying down, within months of the bakery’s closure, two entrepreneurs had vowed to
buy the building and start up production once again, with the local community soon rallying around. Through a crowdfunding project, 733 people together donated 600,000 Swedish kronor to fund the building of new ovens, while a number of private companies also chipped in, in some cases carrying out building work for free or donating materials. It seemed that no one was left unmoved by the bakery’s plight — not even A-list celebrities. “The team behind the reopening had been casting around for suitable potential investors, and one day they were approached by Benny Andersson of ABBA,” Adeström-Jonsson explains. “He had eaten a lot of the crispbread during his childhood and thought it was wrong that the bakery had been closed, so he got in touch, saying that he’d like to help.”