Directory

Bovik Organic Farm in Tammisaari, Raseborg, focuses on native livestock breeds – Finnsheep and Eastern Finncattle. It’s the largest regenerative farm in Uusimaa to raise animals on pasture, with their grazing helping maintain the region’s biodiversity and landscapes. Animals are raised for meat, and in winter they are fed organic feed and fodder. The farm also makes use of Finnsheep fur, turning it into yarn and hides.

Green Beanie is the craft soda range from Under Ytan, a mariculture company growing algae and seaweed in Åland. The team—Joel Lindholm, Viktor Eriksson, Johan Törnqvist, and Anders Ingves—has experimented with different products from microalgae and seaweed, and this is their first line of drinks. Their Gutweed and Bladderwrack sodas are named after two common seaweeds from the northern archipelago, blended with hops, sugar, spices, vinegar, and citrus. The result is a craft soda with a subtle mineral edge, carrying a hint of the sea.

Helsieni grows oyster mushrooms using only local materials, like spent coffee grounds collected from nearby cafes. After harvest, the growing medium is reused or composted back into the soil. Based in Karjaa, they also run workshops, offer advice for mushroom growers, and make home kits so anyone can try growing mushrooms themselves.

Hongola Gård, owned by the Furuhjelm family, is an organic livestock farm in Urjala. The farm has reared cattle for over 300 years on the estate’s forest pastures, and still today the cows are permitted to move around these areas freely between spring and autumn. In 2017 the family introduced Black Angus cows, a Scottish breed, which are fed only naturally grown field grass. That means that the meat is formally classified as “grass-fed beef”. The farmhouse itself dates back to the 1600s, and is said to have inspired the Under the North Star trilogy by Väinö Linna, whose mother worked in the house. Hongola Gård hosts an annual harvest festival with local artisans and producers open for visitors.

Svarfvars is an organic farm located in Raseborg. They produce organically and biodynamically grown goods for schools, kindergartens and restaurants in the capital area and in western Uusimaa – selling both their own grown vegetables, but also sell and import other organic products. Currently their focus is on growing vegetables and herbs both in open fields and in greenhouses heated with wood chips.

Under Ytan works with algae and seaweed in Åland, with the aim of shifting how the Baltic Sea is seen and cared for. The team – Joel Lindholm, Viktor Eriksson, Johan Törnqvist and Anders Ingves – is developing a mariculture project in Björkskär, growing macroalgae and seaweed, with plans to include mussels as the system grows. They’re currently moving from prototypes towards a full farming setup. The work supports biodiversity while producing food at the same time, something the team enjoys exploring in the kitchen, from sesame-fried Ulva with chilli to sea truffle mayonnaise.