Together with FoodHost and Vallentuna municipality we conducted a study trip. Our focus was on local food and shorter food chains. And how coordinated distribution can work in practice.
During the day we visited Hallens mill in Kilafors. There Kjell and Jimmy talked about the business and their experiences of selling via MatVärden Market. We got to see and hear how local products can reach more customers through a shared digital marketplace and functioning logistics.
The journey then continued to Bollnäs folk high school, where we learned how the school uses MatVärden Market to purchase local ingredients for its kitchen. The principal explained why they chose to work with local food, and treated us to a fantastic lunch made with ingredients from local producers.
We also got to listen to Ingmarie Jakobsson, manager at ICA Maxi Bollnäs, who talked about how the store uses MatVärden Market. She emphasized why the collaboration is valuable from both a customer and store perspective.
A big thank you to Nanna, Britt-Marie, Daniel, and Anna from MatVärden! During the day they told, explained, and answered questions about how MatVärden Market works. From the producers' setup to orders, customers, and logistics. But also the opportunities to expand into more geographical areas.
The study trip provided many concrete examples of how local producers, public kitchens, restaurants, stores, and other customers can be connected through a common solution. For us at Upplandsbygd, this is an important part of the work with the project We Eco-entrepreneurs, where we want to strengthen local food chains, increase collaboration, and explore whether we can establish MatVärden Market in our area.
Thank you to everyone who joined and contributed with questions, experiences, and engagement during the day!
The study trip was part of the project We Ecopreneurs
