Thunder at Herresta Lada
Entrepreneurial couple Tord and Helene Olsson had a dream of swapping city life for a more rural existence. When they first visited Herresta Lada in Odensala in 2012, they knew they had come to the right place. Two months after moving in, the first Christmas market was held at Herresta Lada – with a shop, art exhibition and organic café. Since then, the business has been booming and they are now aiming to realise their next vision.
Designed homes for small animals and insects are created here!
Hi Tord, tell us more about Herresta Lada!
We have owned Herresta Lada for ten years and renovated it for eight years, precisely to be able to run different types of businesses. It offers an organic café, accommodation, conferences, wedding parties, courses – and storage, diversity is just that!
What inspired you to pursue more sustainable entrepreneurship?
As a self-employed person and consultant, I have long wondered how I could contribute to something meaningful for the environment. I was introduced to the Sustainable Entrepreneurship 2030 program, where I came into contact with both business developers and environmental experts. It opened the door to the idea of how we could use our existing facility to ”give back.”.
Has the business changed since you were accepted into the program?
Herresta Lada is rolling on as it has done before. But in a conversation with an environmental expert from the program, the idea of creating an inspiration garden for biodiversity emerged. Now I am sketching 15 designed habitats for various insects and animals such as birds, hedgehogs, pollinators, bats and more. We want our visitors to be inspired to create habitats in their own gardens. The ongoing extinction of species is devastating, we want to be a place of inspiration for biodiversity.
What does sustainable entrepreneurship mean to you?
Overall, it is about preserving and developing what we have, and never depleting finite resources. A former mentor of mine described life as three phases. The first phase is about educating and learning. The second is about applying the knowledge in professional life, and the third phase is about giving back to society – that has become my mantra in life.
Do you have any tips for others who want to pursue more sustainable entrepreneurship?
It is easy to fumble between being profitable and being sustainable at the same time. It is important to have a holistic view of life so that you can navigate and make wise decisions that do not consume or become destructive for either you or the environment. The key to sustainable entrepreneurship is to find models that work in the long term and where financial concerns do not stand in the way of daring to test.