Description
Homemade ice-cream in many flavours, sold on-farm
Per Brunberg uses milk from the farm for manufacturing ice-cream. Driven by an interest in using farm products for good food, he uses no artificial ingredients. He offers ice-cream in a great variety of flavours. The ice-cream is sold on-farm, together with milk and some local pro-ducts. The ice-cream is also delivered to local restaurants and sold at fairs.
The farm maintains close contact with consumers. Numerous groups have visited the farm and a great event is when the cows are let out of the house after winter. Per’s mission is to spread knowledge of farming to a wider audience.
Per’s five pieces of advices on how to develop an idea are: Do what you like to do, sell what you want to eat, fill a niche, create good working conditions and cooperate, involve neighbours and be helpful. “I refuse to do things only for economic reasons. Everything we do has to contribute to the farm and the people working here.”
Reason for the innovation
Passion for ice-cream making and a desire to add value to milk produced on the farm
Per scaled up ice-cream making six years ago. Dealing with the authorities was a problem, as it was a slow process and interpretation of regulations was unclear. Increased skill in making the product has been awarding. Contacts and meeting skilled producers of ice-cream have been of great importance.
Farm description
Environment
- Soil types: From sandy soils to loam
- Climate: Temperate continental climate
- Altitude: 15 m a.s.l
- Slope: 0 %
- The farm is situated in Blekinge, south-east Sweden.
Grassland management
- Grazing: Yes.
- Temporary grassland based on red clover, white clover, timothy, meadow fescue and perennial ryegrass.
- Contracts in harvesting and manure spreading.
Structure
- Annual Work Unit: 4, one involved in ice-cream production. Trainees, including from abroad, work on the farm.
- Organic production
- 220 ha arable land area, of which
- 100 ha temporary grassland area.
- Rape, faba beans, triticale and barley are grown.
Animal performance
- 120 dairy cows (Swedish Red and Hol-stein), producing 9,600 kg milk per year in VMS.
Why it is working
The passion for the product makes for success. Commitment to making a genuine product, interest in developing it and interest in cooperation and communicating about agriculture on the farm. Visitors are the future customers. And the ice-cream is really tasty! The product fills a niche and the farm is strategically close to a highway.
