The Nordic Tour

What I saw visiting Denmark and Sweden and upcoming plans for Greenland, Iceland, and Norway

Phew! I just wrapped up a whirlwind tour of the Nordics. It was my first time back post-pandemic and it felt like the ecosystem was exploding with events.

My trip started at Sweden FoodTech’s Big Meet in Stockholm. I hosted the Disruption Stage and gave a keynote about what I’ve learned from interviewing over 100 people about the future of food. Between sessions, I snuck over to Christian von Essen’s recording studio to make a guest appearance on the popular Swedish podcast Heja Framtiden where I shared my story and thoughts on where our food system is going.

From there, I co-hosted a delegation of investors, startups, and Michelin chefs from the Bay Area who came to the Nordics to learn more about why we’re such an epicenter for food, biotech, and sustainability. We visited the Alchemist, Amass, and went seaweed foraging. I also partnered up with Foodprint Nordic and Global SF to host a dinner called Consume to Contribute. It was all about forwarding the regenerative conversation between the US and Denmark over a plant-based dinner made with regenerative ingredients.

I also went to Bornholm where I attended Denmark’s big political meeting. I wrote about the event here. Coming from the US political environment, it totally blew me away that politicians and citizens were debating with each other by day and then drinking and dancing together by night. Similarly, at Denmark’s biggest cooking competition, Sol Over Gudhjem, I was impressed by how everyday eaters and world class chefs were mingling, eating, and drinking side-by-side. Both of these events reminded me of why the Nordics are such a powerful place for putting partnerships together between uncommon stakeholders. Such a flat hierarchy where influential, key decision-makers are never far away makes for a ripe collaborative environment.

But perhaps the best part of my trip was finally getting to meet so many connections made online in real life. I got to visit and reconnect with many of the guests who have appeared on the show like ICA and Chromologics. I also got to record new podcasts in person that I can’t wait to share with you in the weeks to come!

I’ll be heading back to the Nordics in mid-August until end September. So far I’ve got Greenland, Denmark, and Iceland on my itinerary and I’m hoping to add Norway (potentially Oslo, Trondheim, or Bergen). Let me know if there is anyone you think I should connect with! I’m working on putting the itinerary together now.

Big hugs!

Analisa

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