flavour full of LOCAL PRODUCE
Apples as far as the eye can see. And apple juice so good that it is served at gourmet restaurants. This family business is a success story that smells of apple blossom and tastes heavenly.
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PHOTO: JONAS BILBERG
alking around Berg’s orchard during apple season is rather like being in a film. Row upon row of knotty apple trees bursting with shiny red fruit under a clear blue sky. Sweetsmelling apples as far as the eye can see, birds singing and leaves blowing in the breeze. During the summer you can go on guided tours of this beautiful orchard, which is located just outside Hallstahammar. From a tractordrawn cart you will witness it with you own eyes and see 6000 apple trees and about 2000 plum, pear, cherry and bullace trees. – The feeling I get when I go out into the orchard is fantastic. If I were the least bit religious I would say that someone is holding a hand over us there. It is wonderful to be so close to different kinds of fruit, each with their own flavour and aroma, says Lena Ryberg-Ericsson at Köpings Musteri.
– They tasted our apple juice and thought it was outstanding. The fact that we sell a variety of different apple juices, none of which contain additives, really makes us stick out from the crowd. It is an honour to be able to spread our wonderful products around the world, says Lena Ryberg-Ericsson. Köpings Musteri is a family business in which Lena, her husband Anders and their two children Benjamin and Johanna work. – Anders’ parents and grandparents have lived and worked here and the juicery has enabled us to build upon the legacy left by previous generations, says Lena Ryberg-Ericsson.
>> It is an honour to be able to spread our wonderful products around the world, <<
Apples picked by hand When the time is right, all the apples in the orchard are picked by hand. In a good season, over 50 tons of fruit are transformed into apple juice by Lena and her family at Köpings Musteri and is then sold in their own farm shop in Rasgärde outside Köping and at cafés, restaurants and shops across the Mälardalen region. It is also served at gourmet restaurants such as Lyran in Malmö, which has a star in the Michelin Guide. And the success story doesn’t end there. Last autumn, Lena signed a contract with the chain Fabrique that has bakeries in Stockholm, on Gotland and in New York.
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Picked by hand. Johanna Ryberg with a basket of delicous apples from Köpings Musteri.
