W I N T E R 2021
2.99 €
30 | Interview
Synonym for sustainability Kęstutis Juščius, CEO of Auga Group
80 | Bio drinks
Straight from nature
84 | Gift basket
Mix your Baltic taste
26 | COV E R S TO RY
Hidden Champions of Organic Farming
Events and their dates applied when the Baltic Business Quarterly went to print. However, some dates may change due to the spread of the coronavirus and the protective measures to stop it
W H AT‘S H OT | 13
What‘s hot ESTONIA
05.12.2020 Alatskivi Alevik (Estonia)
Alatskivi Castle Christmas Market
The smell of gingerbread and spruce fir in the castle brings Christmas to your mind. The halls on the ground floor of the castle are used to sell handicraft and Christmas food. Different concerts will take place in the Tubina Museum hall on the first floor. In the cellar, you will find a cafe, handicraft workshops, and, for the first time, a children’s play area. There will also be a lottery. You are welcome to buy and sell! 19.12.2020, Narva, Ida-Virumaa (Estonia) photo: Adobe stock, publicity photos
Winter Fair in Narva
The Winter Fair will take place at Ida-Virumaa Vocational Education Centre in Narva, near the monument of Paul Keres, and as usual, offers plenty of various surprises. Additionally, the guests can participate in different master classes. The Winter Fair is a perfect place for the residents and visitors of Narva to buy Christmas presents and spend time with their family.
27.12.2020 Rakvere (Estonia)
Run Winter Special Viking Line Estonian Night
After the Christmas season and before New Year’s Eve, you can participate in both the 5 km and the 10 km run in Rakvere. Fireworks, the city’s Christmas decorations, and a light show – all of this will inspire health sports enthusiasts to go to Rakvere three days before the New YearThe Estonian Night Run is the most unique running event in the Baltics. Here, the most important thing is the experience of running, not winning.
04.12. – 06.12.2020 Kesklinna linnaosa, Tallinna Lauluväljak (Estonia)
Tallinn Handicraft Fair
The handicraft fair takes place in the Tallinn song festival grounds and a wide selection of unique and handcrafted goods will be sold, made from different materials like wood, porcelain and textile. The fair aims at popularizing handicrafts and the entry is free.
14 | W H AT‘S H OT
What‘s hot LA T V I A
Until 2.5.2021 Riga (Latvia)
Joint Museum Exhibition – Latvia's Century
28.11.2020 – 08.01.2021 Riga (Latvia)
“What is Latvia?”. This is the main question the organisers had asked themselves when they came up with the idea for the exhibition hosted in the National History Museum of Latvia. In collaboration with over 60 museums from all over the country, the exhibition is so far the largest one since the restoration of independence. It presents over 1,500 historical objects from all the regions of Latvia - Kurzeme, Sēlija, Vidzeme, Zemgale and Riga. These exhibits should help to answer the initial question by composing a mosaic-like picture of Latvian culture of the last 100 years. Erase what you thought you knew about Latvia and glance at the country’s culture like you never have before!
Old Town Christmas Fair
Together with the winter, the Christmas fair is sneaking into the old town of Riga. In a magical winter wonderland atmosphere, you can meet your friends, raise your cups filled with mulled wine and say cheers to the arriving Christmas season! The fair is open from 28 November to 8 January. Besides tasty mulled wine, you can drink Christmas coffee and tea, eat some traditional Latvian meat dishes, and buy handcrafted Christmas gifts, such as woolly socks and artistically beautified wood candlesticks. At the moment of printing, we here in the editing office do not know what the restrictions for the Christmas fair will be due to the current pandemic, but we hope to be able to enjoy this cosy event in some way! 13.12.2020 Riga (Latvia)
27.12. – 30.12.2020 Riga (Latvia)
Jazz Concert – Roberto Fonseca feat. Danay Suarez
New Year Gala at the Opera
The rain is coming down in sheets, while the cold wind is blowing in from the Baltic Sea. If you live in Riga, you have probably already experienced such a day. If 13 December is such a day, you will have the unique possibility to forget the unpleasant weather for a moment by listening to the vivacious and tropical tunes from the Caribbean Jazz star Roberto Fonseca! He will perform together with his fellow compatriot Cuban R&B jazz artist Danay Suarez at the VEF Culture Place on 13 December at 7.00 pm. The performance will mark the end of the Rigas Ritmi Festival, an annual event that celebrates all kinds of musical genres. Artists from all over the world have enchanted Riga with their gigs, making it a stronghold of musical indulgence for several months. In addition, the organisers offer seminars and workshops held by experts to enrich the knowledge and skills of aspiring young musicians. If you have not experienced the Ritmi Festival before, this performance is the chance to impart your December a musical touch of tropical Caribbean warmth!
At the end of December, the Latvian National Opera will stage several great operas performed by soloists, a choir, and an orchestra of the Latvian National Opera. The opera’s chief conductor himself, Mārtiņš Ozoliņš, will conduct the performances, which will be played at different times within a few days. Fill up your glasses with the finest champagne and let the year come to an end with some lovely tunes from harmonic operetta melodies!
W H AT‘S H OT | 15
What‘s hot LITHUANIA
20.06.2020 – 31.01.2021 Vilnius (Lithuania)
MO Museum Exhibition “Why Is It Hard to Love?”
12.12.–13.12.2020 Vilnius (Lithuania) photo: Monta Tigere/LNOB, Valters Lācis/ National History Museum of Latvia, Go Vilnius, Publicity pictures
Grand Christmas Fair In Vilnius
The fourth year in a row the biggest festive fair is organized in the capital of Lithuania, which this year will invite visitors to the Exhibition and Congress Center LITEXPO on December 12-13. Visitors will be greeted by nearly 700 manufacturers of various goods, food suppliers, giftware, merchandise, interiors, beauty, styling, fashion and segmented into areas.
The exhibition “Why Is It Hard to Love?” is curated by innovative Dutch multimedia artist and director Saskia Boddeke, together with one of the most original and important filmmakers of our time, Peter Greenaway. The exhibition becomes a work of art itself as Greenaway and Boddeke present site-specific immersive installations in relation to the highlights of Lithuanian contemporary art from the MO Museum and other collections. “Why Is It Hard to Love?” is a story of how we, as humans, strive for equilibrium in life by arranging the good and the bad, eliminating differences between the poor and the rich as well as the unsatisfactory inequalities between men and women, the antagonism between the young and the old, the friction between the races.
20.12.2020 Vilnius (Lithuania)
Eurovaistine Christmas Run
Christmas comes early for runners in Vilnius. Positive vibes, fun costumes and a great track along the streets of Vilnius – a real Christmas present. Thousands of runners will warm up the air at the 45th edition of the oldest running event in Vilnius. There is a choice of 3, 6 or 12-km runs, and children can have a blast on the 200-metre track.
28.11. – 07.01.2021
Christmas in Vilnius
What can be more beautiful than a Christmas fairy tale along the narrow streets of Vilnius Old Town? Enjoy the festive atmosphere and magical mood all month long. See one of the most impressive Christmas trees in Europe, get your gingerbread at a Christmas fair, enjoy the festive concerts, or ride everyone’s favorite Christmas train. There’s fun everywhere you look. Check out the free events, too, and create the most beautiful family memories.