Newsletter June 2022

Lessons from our visit to the Netherlands

The sun is beginning to remind us that summer is just around the corner. Before we all head off on our holidays, we would like to share the latest news about the Food Experience Centre and what we have to look forward to.

The Netherlands provide inspiration and show the way forward

After two cancelled trips, we finally got to complete the delegation visit to the planned World Food Center in the Netherlands. The three days packed with information and insights inspired new ideas for our own Acti-vity Centre. Ede Municipality had put together a fantastic 1 ½-day programme that included meetings with civil servants, politicians and business owners. Here is a brief summary of our conclusions from the trip:

• The issue of food, sustainability and health is very much a hot topic.
• It is important to focus and choose a direction for the Activity Centre at an early stage.
• Collaboration between the public and private sector is essential in an initiative like this.
• We realised the fantastic and unique conditions offered by our chosen geographical location, paving the way for an abundance of natural, local and development opportunities.

After our time in Ede, we also fitted in a study visit to Wageningen University, which is renowned for focusing on healthy food and sustainable development in food production. And finally, back at Schiphol Airport, our partner KLM arranged a guided tour, so we could get a glimpse behind the scenes at an airport. In short, it was a trip that generated even more belief in our idea and valuable insights on how we can make it a reality.

Working groups – vital forum for project development

In other important news since the last update, the working groups met in three themed focus groups in April. The themes under consideration were Focus on the experience and target groups, Sustainability and Knowledge sharing.

In the working groups, we discussed with our partners what we want the site to become, what the fundamental values are and what the next steps are to take the project forward. The working groups will continue in the autumn, and hopefully one of the meetings will be in Väderstad for a field trip to the site earmarked for the Food Experience Centre.

Budding curiosity

It is wonderful to see the growth in interest and curiosity about the project, with more and more people wan-ting to know what the Food Experience Centre will mean for businesses and the region. In addition to inspiring trips and exciting discussion forums, the project team has been out giving presentations at venues including the Rotary Club in Skänninge, Vattenbrukscentrum Ost’s annual general meeting, and Vägar Framåt – a festival of ideas on sustainability.

Moving forward

The outlined visions have now been condensed into a video that can be used for general presentations or in information channels for the project. There will be a perfect occasion for this when we invite the public, bu-sinesses and associations in Väderstad to an autumn event to provide more details on how the project has progressed. Autumn will also include another trip to the World Food Center in the Netherlands, this time for civil servants within the municipality, as it is important that everyone taking part in the project shares the same knowledge and experiences. This applies equally to the education department, the environmental department and the planning department.

As we said, the working groups are set to continue, and the invitations to the autumn meetings will be sent out before the start of the holidays. We will also be conducting an update of a feasibility study from the perspective of the tourism economy.

With growing inspiration and faith in our ability to create a place together where curiosity about food, health and sustainability can flourish, we wish you all a wonderful summer!

If you have any questions or comments, please contact one of us below. Until the next time!