Student brings box fresh, organic produce to your door

Student brings box fresh, organic produce to your door

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@Kate Monson

There’s something tasty brewing over at The Black Pearl, Lund University’s student innovation centre. The student project EcoBox, launched last week in collaboration with Hållbart Universitet (Lund Students for Sustainability Group) is bringing organic, local, seasonal fruit and vegetable produce (more or less) direct to your doors.

 Photo:
Ebba-Maria Olsen and Marie Lou Thiebout.
Photo: Ann-Kathrin Göerisch

Human Ecology Master’s student, Marie Lou Thiebot, has been working on the project since she arrived in Lund this autumn and there is just a hint of pride visible as she stands, resting her arm on the tower of boxes waiting to be picked up by their new owners.

“I was involved in a similar project at my university in France and I was really keen to import the idea to Lund,” says Marie Lou. “It’s not only about organic food, which I do believe is really important. It’s also about consuming differently. It is about reconnecting people to the nourishing earth, promoting a local economy and building a mutual relationship between producers and consumers. It is about community, economy and ecology. It is a path towards sustainability.”

“After first having the idea in September I spent a lot of time trying to find the right farmer for the project and building the agreement,” Marie Lou Thiebot continues. “It’s taken quite a while, but it’s really exciting to be at this point now with 18 EcoBoxes ready and waiting to be picked up by Lund University students and staff.”

Organic since 1989

The farmer Marie Lou eventually found was Ebba-Maria Olsen, whose land in Veberöd covers 60 hectares, 35 of which is used to grow food.

“My parents bought the farm in 1981,” says Ebba-Maria Olsen “and it’s been organic since 1989. I set up the food box company in 1998 and deliver all over the south of Sweden. We always include a detailed specification of what’s in the box and where it’s come from, as well as inspiring recipes and a short article discussing current issues concerning organic food and what’s been happening at the farm. People seem to really like these personal touches.”

No transportation by plane

And what tasty treats are to be found in an average EcoBox I hear you ask? At this time of year, Ebba-Maria’s farm can only produce a selection of cabbage, onions and root vegetables, so to make the boxes a bit more appealing – to both the eye and the tummy! – she also imports from organic farms further afield. Many of the products in this week’s boxes, peppers and cucumbers, for example, come from Spain and Italy, transported overland by train to Copenhagen and then brought by truck over the bridge. Tropical fruits like bananas and the occasional mango or pineapple come from farther away and travel by boat. Ebba-Maria Olsen is keen to stress that none of her food is transported by plane, which is probably more than can be said for the majority of the fruit and veg available in Lund at the moment.

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