Organic Copenhagen
Press release
January 2009
Organic Copenhagen
The sale of organic products in Copenhagen is dramatically on the rise. More restaurants, cafes and even hotels are riding the "green wave" that is pushing the city to a whole new level of eco-consciousness - far beyond the prevalent health food shops. Copenhagen has green ambitions, which is evident by the variety and quality of organic goods on offer.
Copenhagen is one of the organic world leaders There is an explosive demand for Danish organic goods and only few other metropolitan cities in the world can match Copenhagen's share of consumption of organic foods: Today, the private sector's purchase of organic products in Copenhagen is about 10-12 percent, and 45 percent of all food consumed in the city's institutions is organic - that is the world's record. To ensure Copenhagen continued development, the environmental strategy "Environment Metropolis - Our Vision 2015" has set targets for organic food consumption up to 90 percent by 2015 in all of the city's institutions. The target for private businesses and households purchase and consumption is expected to reach at least 20 percent. In 2008 Copenhagen was entitled Denmarks first Fair-Trade city.
Gourmet organic food
Copenhageners' organic consciousness is also making its mark outside of the political world. A new league of restaurants, cafes and delis are sprouting up over the previous eco-community centres and vegetarian restaurants. Out with idealistic declarations and in with common sense, a desire for clean (Nordic) produce and sustainable relations with nature's resources. Copenhagen's shining star among these eateries is Restaurant Geranium located in Kongens Have, the King's Garden. The restaurant is run by two of Denmark's best chefs, Rasmus Kofoed and Søren Ledet. The team uses organic and biodynamic ingredients exclusively - that goes for the wines as well which come from around the globe.
Rasmus Kofoed describes Geranium's food as Danish and organic with a lot of vegetables and herbs. They enjoy updating classic dishes - for example serving a lavish version of a Danish stew. Rasmus Koefed is a double medallion winner of the prestigious Bocuse D'Or, the world cuisine contest, which is a chef's equivalent to a world championship.
Cafes and small restaurants
Soupanatural in the area of Nørrebro is a micro cafe that serves everything from porridge in the morning to dinner and evening drinks, as take away or to consume in situ. All food and drink is organic and served in environment friendly materials. Awarded the `Cities Most Conscientious´ 2008.
Biom, a small eatery in the Østerbro section of town, also follows the new organic ideals. The food, drink and even the paint on the walls are organic. The initiators behind Biom started the place based on a simple question. "Why eat food made from ingredients that are filled with pesticides when we eat at a restaurant when we would otherwise buy organic?" The three owners' answer to that question is a quality conscious restaurant with moderate prices.
By the picturesque Nyhavn Canal lies one of the organic food movement's pioneers. Restaurant Cap Horn oozes of atmosphere and history and was one of the first restaurants driven by an organic philosophy. It was the cooking queen and food columnist Camilla Plum (see below) that instituted organic foods. All basic products such as eggs, milk and butter are organic and the rest is as organic as possible. Wine, soft drinks and beer are organic and the same goes for the coffee. The kitchen calls its style "the global country kitchen." Looking for more café or take away and less of a restaurant, then the city can also offer Café Chill Out in Frederiksberg. Here, the majority of the food and beverages are organic and the chocolate cake is even sugar and fat-free. Chill Out is in the same building as a fitness centre, which is responsible for the healthy touch. You can order a vitamin-boost smoothie made of fresh fruits and/or green tea.
Organic delicatessens and supermarkets
May 2008 saw the opening of a delicatessen with its own dairy, bakery, kitchen and chocolate production Løgismose . Part of Tivoli's ambitious transformation of "NIMB". The key word of the project is quality - in architectural expression, in furniture, and in everything that the house produces.There are now two Løgismose delicatessens.
Gourmanderiet, located in Østerbro in an old butcher shop, specializes in organic meats and delicacies such as chocolate, wine, muesli and mustard. Connoisseurs can also take home ready-to-eat dishes and desserts or they can enjoy them in the cosy surroundings.
When it comes to delicatessens, Meyers Deli (2 shops), Emmery's (9 shops) are essentials. They don't claim to be 100 percent organic but all offer delicacies, sandwiches and beverages of especially high quality - good, carefully chosen ingredients where a large portion is organic. The two Meyers Delis offer eat-in and take-out. Emmery's, with its 10 shops around Copenhagen, offers organic breads and baked goods.
At long last, Copenhagen can brag about its organic supermarket, Egefeld. It is Copenhagen's first organic supermarket and a Mecca for quality-conscious consumers. There is something old-fashioned about the place - service is top-notch and the products are presented attractively.
In another recently opened delicatessen, Verde Food & Coffee in Nørre Farimagsgade there are organic specialties, coffee, salads and sandwiches displayed in very agreeable surroundings. The shop's green profile tempts you when you pass by in the street and once inside you should try the freshly squeezed juices or the ice coffee, while checking your email at one of the Mac computers.
Last but not least, Copenhageners can look forward to Torvehallerne, which is scheduled to open in 2009 on Israels Plads. An approximately 7000-sqm fruits and vegetables market is on the drawing board and it appears that high standards will be placed on the vendors.
Regional farmer's markets The hunt for organic produce can lead to a trip out of town to one of the organic farms and their markets located in the capital region. One of them is Krogerup Avlsgaard north of Humlebæk and approximately 35 km from Copenhagen. The farm is owned by the Danish Ministry of the Environment and is leased to Aarstiderne - a successful company selling organic products nationally and delivering directly to the customers' doorstep. Krogerup Avlsgaard not only consists of charming buildings and farmland, but also the farm's market and a café. The shop sells a variety of products, cheese and vegetables of which the majority are produced on the farm. At the back of the shop lies the Café that serves light dishes, coffee, cakes, and brunch during the weekends. Krogerup Avlsgaard is located in beautiful surrounding (which are about to be preserved) and is neighbour to the well-known Krogerup School and only 500 meters from the art museum Louisiana. Louisiana's main building was actually built as the family Brun's summerhouse - the family Brun lived at Krogerup from 1810 until 1942.
Fuglebjerggard, in the north Sealand area called Helsinge, is owned and operated by Camilla Plum (famous Danish cookbook writer and TV host) and her husband Per Kølster who produces his own beer on site. On the farm there is everything from hens and cattle to corn fields, pastures, kitchen gardens, fruit orchards, mills, farm shop, malt house, brewery and occasionally a cider mill and bakery - all organic. In the shop they sell their own flour, meat, vegetables, fruit, beer and pickled vegetables. Fuglebjerggaard oozes of originality and practical farming where the road from the field to the table is short and all production and processing are visible. Since 1998 they have traditionally held their Harvest market the first weekend in September and Christmas market on the weekend in proximity of the first of December.
Esrum Abbey is the remains of a vast Cistercian Abbey from around 1150 beautifully situated in the almost untouched medieval landscape of North Zealand near Gribskov and Esrum Lake. In the Abbey gardens you can experience more than 100 different medicinal plants from the middle ages and at Møllegårds organic store you will find high quality organic wines, cheese, cosmetics and other commodities, many of them produced locally. Brother Rus' Cellar Restaurant lies in the fine vaulted abbey cellar; there is also a café in the abbey courtyard each summer and a museum shop with medieval specialties, books and toys.
Eco-friendly hotels in Copenhagen
Back in the city after a day in the country, there are good possibilities to sleep at a hotel with a green conscience. The hotel chain Scandic distinguishes itself with an exceptionally thorough eco-policy, which means among other things that all of the chain's 21 Danish hotels received the Nordic eco label, The Swan, in 2007. Receiving this label is an indication of everything from having an efficient heating system to resource effective ventilation and as a guest you can enjoy an organic breakfast and coffee. Sleeping in rooms where the criteria for materials used is based on their minimal impact on the environment.
Hotel Guldsmeden is another good choice for the conscious consumer. The hotel serves a wholly organic breakfast and the evening dinner in the restaurant is organically inspired. In addition, Hotel Guldsmeden produces its own organic personal care products such as shampoo, body lotion, and soap that are available in the rooms.
Hotel Alexandra also has the environment on its mind. The hotel is known for its interiors, which are furnished with used classic pieces by Arne Jacobsen, Nanna Ditzel, Hans J. Wegner and others. The hotel has also been awarded The Green Key, which is a certificate given to hotels that fulfil a long list of environmental requirements. The hotel was quick to institute smoke-free floors and a 100 percent allergy-friendly floor. Breakfast at Hotel Alexandra is primarily organic.
Hilton Copenhagen Airport is also Swan-labelled and serves primarily organic food in the restaurant Hamlet Nordic Grill. Organic breakfast is also available. Furthermore, the entire Hilton chain operates after their own "We Care" concept, which will also be launched at the Danish Hilton during the summer of 2008.
Brøchner Hotels The World's First CO2-Neutral Hotel chain. Bøchner Hotels have become CO2 neutral on energy consumption at all 4 hotels and have thus become the world's first CO2 neutral hotel chain. They have instigated a global rating system for hotels that also aim to become entirely CO2 neutral. This rating system will include hotels that can document their CO2 neutrality either by installing wind turbines on their lots, mounting solar cells on their roofs, or purchasing and delisting carbon credits or credits corresponding to their collective energy - and heat consumption.
Choice is Scandinavia's largest hotel chain with a total of 163 hotels where they started serving breakfast about seven million guests in January 2009. They shall be offered a green start on their day with an alternative organic breakfast. The practical challenge will be to ensure a stable and constant line of delivery.
Eco-labelling
The Danish mark of inspection for organic products is a red "ø" symbol. The Ø-symbol indicates that the product is inspected by the Danish authorities and is thereby required to meet stringent regulations. For example, a product can only be marketed as organic if 95 percent of its ingredients are certified by the Ø-symbol. The Swan symbol is the Nordic Council of Ministers eco-mark, which is used in the Nordic countries while the Flower is the EU's official eco-label used throughout Europe. When a consumer buys a product that is either Swan or Flower labelled, they are sure that the product is manufactured with the least possible impact to the environment, that the quality and functionality is just as good as other products and that the product does not contain toxic ingredients.
A new interactive exhibition at the Experimentarium about energy and the environment. Earth calling: help halt man made climate change and prevent energy shortage. Our energy consumption and production must be made sustainable. ‘Energy for the Future' will be a big new part of the Experimentarium's main exhibition from February 2009. The 500 m2 exhibition will take its starting point in our daily use and production of energy, and will be aimed at people of all ages.
CO2PENHAGEN at DTU (Technical University of Denmark) on the 4 - 6 September in Lyngby will be Denmark's most innovative showcase of green technology, fuelled entirely by renewable energy sources. The goal is to visualize knowledge already present at technical universities and spotlight businesses and green products creating a CO-neutral miniature society.
Bright Green is at parallel event to COP15 organized by the Confederation of Danish Industry (DI). Exhibitors will comprise companies from all over the world with climate-friendly energy technology showcasing a great variety of already existing technological answers to the Climate Change Challenge. Not just a traditional trade fair but a live statement aimed towards the ongoing climate negotiations and combining elements from art, architecture, entertainment and trade fairs.
In the future even the Copenhageners well beloved amusement park Tivoli will use green energy. From 2010 Tivoli's light fixtures will be powered by wind mills.
Find more press features at: www.visitcopenhagen.com/press
Adresses:
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Restaurant Geranium |
Biom |
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Restaurant Cap Horn |
Café Chill Out |
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Gourmandiet |
Esrum Kloster & Møllegård |
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Soupanatural |
Løgismose |
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Meyers Deli |
Meyers Deli |
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Egefeld Food Compagny |
Fuglebjerggaard |
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Krogerup Avlsgaard |
Experimentarium |
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Emmerys |
Torvehallerne |
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Sungifu (trade lifestyle store) |
Verde Food & Coffee |
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Brasserie 'N' |
About eco-labelling: |
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Bright Green (December 5-6 2009) |
CO2PENHAGEN |
Københavns Kommune (Copenhagen City Hall) www.kk.dk
Statistics
Økologisk Landsforening
www.okologi.dk
Hotels
www.scandic-hotels.dk
www.hotelguldsmeden.dk
www.hotel-alexandra.dk
www.hilton-events.dk
www.hiltonwecare.com
www.choicehotels.com
www.brochner-hotels.dk
www.arp-hansen.dk
