Swedes go gourmet in LA

A gourmet meal and a mini trade show was the highlight of "Gourmet Sweden for the California Lifestyle," a special event promoting Swedish products in mid-March at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Celeste Vedrody, export consultant for the Swedish Trade Council in Chicago, said importers, exporters, retail buyers and restaurateurs were treated to everything from Absolut martinis and cloudberry wine to a Swedish meal featuring fish, venison, cloudberries and lingonberries. In addition to Swedish food, the event showcased one of Sweden's premier table-top companies, Kosta Boda, which makes crystal and glassware.

The event was a first for the organization, explained Vedrody, and was designed to create "more awareness of Swedish food." She said while the impression of Swedish food is meatballs and herring, the reality is "a clean, wholesome product" with applications beyond the traditional ones.

Swedish companies are typically small, she said, and thus limited in their ability to export beyond the European Union.

"To export to the United States is often a big unknown, and costly," she said. Still, she said, there are products that make sense for the U.S. market, ranging from the cloudberry dessert wine from Grythyttan Vin to new functional foods under development that have added health benefits.

She said tabletop companies are also expanding within the American market, citing BodaNova, which makes cutlery, glassware and kitchenware; and its sister company, Höganäs Keramik, which makes stoneware.

Vedrody said based on the success of the California event, a New York one is planned for some time next year, possibly in conjunction with the Summer Fancy Food Show.

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