Reykjavík Grapevine - 12.09.2008, Side 22

22 | REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE | ISSUE 14—2008
Second year product design stu-
dents from the Icelandic Academy
of the Arts have joined hands with
farmers around the country for
the ‘Farmers and Designers United’
initiative. Last year, the Academy
received a grant to develop the
entrepreneurial seven-week course
that teaches Food Design to Icelan-
dic farmers. From four student-led
products, two have been selected
for official launching.
ARTIClE BY STevIe wARD — pHoTo BY vIKToR SvAn
Iceland relies heavily on imported goods, but there
is a great deal of opportunity to develop its own
products. Course teacher and member of Design
Company ‘Borðið,’ Guðfinna Mjöll Magnúsdóttir,
teaches how much value you can give to a raw
material if you develop it. “Iceland finds producing
new products difficult, but we are taking our de-
sign knowledge and applying it to the food indus-
try.” From the food itself to packaging and name
branding, the course leaders work with raw food
producers, like sheep and potato farmers, to take
their products to the next level.
A NEW TYPE Of fASHION
Like many innovations, food design is a concept
that has taken off in the last few years both in Eu-
rope and the US. It is a welcome addition to the
vastly growing eco-centric culture. The organic
trend has been a boost for farmers worldwide and
fresh ‘organic’ produce is imported into Iceland
every day. Icelandic raw produce is of the highest
and freshest quality but despite what the banana
farm people may tell you, Iceland struggles to find
new home-grown produce.
"There has been to much insecurity in Ice-
landic food production. A lot of producers have
been trying to imitate classical food products with
strong identity instead of creating one for their
own. Therefore Icelandic food products can´t of-
ten stand the comparison, it's never as the French
cheeses or the Parma ham. Farmers and Design-
ers United aspires to challenge this head on, giving
the produce its own character and market brand,
creating a unique food product with a strong Ice-
landic identity"
TWENTY WAYS TO REVOluTIONISE YOuR
RHuBARB
One of the products developed under the Farmers
and Designers United initiative is a delicious Rhu-
barb Caramel with its own brand name “Rabar-
bia.” The brand name is intended as a stamp of
quality, allowing the farmer to develop more and
more products under their own name. This not
only makes their produce more diverse, but also
allows them the freedom to create and sell what-
ever they want.
On another scale, a haggis-like torte pro-
duced at the highest farm in Iceland has been
developed to premiere exclusively in a restaurant
located close to where the produce is made. The
dish is not a copied version of haggis, nor should
it be; it is a speciality of that Icelandic region and
should always be celebrated as such. The design
for the dish, after its initial concept and recipe,
evolves further to include aspects of presentation,
including table cloth design and accompanying
the dish with the right potatoes, wine and cutlery-
like hiring your own ‘food stylist’ to ensure the en-
vironment fits the meal.
These designers have created completely
new opportunities for Icelandic food and given
the power back to the local farmer, who can now
market their products to the masses or in ‘limited
edition’. Icelandic food design is not only a boost
for them, but for tourism and Iceland as a whole.
desigNers: is there aNYthiNg theY caN't improve?
The Birth of the new icelandic Product
Designers make their mark on food
ARTIClE
Product Launch – September 15
For Haggis Torte please visit Fjallakaffi
Café at Möðrudalur á Fjöllum
Iceland Academy of Arts - www.lhi.is
IceLAnDIc RAw pRoDuce IS oF THe
HIgHeST AnD FReSHeST quALITY BuT
DeSpITe wHAT THe BAnAnA FARM
peopLe MAY TeLL You, IceLAnD
STRuggLeS To FInD new HoMe-
gRown pRoDuce.
As a service to our readers, the Reykjavík Grape-
vine has decided to keep you informed on the best
beer price in town. Since beer prices have skyrock-
eted recently, we have formed our own counter-
initiative: The Beer Patrol™. We have dozens of
people on the stakeout, wearing special uniforms,
drinking at bars across the city and searching for
the best deals.
To begin with we will give you the price of
a normal draught 0,5 litre glass of lager in various
bars in 101. As you can see the winner is Belly’s in
Hafnarstræti where the beer is 350. The loser is the
890 ISK-charging 101 Hótel. If you know of anything
cheaper or more expensive please be a part of the
Beer Patrol™ team and let us know.
Prices are in ISK
Belly's 350
Bar11 550
Nýlenduvöruverslun H&V 550
Grand Rokk 600
22 (formerly known as "Barinn") 650
Celtic Cross 650
Prikið 650
Dubliner 650
Rex 650
Geysir Bar/Bistro 695
Kaffibarinn 700
Amsterdam 700
Apótek 700
B5, Bankastræti 5 700
Café Cultura 700
Café Paris 700
Dillon 700
Hressó 700
Sólon 700
Thorvaldsen 700
Vegamót 700
Óliver 750
Brons 750
Café Victor 750
101 Hótel 890
The Beer Patrol
BY BeRguR eBBI BeneDIKTSSon