Locally grown rye with sustainable methods
Farmer Anton Öhlund and his partner Michaela Johansson supply Leksand Knäckebröd with locally grown rye. Their farm is located in scenic Hedemora, about 45 minutes from Leksand.
– We deliver between 400 and 600 tons of rye to Leksand Knäckebröd every year. It’s hard work, because they have such high demands on sustainability,” says Anton Öhlund.
Third generation farmer
Anton Öhlund is the third generation of his family to farm in Hedemora. It was his grandfather and his brothers who moved down from Piteå in 1946. This is to enable cultivation for a larger part of the year than is possible in the north.
– They looked at a few different places and decided on Hedemora. It was a big journey, with all the animals being transported by train,” says Anton.
Rye is more difficult to grow – especially with high requirements
Rye is inherently challenging to grow. If it rains at the wrong time, the harvest can fail, and the rye can’t be used to make good flour; it becomes animal feed instead. In Sweden, the demands on agriculture are high, but Leksands Knäckebröd sets even higher standards. This has made life more exciting for Anton Öhlund and his employees.
– They are a bit demanding at Leksands, they have a special list of requirements for how we should grow the rye,” says Anton.
Sustainable drying of rye
For Anton, sustainability is important. The drying of the rye is therefore done in a separate plant, which is operated with wood chips from the own forest. Once a year, 400-600 tons of dried locally grown rye are shipped from Hedemora to Leksand.
– The bread will be good. And it feels great that it is baked with my rye,” says Anton Öhlund.
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