Freeze-Dried Berries Are Just as Good as Fresh… Wait, What?

Freeze-dried berries are just as good as fresh… wait, what?

In this episode, we sit down with Ahto Vegmann, founder of LOOV Foods, to unpack the surprising truth behind wild berries, freeze-drying, and the real power of nature. From forests in Estonia to your daily rituals, this conversation reveals why not all food is created equal, and how nature might already have everything your body needs.

Expect wild insights, simple habits, and a refreshing perspective on healing, food, and our connection to nature.

All mentioned products are available in our webshop: www.farmatuur.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:43

Welkom bij Farmature, a platform waarin we prachtig samenbrengen in a love affair with nature.

SPEAKER_03 0:51

We are all in the numbers, the curators of Farmature, and we have pulled together a whole bunch of fantastic conscious entrepreneurs that we're interviewing in each episode.

SPEAKER_01 1:05

Elliott tells us an eye verhaal is coming to the product and an eye unieke aanpak van ondernemerschap binnen natuurlijk.

SPEAKER_03 1:14

We want to inspire you to become more conscious about your choices on what care products, supplements, or even accessories you choose by presenting stories which are uniek. Love stories with nature.

SPEAKER_01 1:31

Een manier om zelf ook nog meer te connecteren met je eigen natuur.

SPEAKER_03 1:39

In this episode, we are talking with Otto Wegman, founder of Love Foods. Love Food produces freeze-dried berries that are wildly harvested in the pristine forests of Estonia. It's a wonderful conversation with a like-minded nature lover, and we hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did. Dear Otto, it's really nice to have you in our studio today. This podcast's theme is A Love Affair with Nature, which is also the tagline of Farmature. And that's also the essence of what we want to talk about. So uh, so yeah, I guess we're both curious uh about is Lu Food considered to be a love affair with nature? What was the spark behind the brand and the products?

SPEAKER_02 2:34

Uh yeah, first of all, uh hello from my end as well, and uh thank you so much uh inviting uh me to your podcast. Uh and of course, it's so so great to hear like your your great feedback uh about the samples you have received uh as well. Um yeah, so uh uh coming back to your question, uh actually love is like the shorter name of uh which in Estonian means in Estonian language means like the power of nature. So when we when we initially like started the company, then our company name was in Estonian, the power of nature. And uh we actually started in uh in a small uh Christmas market uh here in Tallinn, Estonia, actually, even more in the home kitchen. We started with wild blueberry and uh black currant organic plug, which is like the term of the malt wine uh in Scandinavian countries here in Nordics. Um and uh initially we started in Estonia and then we started to also like expand and visiting like uh international affairs, and we just needed some sort of like the shorter name because the Estonian language didn't uh mean any anybody to uh it's difficult to understand. So and actually my wife uh helped us to brainstorm this the name Love, which which is like the shortened name, uh which means the power of uh nature uh in Estonian. And so we have we have stick to that.

SPEAKER_03 4:04

And so um the power of nature is what's behind love. Um does that mean that the inspiration comes from the nature that surrounds you there? Um what did me what did nature mean then in your life that got you to uh to set up this brand and these products?

SPEAKER_02 4:23

Uh yeah, nature uh like surprisingly, actually, when I was like a small kid, I grew up in uh in Capital, in Tallinn, which is like the city area. But uh all my like um school breaks, I was in in South Estonia at my uh grandmother's place. And I think most of Estonians still have the like the roots in the countrysides. Uh there are still like grandmothers how to how to make the jam, and when you go to the grandmothers, then you have like the cellars there like stored food, like uh uh like yeah, juices and jams and everything. So yeah, all my uh childhood I was I was mainly uh at the countryside, and somehow like this like uh yeah made made a deep connection uh at least for me with uh with the nature. Uh yeah, and yeah, and at the pure uh and with the coming to the pure food as well. I think when Estonia got its independence like uh back from uh Soviet Union back to the independence, which was in 1991, I was like eight years old uh at that time, and uh our borders like went open and a lot of like imported goods uh flew to our uh our country. And uh of course there was like uh many like color for uh drinks and candies and food which contains like uh synthetical colorings, preservance and uh additives, and uh of course it was like really temptative because it was all like really colorfully packed, and I tried them all, and uh and I remember when I had like birthday on my eighth eighth birthday, then I landed into the hospital. Uh, because all of this I had like really severe allergic allergic reaction, and I I recognized to myself that not all the food which is sold in the store is uh is not meant to be good for you, so it was like a real real life experience for me.

SPEAKER_01 6:27

At a young age already, yeah, eight years, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 6:32

Yeah, and we experience the same here. Um, but what I think the difference is that in Eastern Europe, um the traditions stayed alive and wisdom was passed on from generation to generation. Um and but you you export a lot to the US as well, right?

SPEAKER_02 6:51

Uh yes, uh yes, we do as well.

SPEAKER_00 6:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:55

Uh I think uh we were like struggling uh quite a lot uh with our with our business because uh we tended like great products like which we like really believe in, which which by the end of the working day we could go home and we could just easily pick from the shelves and and and given given uh give them to our children as well, like without like any any any bad feelings and uh and and and and trust. Uh so we we started we started with the superfoods uh after the Christmas market uh ended. And uh we tested like the like the traditional like the retail market, and it didn't like went uh really well because uh it was hard to explain the customers the the high value of the uh of the products and it needed needed some sort of the education. Uh we discovered that uh the online presence, which was like really good, which where we could directly communicate uh with our customers, educate them, and uh and yeah, then uh US uh market became uh important for us.

SPEAKER_03 8:05

Because yeah, you have the wild yeast, uh which is already a rare product, and then you also have the cranberries, the wild cranberries, um the blueberries, the sea buckthorn, which is my favorite.

SPEAKER_02 8:19

Uh but the sea buckthorn, personally, like in in our family, when we uh feel like some sort of like the illness illness or like uh coldness like coming into our body, uh then usually we uh like uh increase the consumption of C vitamin rich uh foods. And uh C buckthorn is definitely one of them. Uh yeah, the second one is is blackcurrants from our uh from our portfolio.

SPEAKER_01 8:48

So um really the case.

SPEAKER_02 8:51

It's good for the immunity is C buckthorne and and black black currants. But that's the main main how we how we use it.

SPEAKER_03 8:59

Yeah, and a lot of them are wildly harvested, right?

SPEAKER_01 9:03

Yeah, because I saw sorry to interrupt, but I saw also the C buckton that you harvest it in the dark or in the evening when it's darker, is that correct?

SPEAKER_02 9:12

Actually, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 9:15

You're not the harvester.

SPEAKER_02 9:16

I'm not we are we are not we are not the harvester harvest our ourselves. Uh so yeah, we are we are sourcing them from uh trustworthy like uh organic certified and qualified uh suppliers. Uh yeah, but uh wild harvested we have uh wild forest uh blueberries, yeah uh cranberries and uh lingomberries.

SPEAKER_03 9:43

Yeah, lingomberries, yeah. Which is uh typically well-known berry in the Scandinavian countries, right? The lingonberry. Yeah, yeah. So we um have tried it in shakes and yogurts, and we sprinkled it on everything in the last days. We tried it in all kinds of ways. Well, what are your own habits, Atto? How do you consume your own products? Do you have any specific tips or tricks or habits you want to share?

SPEAKER_02 10:14

Yeah, sure. Uh yeah, I we we we have like um uh two small uh kids at home, so my my days are also like quite quite easy and packed. Uh so I think the main way we use it in our home is uh we make uh smoothies and our like uh main recipe is like we take some of the organic bananas, some like vegetable milk, uh for example, organic rice milk. Uh we it's what we mainly use. And uh then we add some uh some berry powder. Usually, like in the morning, we like to start with wild blueberry, which is all of our family favorite, and the kids also love it uh a lot. And then we blend it, and in sometimes we also add uh sprinkle it with uh a little bit with uh spices, for example cardamom or or cinnamon. So, and uh and yeah, as I mentioned, when we have like some sort of like the illness coming, then we uh use blackcurrant powder uh instead of wild blueberry powder, and uh when there's like some inflammation in our in our body, for some reason there's some some sort of like the allergic reaction uh on the body, then we add some more like polyphenolic uh powders which are like uh wild cranberries, and lingoperries are also really rich of the polyphenols. Uh yeah, yeah. And sometimes we also uh we make like energy balls, uh which is like you blend the dates and uh and with with almonds, so you can make a nice mixture, and then we just troll it uh or sprinkle a little bit berry powder uh on the on the energy balls and balls, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:06

Yeah, just really love it as well. Yeah. So um, well, our mission with Pharmature is to try and reconnect people again with the uh nourishing and medicinal power of nature, and obviously low food products fit in that perfectly because you have that power in your packages. Um are you also on that mission to show this power of nature with the products you have also locally?

SPEAKER_02 12:35

Uh yeah, regard regarding the yeah, I think the local market, uh people still have uh their roots, uh like in the countryside, and people still go a lot of uh to the forest to pick the berries and and mushrooms. But I think uh still during the past uh decades and since I think uh probably after uh 19 uh 50s uh after this uh or during this Soviet occupation, the people uh had to or were forced to uh leave their like hop like uh country, uh farmsteads to the to the bigger uh bigger cities. And um and so uh uh and and I think during maybe last 20 years, I I think I will see also see the trends in Estonia that uh people majority of the people like to visit like the supermarkets where in my opinion the the the selection which is there is not always good for the people's uh I think you can make a better selection from the farmers market or like the regarding food stores or gardening food uh yeah small shops. So I think it's uh it's it's in a like uh age currently. Uh yeah, it it it needs also like education in Estonia, like uh as well.

SPEAKER_03 13:54

Yeah, although we feel when we talk with people in Eastern Europe, and that could be Slovenia or Hungary or Bulgary or uh or people in Scandin countries. Most of them have stories about their childhood growing up with nature, and we don't have a lot of those uh stories here. So we kind of see Eastern Europe as having all this wisdom and all these natural treasures that I think a lot of people in Western Europe don't really know about. Um you know it's it it almost makes you proud again to be European, which might be important these days.

SPEAKER_02 14:37

Yeah, we are we are yeah, we are really lucky because in Estonia still we have like about uh half of the territories like covered by forests, uh and in northern countries like uh Finland and Sweden, like it's even more like 70% is covered by forests. And it's it's really typical when there are like national holidays uh here in Estonia, and after the after the working day, all the people are straight away rushing to their like countryside homesteads, so everyone has to have something there or do some sort of the gardening.

SPEAKER_03 15:07

So yeah, there is still definitely the connection, maybe a little bit in less than it was like uh well our kids love uh the raw forest honey with the wild blueberries. Can you uh talk a little bit about um where that product comes from and where the idea comes from? And yeah, sure.

SPEAKER_02 15:29

Uh yeah, uh that particular honey we uh we worked together like with um uh small uh like uh uh organic uh beekeepers. Yeah, beekeepers like in Estonia, and they were actually like uh one of the pioneers uh with or organic beekeepers uh in Estonia. It's already like the third generation um of organic peekeeping and uh and we had this idea uh that when you add like the dairy powder uh to the honey, then uh honey like has the ability to bring like or enforce uh the antioxidants uh in both. So it's like a synergy there. So it's uh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:18

Yeah, we we felt it also because our youngest son, we have two boys, and our youngest son of 11 had a cold uh a few days earlier, and then your products came. But normally he doesn't like honey than your product, and it looked totally different than the the honey, the yellow color of honey he had, and uh and he said, Okay, I'm going, and now every day this this cuff is over, he's totally recovered, and as few uh it was really fast. He's not a honey lover, but he loves this one, so it's really uh it's also this perfect combination.

SPEAKER_03 16:52

Is it honey? Is it jam? Like is it it's it's a bit of both, and um it tastes really nice. Um is that a common product in Estonia or is that an invention that you made together with your beekeeping part uh partners?

SPEAKER_02 17:09

Uh yeah, I I think I wouldn't say it's like not uh not that like uh uh like common, but it definitely you can find find it from the from the shelves here. Uh don't you have to go to the smaller like organic or farm shops?

SPEAKER_03 17:23

Yeah, yeah. Because we're used to uh the idea of adding herbs to honey um to make specific uh honey mixtures for a cold, for example. Um but I never thought about having these um air-dried or freeze-dried uh berries powders mixed into it. And uh yeah, it's like I said, it's a it's a really nice combination. Yeah, does it keep all the uh all the good stuff in there if you freeze dry it?

SPEAKER_02 17:53

Um yeah, yeah. I think I I think the freeze drying is the great technology, like locking in all the all the antioxidants uh in itself it can be considered as a raw fruit, basically. Yeah, yeah. It's a sign of the forest wild blueberry with when you get your tongues and fingers like really purple. Uh because uh it not happens like with agricultural blueberry, which is like the white inside. So that's the main difference between blueberries and uh forest wild blueberries. And also the colour of the antioxidants, of course, as well.

SPEAKER_01 18:24

Ah, yeah, that's the color is actually because of the antioxidants are more okay. That's also nice to know.

SPEAKER_03 18:31

And is there a difference with the air drying and the freeze drying? Um, like in the result of the products, or is it just a different way of drying?

SPEAKER_02 18:40

Uh it it depends. Uh it depends on the on the technology. I would say that the freeze drying is uh much much better, like preserving the uh natural, like the color and the aroma of the uh of the berry and also like the uh antioxidants uh locking in. Uh air-dried uh it depends on the temperature, which the berries dried. So uh we still uh intend to keep it like uh low between like 40 for the air-dried berries, like between like 40 to uh 60 degrees. Uh but it's still it's still a good way to preserve the berries. Uh just for the for the sea poctorn, for example, we offer air-dried, it's because uh it's it's quite oily. Sea poctor is quite oily, so uh that's that needs like um more more drying.

SPEAKER_03 19:31

So yeah. Well, um we're very curious about the yeast. Um we do have natural yeast, we had it before at our home, but we then used it um for dishes that need to taste more like cheesy or so. And uh um but the if we look at the applications of the organic yeast you have, um it seems like you can you can put it on anything. Um because um, well, I'll just take the packaging here. I have it right here. Um it says it's really easy to use and can be sprinkled upon anything like soups, pasta, rice dishes, um uh even pizza toasts and popcorn.

SPEAKER_01 20:11

So um this yeast thing for vegans, I think.

SPEAKER_03 20:14

So too, uh if they uh is it for the flavor or is it for the benefits, like the vitamins? Or because I never thought about yeast, like for example, with the powdered berries. I I can imagine you can put it on anything to add taste and have the good stuff.

SPEAKER_02 20:29

But yeast, I didn't really yeah, uh a lot of people like to use uh like our nutritional yeast uh for like uh sprinkle it on top of like their like uh pasta, for example. So it gives like uh it's like um what do you call it? It's like a cheese. Uh yeah. So in you can instead of the cheese, you can use like the uh nutritional yeast. And also we have like customers uh who buy this for the source of the B vitamins, uh as well because it's a good source of B vitamins. Yeah, yeah, and and yeah, uh a lot of like vegetarian and vegan people uh use it just to give like some extra like cheesy flavor uh and use it use it instead of the cheese in different like uh applications, or you sprinkle it on the salads as well instead of the cheese.

SPEAKER_03 21:23

Uh what is the one thing about nature you believe more people should know but don't? And that and with that, I'm hooking back into that philosophy of should we educate people again about nature, should we reconnect them again? Like in your years of you know producing these natural products, but also having this um love affair with nature, what is it that you think people should realize?

SPEAKER_02 21:50

Um uh yeah, I think I think it's uh it it may sound like uh really like cliché, but uh I I think I think the the main thing is that uh people as we as we are people we are not like uh separate from the nature. We that we are actually the nature. So what we do to the nature, we actually do to ourselves. So I think that's one of the most important things uh to uh to understand. And I think as a as a human, I think it's important to understand that the body and our body uh uh it has like the self-healing capabilities if you like only uh let and uh and create the environment and the uh opportunities uh for the body to to heal uh uh heal it like themselves. So uh from my personal experience, like I'm 41 now and I think uh for sure like the last 25 years I haven't uh taken a single like medicinal like uh synthetical pill to uh to heal my uh myself. So I think it's important just to to recognize that and uh the small habits maybe just to what I think is important. I think it's uh important to uh be every day in the nature, even if you don't have the nature, maybe just go to your garden, uh to the to your uh park and just get the some sort of the connection. Uh and the second thing is also to uh grow uh uh your own foods, even if it's uh like a small thing, maybe it's even only like uh salad pots on your uh on on your like window or something like this. Because I think the connection with uh with the nature, it really uh like strengthens your uh like feeling like uh part, because the people is not only what we think because we are also like our feelings and and feelings create our reality. So I I think that when you're in the nature, this like strengthens the connection with nature and also develops the brain and uh and the connection with your with your with yourself, of course, uh as well, most important.

SPEAKER_03 24:20

We couldn't agree more. Yes. And yesterday um I was working in the garden, I was thinking, you know, the uh uh nurturing nature in any type of way, um, putting your hands in the dirt, nurturing plants, or taking care of nature, whether it's uh just in your garden or whether it's like a a big thing, maybe you're um helping to clean the oceans, or maybe you're just um growing a plant, that feels like it's similar as uh taking care of yourself. And and it's funny because it it actually resonates very much with what you're saying, we are nature, and it's having self-love is the same thing as taking care of nature. It feels like there's a symbiosis, and if you take care of nature, you're taking care of yourself. Well, obviously, if you get healing products from nature, you are taking care of yourselves, but just making sure nature's okay feels like making sure you're okay.

SPEAKER_01 25:19

Yeah, and to see it not as uh something, but also to to see the products also to um make your body a little bit stronger, but not see it as uh oh, that ache there, and what is the solution? And I only take it what when I need it, like the pharmaceutical is based on uh of course, but you do it in every day and and more with ease and with a feeling of oh, this this product is maybe uh attracting me of this plant in the garden. We have a lot of weeds, uh what people call weeds, but uh in the weeds there is the most power now, and the most high uh I and this is the best season when they come uh true. Uh so uh yeah it's it's beautiful. We eat them uh every day now, and and you feel in your body that that are the stuff that your body craves, right? And and really needs much more than the other the goods of the the the things that you can buy in the supermarket, like nettle, for example.

SPEAKER_03 26:25

Yeah, um yeah. Oh sorry, go ahead Admo.

SPEAKER_02 26:28

I just wanted yes, just wanted to just uh share like uh analog which I like really, really like, which comes to like like organic uh like food like as as a medicine. Uh like it's like there's like a like a great analog or story like uh which like comes like synthetical pills. So synthetical pills like is like uh like a SWAT team. It's just they are just in just intruding uh to your like room and uh they just take the illness out and but they destroy the whole uh room. But uh herbal or plants like uh like medicine or organic food and herbal medicine is like someone like gently knocking on your door, is like very gently and approaching everyone in the corner and asking specifically what this person like needs and heals like uh more slowly, but uh leaves all the room like uh in order. So I really like this.

SPEAKER_01 27:25

Uh that's a good one.

SPEAKER_02 27:26

Yeah, quantity too as well.

SPEAKER_01 27:28

Yeah, yeah, they're more imbalanced because the the herbs and the things you take from nature are more yeah, they our body recognizes as our own, uh so it's really uh easier for our body to adapt to it. Uh yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 27:44

Well, a love affair with nature seems to be a love affair with yourself as well. And if you you know give other people really great things from nature, it's also loving other people. So uh thank you so much, Otto, for a uh very nice conversation. Like I said, we were looking forward to it already beforehand because we're wildly enthusiastic about the products and very proud that we will be able to share this with uh with our audiences, and um, it has been inspiring to talk with you, and uh, I hope we might have some more conversations in the future. Maybe there is a part two podcast, um, maybe about specific product or so. Um, but this was already a wonderful one. And so thank you so much for visiting our studio.

SPEAKER_01 28:36

Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 28:37

Thank you so much. It's great to talk to you. What you heard today is raw, unedited, and straight from the heart.

SPEAKER_01 29:02

I've had so ill news about Queen Nature.

SPEAKER_03 29:05

All the products you hear about are available in our web shop online. By choosing to purchase any of these products, you're supporting these amazing creators and join the love affair with nature.