Value-Added Service and Product Development at Kaldi

The couple Agnes Sigurðardóttir and Ólafur Þröstur Ólafsson made a U-turn in life after Ólafur injured his leg and could no longer work at sea as he had for the past 26 years. “Life was good to us; my husband was a fisherman and I worked filleting fish and in a shop. After the accident, it was time to figure out what we could do with our lives,” says Agnes, explaining that the couple had four children whom they had raised in the town.

“At that time, all life in Árskógssandur revolved around fishing, and we were very concerned about what we could do in our situation,” she says. The couple couldn't imagine moving away from Árskógssandur and got the idea for the brewery after watching a news report on television about the growing popularity of microbreweries. “An interview with a Danish brewmaster was shown, and I felt the story spoke directly to me. My paternal grandmother was far ahead of her time regarding Icelandic water; she had so much respect for it and often reminded us to be careful with this precious resource.”

The couple immediately decided to go to Denmark. “A week after we watched the show, we were in Denmark, and it's funny to say that our biggest challenge at the time was finding a babysitter for our children; we had never been to Denmark!”

After the trip, the wheels started turning, and a short while later they received help connecting with a brewmaster in the Czech Republic. Since its founding, they have focused on building upon their knowledge. Now, Icelandic brewmasters work for them, and Kaldi is constantly expanding its expertise. They are actively engaged in product development and innovation and say it is important for those operating in small communities to constantly consider value-added services.