AgriCulinary Students’ Study Trip to Finland
Norwegian and Danish AgriCulinary students arrived at Perho College’s Malmi campus on October 25, 2023. The morning started with an introduction session over a breakfast inspired by local farm produce.
During the sustainable development morning session, Maria Runonen led a sustainability workshop, and we explored Perho’s commitment to the Agenda 2030 sustainable development goals through a video by Jarmo Heimala. Heidi Hovi-Sippola introduced the Green City Farm ecosystem, a sustainable learning environment, while Sasu Laukkonen encouraged students to boldly combine different fields of study.
First Day of Study Trip
After lunch, as the first snowflakes of the season began to fall, we went to the Green City Farm to see what ingredients could still be harvested for use for the next day.
Collaborative food & beverage preparation
The second day began at the Töölö campus teaching kitchen, where Sasu Laukkonen inspired students to use 99% of the ingredients. For example, the parsnip ice cream sparked enthusiasm, as it utilized both the leaves and the root of the vegetable.
Seasonal beverages
Anu Piirainen (teacher of customer service) worked with the group to create a late-autumn table setting and seasonal drinks using herbs and ingredients from the season’s final harvest.
Pop-up Pizzeria
On Thursday afternoon, we visited Taivasmaa farm in Kisko, where we explored the gardening farm and learned about Metsäkettu Pop-up Pizzeria, which operates in the loft of an old barn and uses seasonal farm ingredients.
Bovik Organic Farm
As the late-autumn evening darkened, we continued to Bovik organic farm, where we learned about organic Finnish Eastern Finncattle (kyyttö) and sheep farming.
Strengthening Nordic Collaboration
Students enjoyed the opportunity to connect with their Nordic peers and expressed interest in further strengthening the Nordic cooperation. They worked in Nordic teams to discuss shared sustainability goals, exchanged responsible practices in the restaurant and horticulture industries, and explored the unique characteristics of each country’s approach. Networking was seen as highly valuable.
AgriCulinary Erasmus + Project
1.9.2022–31.1.2025
Coordinator: Perho Liiketalousopisto
Partners: Mosjøen videregående skole (MVGS, Norway) and Zealand Business College (ZBC, Denmark)
