Published 04 June 2019 • Inter IKEA newsroom
A modern taste of Sweden meets New Nordic Cuisine
With shared entrepreneurial spirit and the belief that good food can make a positive difference for both people and the planet IKEA and Claus Meyer are teaming up to take food and “a modern taste of Sweden” to the next level within IKEA. The collaboration is true to the IKEA vision of creating a better (and tastier) everyday life for the many people.
Claus Meyer is a world-known culinary entrepreneur and founder of the New Nordic Cuisine, promoting simplicity, freshness, seasonality and sustainability in food. In 2003 he co-founded the restaurant Noma in Copenhagen, which was voted the best restaurant in the world four times. Since then he has been the driving force behind many projects, always challenging conventional thinking in agriculture, food production and cooking.
True to the IKEA vision of creating a better everyday life for the many, IKEA Food has engaged Claus Meyer and his team to support in creating an inclusive and forward-thinking food experience that looks at the needs of both people and our planet.
“Together with Claus we want to show that more sustainable food is not only the better choice for the planet but also for your taste buds. We want to explore new ways of engaging with our guests and customers” says Michael La Cour, Managing Director IKEA Food Services AB. “We see the movement especially among the next generation to take climate positive actions – a movement that also manifests itself in the food they choose. When starting the collaboration with Claus, we asked ourselves: What if we could side with this generation by creating a food offer that has the well-being of both people and the environment at heart?” he adds.
“As a global business and with a turnover of over € 2 billion in their food operations, IKEA is a significant food service operator in the world. Scale and success come with both responsibilities and opportunities. We are both proud and thrilled to be invited to participate in the next chapter of IKEAs food journey” says Claus Meyer. “I find it fascinating that IKEA is ready to explore how a global family restaurant rooted in Småland in Sweden can leverage the universal values embedded in the New Nordic Cuisine to benefit the communities in which they operate and to become a purpose driven food operation. I am particularly inspired by the idea of “siding with the next generation” and can’t wait to find out what this could mean for IKEA Food.”
Food Services AB
IKEA Food Services AB, based in Malmö, Sweden, develops the global range for the IKEA Restaurants, Bistros and Swedish Food Markets in over 420 IKEA stores in 52 markets. With food at the heart of people’s everyday life, IKEA Food wants to offer a modern taste of Sweden – honest food for people and the planet.
About Claus Meyer
For 30 years Claus Meyer has worked, as a serial entrepreneur and a social activist, to combat the misery and to promote the possibilities and qualities of the Danish food culture. Today the Meyers Group operates at all levels in the value chain from farm to table. Its main activities are in the running of restaurants and canteens, catering, bakeries, fruit farming, processing activities, team building, research, communication, education and consulting. In 2010 Claus Meyer established the Melting Pot Foundation, and started working in prisons in Denmark, in the slums of Bolivia, and most recently in Brownsville, Brooklyn, using training in cooking and hospitality to improve resocialization and fight poverty.