WINE AND FOOD
Eijos, a regenerative Wine and Cider Farm
Summary
Eijos is building a regenerative vineyard and cider orchard in Sylva Forest at Tørfest. Their ambition is to produce world-class, carbon-negative white wine and apple cider. This is an innovation project supported by Innovation Norway.
The project has converted 70 hectares of forest and logging fields into arable land, equivalent to around 10 football fields. A long-term product goal is to produce approximately 100,000 bottles of apple cider and juice, and 30,000 bottles of wine annually.
Eijos aims to create local employment opportunities, recreational areas, and inspire more people to become practitioners of regenerative agriculture by presenting measurable data and openly sharing information about the project.
Eijos takes a scientific approach and intends to contribute new knowledge to fruit cultivation. "There is much we do not yet know, but regenerative agriculture is the form of farming we have encountered with the greatest potential to do good."
MISSION
The mission of Eijos
Contribute to the green shift by developing regenerative, scalable, and profitable agricultural models. Eijos aims to inspire existing and future farmers to transition to regenerative agriculture and offer products to the market that have demonstrably contributed to the restoration of nature and ecosystems.
THE METHOD
How can one facilitate nature while also producing wine and cider?
Some parts of the answer are easier to explain by describing what shouldn’t be done.
- Pesticides are intended to kill unwanted plants, microorganisms, and insects. Unfortunately, many beneficial plants, microorganisms, and insects are also harmed in the process.
- Synthetic fertilizer requires a lot of fossil energy to produce and negatively affects soil life.
- Plowing causes loss of soil life and fungal networks by breaking apart mycelium and exposing organisms to UV light and drying out. It also leads to erosion of topsoil, which is why many rivers near agricultural land appear brown in the spring.
VALUES
Quality
Regenerative
Profitability
Diversity
Did you know…
- Most often, there are enough minerals in the soil, but they are not accessible to plants because of a lack of soil life? According to microbiologist Dr. Elaine Ingham.
- Carbon capture can be achieved through regenerative agriculture? Plowing leads to significant annual emissions globally. Fuel consumption accounts for about 5% of this, and 95% comes from the oxidation of organic material in the soil.
- Regenerative agriculture is practiced on over 40 million hectares worldwide? Mainland Norway covers approximately 32 million hectares. For comparison, the total agricultural area in the world is around 5000 million hectares.
- Plants become highly resistant to diseases and pests when they grow in healthy soil? This eliminates the need for spraying.
THE PEOPLE BEHIND EIJOS
Science and measurable data are at the core of the operational model. This forms the basis for new knowledge derived from the project. Eijos is innovative and passionate about enhancing sustainable food production in Norway.
Josef (born in 1989), a Mechanical Engineer and Mathematician, has worked on the development of drone technology and is the CEO of the forestry company Sylva As, which aims to research carbon capture and sustainable forestry. Eivind (born in 1991), a Civil Engineer in Subsea Technology, has been a project manager in the electrical power industry, worked for two years as a software developer, and is a product manager in a new company that sells carbon credits from boreal forests. Sarah (born in 2001) works in the national defense and is transitioning into civilian studies.
Over the past 4 years, they have gained knowledge and experience in regenerative agriculture through studying and conducting their own experiments. They are curious and have a passion for nature and research. Now, they have taken the step and ventured into a large experiment.
They believe that the future of agriculture is regenerative.
Josef Flatlandsmo
Eivind Flatlandsmo
Sarah Flatlandsmo
SUPPORTED BY
Innovation Norway
OUR PARTNERS
Vestby Municipality
Sylva
CONTRIBUTORS
Ringi gård
Dyre gård
GALLERY
Before and after conversion
