A new local supplier collaboration has taken off to ensure local vegetables in local hotels, eateries and canteens. The initiative has been created in collaboration between VisitHerning, Bæredygtig Herning and Gartnerhallen following demand from local actors.

We probably all know it: Food is a central element when you are a guest. Regardless of whether you are out with clients, participating in a large event, grabbing a quick snack before a concert or going to a restaurant with friends.

Therefore, a new local supplier cooperation has now seen the light of day with the aim of giving the city's guests good dining experiences with local vegetables at local hotels and eateries - and the same applies in the many canteens in the area.

In all its simplicity, the supplier collaboration involves connecting local food producers and local restaurants, hotels and canteens. Gartnerhallen helps with its established setup and guarantees that the local goods are delivered fresh from the fields the day after they are collected from the producer.

Initially, you can buy fresh vegetables from Månsson in Brande and Oblings in Ikast, but the idea is for the portal to be expanded with other local producers - large and small.

"Then it will actually be almost no more fresh and local than if the restaurants grew their vegetables themselves. On the one hand, the taste and quality are better when the vegetables have not been in a large warehouse for several days and have been transported throughout the country. On the other hand, it is sustainably to minimize transport. And then it's just a funny story that the vegetables come from a field, a stone's throw from the restaurant"
(Karsten Antonsen, owner of Gartnerhallen)

Local joy over the initiative

The initiative has been created based on demand and great interest from local restaurants and hotels, which through workshops and a working group have identified and developed the idea. And all stakeholders are excited that the local supplier cooperation is now live.

"It is more sustainable to buy from local producers, and in Herning we must also be on the beat in terms of sustainability. It is important in relation to the climate and at the same time good business. At Hotel Eyde, we would like to help create a better place to live, but we also want to run a healthy business, so we are trying to find the balance, and the new collaboration is definitely a step on the way. We can make a difference if we stand together. Herning proves that time and again."
(Martin Lemvig, managing director at Hotel Eyde)

"We are really happy about the new focus on climate kilometers. It is completely in line with our business, where we work with circular economy and environmental and climate considerations. The Danish, organic vegetables will provide a better eating experience with freshness and taste, and the knowledge from the local producer provides an authentic and sincere story to the guests"
(Axel Månsson, owner and chairman of the board at Axel Månsson A/S)

Strategic work with sustainable dining experiences

The supplier collaboration is just one of many projects in the project E.A.T. (Eating And Tourism) - a strategic investment in the work with sustainable tourism development and the dining experience Herning offers guests in the city. The team behind E.A.T. is a collaboration between Bæredygtig Herning and VisitHerning and supported by Herning Municipality and the Danish Business Promotion Board (Danmarks Erhvervsfremmebestyrelse), and is now ready to launch the new local supplier collaboration.

In the team behind project E.A.T, we are incredibly happy that a local platform has now been established where the region's restaurants, hotels and canteens can shop directly from local producers.

"The supplier collaboration is a fantastic example of a sustainable and meaningful initiative that solves a very concrete need and creates positive change. It was created jointly by a group of dedicated people and organizations united around a common goal: Taking responsibility as a destination and each be part of the solution. We look forward to seeing even more local ingredients on our plates in Herning, and to inviting even more local suppliers and customers into the collaboration. It is a strong solution that we are proud of which we look forward to building on and creating even more changes with"
(Tennae Rix Kristensen, project manager in Sustainable Herning)

VisitHerning and Sustainable Herning thank local hotels, restaurants, suppliers, the Business Council Herning & Ikast-Brande and Gartnerhallen for the support and look forward to continuing the collaboration. Hopefully, we will see the project flourish and get many more local players involved in the local supplier collaboration - both as suppliers and purchasers of local raw materials.

You can become part of the collaboration here.