August 2022 - 16

CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE
ICELANDIC TOMATO PARADISE
Greenhouse operation grows, processes and serves tomato dishes to tourists
Photos: Friðheimar
By Melanie Epp
Contributing Writer
It's hard to believe that a remote
Icelandic agritourism business could draw
180,000 visitors - half of the country's
population - in a year, but in 2019 it did.
Iceland is more known for its
remoteness and cold, dark winters than it
is for greenhouse production.
That's starting to change, though,
thanks to the hard work and dedication
of Friðheimar, a greenhouse tomato
operation and horse farm run by Knútur
Rafn Ármann and his wife, Helena
Hermundardóttir.
Friðheimar didn't start out as a
tourist destination. It started as a small
dream of a young couple who met in
college when they were just 17 years
old. She was studying horticulture,
specializing in indoor production, and
he studied agriculture.
" We had the dream to move to the
countryside and try to create our life by
growing vegetables in the greenhouses
and breeding horses, " Knútur said.
Following graduation in 1995, the
young couple bought a rundown
greenhouse farm about 60 miles from
Reykjavík in a high-tourism area known
as the Golden Circle. The farm was in
disrepair, so the couple spent the first
years building it up. Their aim at that
time was to grow greenhouse tomatoes
for the market.
Today, Friðheimar produces tomatoes
year-round under 11,000 square meters
(118,403 square feet) of glass, delivering
an average of 3,300-4,400 pounds of
tomatoes each day. The greenhouse
operation is complemented by a horse
breeding operation, which currently has
48 horses.
In 2008, Knútur and Helena decided
16 | VegetableGrowersNews.com
Knútur Rafn Ármann and Helena Hermundardóttir have created a
total food experience at their tomato greenhouse and restaurant
in Iceland.
to open their farm up to tourism with the
aim to teach visitors about horse breeding
and tomato production. That first year
they welcomed 900 visitors. By 2019, the
number of visitors rose to 180,000. While
a handful are local tourists, 85% of visitors
come from outside of Iceland.
" That was supposed to be our side
business, but it has turned out to be one
of our main businesses, " said Knútur,
adding that the company now employs
64 people, only 22 of which work in the
greenhouse. Many of the staff are focused
on serving tourists.
In 2012, Friðheimar added a
restaurant. Situated in the middle of the
greenhouse, its menu features a variety
of unique tomato dishes. The idea was
to create a food experience for visitors,
said Knútur, adding that they hired a
chef. The menu boasts an array of dishes
including pasta with homemade tomato
sauce, and fresh mussels in - you
guessed it - tomato sauce. They offer
some truly one-of-a-kind menu items,
like green tomato and apple pie, tomato
ice cream, and even tomato beer.
The greenhouse operation also has a restaurant with a menu
that features tomato-focused dishes and drinks.
Visitors to Friðheimar can take food
souvenirs home with them, as the kitchen
processes a few tomato-based products
on-site for sale in their little shop.
" That is the big thing for us, is to make
this what we can call a food experience, "
said Knútur. " Because if you get some
knowledge about the background, food
tastes a little bit different. "
Visitors to Friðheimar may be surprised
to learn that tomatoes can be grown yearround
in Iceland. But Knútur said they
do - and sustainably. Water from natural
hot springs is used to warm buildings,
and while the greenhouse does require
significant energy, Iceland produces
hydroelectricity, which is also viewed as
sustainable. Carbon dioxide, necessary for
greenhouse production, is diverted from a
nearby farm.
" In Iceland, we have really good quality
cold water coming from our mountains,
so I can water my plants with the same
good water that we are drinking in our
houses, " Knútur said.
Inside the greenhouse, he and Helena
use biological pest control, using good
insects to take out the bad. They also
bring bees in from the Netherlands
for pollination.
What Friðheimar is doing is not new.
There are many greenhouse operations
in Iceland. In fact, most cucumbers,
tomatoes, sweet peppers, lettuce and fresh
herbs carry a label showing that they're
produced locally. But it's not what they're
doing that's unique, but how they do
it. Knútur and Helena are on a mission
to close the gap between farmer and
consumer by showing them how food is
produced and why.
" We even put a picture of me on the
backside of the ticket because we think it's
really important to make the line between
the farmer and the buyer shorter, " he said.
The real connection starts on the farm
where people and food come together.
" When they leave, they have something
in their stomach and they have something
in the brain, " Knútur concluded. " I
think that is really, really important for
agriculture and horticulture. It's important
to have open places like this because it gets
people back to their roots. " VGN
http://www.VegetableGrowersNews.com
August 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2022
