In March, Prisma organised a special campaign "The best food comes from nearby”, which focuses on Estonian food and small domestic producers. The aim of the campaign is to highlight the high-quality and fresh products of Estonian producers and emphasise the importance of local ingredients. This time, special attention will be paid to Pajumäe Farm, Saidafarm, Andre Cheese Farm, Äntu Manor and Matsimoka, each of them with their own unique story and speciality.
The history of Pajumäe Farm dates back over a hundred years when, during the division of manors, one of the manors became Pajumäe Farm. Milk processing began in 1998, and in 2001, Pajumäe Farm earned one of the first organic certifications in Estonia. The product range of Pajumäe Farm includes organic yogurts, curd creams, raw milk, kefir, cheese, cream and butter. What makes Pajumäe Farm special is that all dairy products are made from organic Estonian milk, and the blueberries for the blueberry yogurt and blueberry and curd cream are picked from the forests around Rõngu in Tartu County.
The farm's collaboration with Prisma has been ongoing for over 15 years, and in this time, several innovative products have reached the store shelves, such as organic apple yogurt and Cheddar cheese. Pajumäe Farm is also known for its family-friendliness – trips can be made to the farm and children can try out making curd creams.
Saidafarm was established in 1992 and was the largest organic farm in Europe at the time. The founders of the farm drew inspiration from organic producers in Sweden, Finland, and Germany, aiming to grow their food without chemical fertilisers and pesticides. "While visiting these farms, it was clear to the eight founders of our farm that we can do it as well and produce without using any chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Our only fertiliser is manure compost. And this is the principle we have been using to this day," says Helve Särgava, the hostess of Saidafarm.
Saidafarm products, such as curd with raisins, curd cream with sea buckthorn jam, kefir, and Saida cheese, are appreciated for their freshness and pure taste. In 2013, the farm was even awarded the title of the most environmentally friendly farm in the Baltic Sea countries.
Saidafarm's collaboration with Prisma began back in 2008, and now, alongside other products, the new organic kefir is also available at Prisma, and in the future, freeze-dried cheese crisps will be introduced. The farm's uniqueness also lies in its sustainability – for example, the cooling water from milk tanks is reused repeatedly, the heat from freezers is reused to produce hot water, and over 90% of the ingredients used in the products come from the farm.
Similarly to Pajumäe Farm, Saidafarm is also visited by many school students on trips, who enjoy listening to stories about the lives of cows and how organic food is grown. "We often hear children say they don’t really like dairy products, but ours are really good.'" Sometimes, hearing the questions, I think about how alienated people are from real life. Praise to those who show their children that milk doesn't come from the store," Särgava adds.
Andre Cheese Farm started making cheese in 2015 to value the work of the cows on their farm. Instead of anonymously providing milk to large industries, they decided to start making cheese themselves.
The collaboration with Prisma has been ongoing for almost ten years, during which time both younger and riper cheeses have been brought to the store shelves. Andre Cheese Farm is proud of its long-matured cheeses, which are made from whole milk and are known for their rich flavour. The farm's distinctive feature is its herd of 220 cows, each with their own name and character. What is particularly noteworthy is that the farm is home to the oldest cows in Estonia, with several of them already over 13 years old.
Organic eggs have been produced at Äntu Manor since 2012, and the first organic chickens were added in 2021. The collaboration with Prisma has been ongoing for over ten years and has helped introduce organic products to a wider consumer base. Äntu Manor's product range includes the Kikerikii organic eggs and organic chicken meat, as well as Äntu Gurmee organic frankfurters and sausages.
The goal of Äntu Manor is to expand the range of organic chicken meat products to offer consumers an even more diverse assortment of organic products. They are also planning to increase production capacity to meet the growing demand: "Fortunately, Estonian consumers are aware and appreciate clean and high-quality food." We understand that price is always a factor, but we believe that increasingly more people are thinking about the origin of food as well as its impact on health and the environment. Our desire is to make organic products more accessible so that more families can enjoy delicious and healthy dishes made from pure ingredients," says Lauri Bobrovski.
In addition, they take care of the well-being of their chickens, allowing the birds to move around freely and enjoy the sun. The springtime, when the chickens can be let out to roam around the grass, is always a truly lovely sight. “We have built shelters for the chickens in the pens, which are popular “meeting places” where they can get together and chat,” Bobrovski adds.
One of the coolest stories about Äntu Manor farm is related to the culvert under the road, which was built to connect two grasslands. "At first we wondered whether the chickens will find it and use it, but in a few days it was clear – the smart birds quickly found their way to where the grass was lusher and where it was more fun to scratch around." A true example of how nature and smart solutions go hand in hand," Lauri Bobrovski is glad.
The story of Matsimoka began in 1982, when Aivar Inno started making smoked meat in Karelia. The company was officially established in 2006 and today, Matsimoka is well known for its naturally aged smoked meats, salamis, and raw sausages. What makes Matsimoka special is that all of their products are made without flour or flavour enhancers, and natural alder is used to smoke the products.
The collaboration with Prisma began in 2021, when the company's sales in quality meat stores decreased during the coronavirus pandemic. Prisma helped Matsimoka's products reach a wider consumer base. Pate with smoked meat rinds, salamis, and raw sausages are particularly popular among customers.
Matsimoka is constantly engaged in product innovations and the development of new products. The biggest recent innovation is the ready-made soups made from natural broth, which have proven to be very popular. “We boil the bones for 12 hours, and the resulting broth gives the soups a rich flavour. These soups really are restaurant quality. We are currently in the process of purchasing equipment that will allow us to produce ready-made soups in larger quantities," Inno adds.
According to Jan Inno, local ingredients are the foundations of Matsimoka – all meat comes from farms in North Estonia and Lääne-Viru County. Although there is still room for growth in the Estonian market, the company's future plans are related to the export of salami to the Baltic and Nordic countries.
Prisma's campaign "The best food comes from nearby" emphasises the importance of local ingredients and environmentally friendly production methods. Pajumäe Farm, Saidafarm, Andre Cheese Farm, Äntu Manor and Matsimoka are excellent examples of how quality and dedication lead to consumer trust and popularity.
In March, make sure to check out the domestic products available at Prisma. Posters with beautiful pictures and messages will guide you into the world of flavours by local small producers, where the best dairy, meat and eggs really do come from nearby!
