The story of Himlakull café begins with a dream of another life. It is summer 2021 and the couple Rasmus Berglund and Sofia Stålmark Johansson are studying to become music teachers while thoughts about the future swirl in their heads. How do they want their lives to look? They do not want to get stuck in the hamster wheel.
Rasmus grew up on a farm outside Grimslöv. Here, the parents still live and run a B&B. Behind the farm, there is an old work shed. It is worn and does not look like much, but here is the place where the dream will come to life.
– We love music and culture and visiting rural cafés. That’s how we got the idea: We combine the cakes, says Sofia.
In the autumn of 2021, Rasmus and Sofia take a study break. They have gone to the bank with plans for their future and received the advice to seek funding from Leader Linné Småland. They are granted support and begin to build their rural café.
The old work shed behind the parents' farm is slowly but surely transforming into a creative, colorful cultural palace. The couple has never built anything themselves before, but they learn a lot by following construction projects on YouTube and Instagram.
– It has been a really fun project. We can stand by everything we have done, says Sofia and continues:
– We started small and have done everything with a lot of love. We would never open if we were not one hundred percent satisfied.
But it has not been easy. Sofia describes the previous work shed, from which the project originated, as dreadful.
– I don’t know what we were thinking really. All the work and toil… We didn’t know what we were getting into, says Rasmus.
– But we saw the potential, notes Sofia.
They have built the dishwashing room together from scratch. They have brought in water and sewage, wallpapered the bathroom (and its floor), and attached the many mirror glass shards to the ceiling. And then the garden, of course.
”We have missed a cultural café
in the countryside.”
With inspiration from House Dreams and construction projects on YouTube, they started an Instagram account where their followers could follow the build.
– That was the first thing we did, barely before we had time to start building. We think it’s fun to follow others' journeys from zero to a hundred, says Rasmus.
– Although social media is probably our weak side. Personally, we are not very active on Instagram, but it is an important part of marketing, adds Sofia.
At the same time, the couple has had an important support from the beginning. Rasmus's parents' B&B attracts people from Haparanda to Mexico. And it is precisely the location outside the small village of Grimslöv that Rasmus and Sofia see as a great advantage in their project.
– It is absolutely perfect, says Rasmus.
– We have missed a cultural café in the countryside in the area. We are located by road 126, near Åsnens national park, so many tourists pass by here, says Sofia.
Barely two years later it is time for the café to open. It has been more work than Rasmus and Sofia had anticipated, but the result is better than they dreamed of. The rural idyll has been embraced. From the parking lot, visitors walk along a path lined with plantings of sweet peas and edible plants. Upon reaching the red, old work shed with a new facade, they are welcomed by dwarf chickens and an old book decorated with birdhouses in cheerful colors.
– The idea emerged after lightning struck and destroyed half the tree. We wanted to create something beautiful from it to restore life to the tree.
The beautiful sign above the café with the text ”Pastry Shop” is a gift from Rasmus's mother, who bid for it at an auction. The seating in the garden is plentiful and scattered: wicker chairs among rhubarb, a sofa group is among the last things to be created in the established raspberry cave, where tall raspberry bushes carefully frame the sitting corner.
Up on a wooden deck, there are about twenty seats for coffee in the sun. But besides the coffee itself, culture is a central part of the project. From the café, a art trail has been created in the forest where visitors can wander between nature and art. Here too, there will be a tree with birdhouses, inspired by Yoko Ono's wish tree.
– Here, visitors can buy birdhouses, decorate and paint them beautifully according to personal preferences. Then the houses are nailed up in the tree.
At the café, there is also another leader project where Rasmus's mother, Petra Salomonsson, will arrange pottery and painting courses. In the barn attic, plans are being made for both art exhibitions and concerts. The largest booking so far is Timo Räisänen.
There is hardly a lack of ideas. How about solving the Melodikrysset together with other coffee enthusiasts on a weekend morning, or booking a well-prepared picnic basket for a summer moment in the meadow behind the café?
– The leader support has been crucial for how we have been able to work on this project. It would have taken a very long time to get all this in order without it, says Sofia.
– It would have been a completely different project, adds Rasmus.
Sofia and Rasmus's tips, advice, and encouragement for success:
- Seek all the resources you can find! Rasmus and Sofia had no saved funds, but managed to gather enough to realize their vision.
- Be prepared to sacrifice blood, sweat, and tears. It will be worth it.
- Dare. It can't go more wrong than that.
- Think of how many have a dream but are stuck in the rat race. Stop thinking – just go for it!
Want to know more about Himlakull café? Visit their website or follow them on social media!
Published: October 17, 2023