{"id":11807,"date":"2024-03-11T11:59:58","date_gmt":"2024-03-11T11:59:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leaderlinne.se\/?p=11807"},"modified":"2026-03-11T14:15:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T14:15:09","slug":"rasmus-och-sofias-lantliga-kafedrom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leaderlinne.se\/en\/rasmus-och-sofias-lantliga-kafedrom\/","title":{"rendered":"Rasmus and Sofia's rural caf\u00e9 dream"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The story of Himlakull caf\u00e9 begins with a dream of another life. It is summer 2021 and the couple Rasmus Berglund and Sofia St\u00e5lmark 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.<\/p>\n

Rasmus grew up on a farm outside Grimsl\u00f6v. 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.
\n\u2013 We love music and culture and visiting rural caf\u00e9s. That\u2019s how we got the idea: We combine the cakes, says Sofia.<\/p>\n

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 Linn\u00e9 Sm\u00e5land. They are granted support and begin to build their rural caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n

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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.
\n\u2013 It has been a really fun project. We can stand by everything we have done, says Sofia and continues:
\n\u2013 We started small and have done everything with a lot of love. We would never open if we were not one hundred percent satisfied.
\nBut it has not been easy. Sofia describes the previous work shed, from which the project originated, as dreadful.
\n\u2013 I don\u2019t know what we were thinking really. All the work and toil\u2026 We didn\u2019t know what we were getting into, says Rasmus.
\n\u2013 But we saw the potential, notes Sofia.
\nThey 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.<\/p>\n

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\"\"\u00a0 \u00a0 \"\" \u00a0 \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201dWe have missed <\/span>a cultural caf\u00e9
\n<\/span><\/span><\/strong>in the countryside.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n

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With inspiration from House Dreams<\/em> and construction projects on YouTube, they started an Instagram account where their followers could follow the build.
\n\u2013 That was the first thing we did, barely before we had time to start building. We think it\u2019s fun to follow others' journeys from zero to a hundred, says Rasmus.
\n\u2013 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.<\/p>\n

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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 Grimsl\u00f6v that Rasmus and Sofia see as a great advantage in their project.
\n\u2013 It is absolutely perfect, says Rasmus.
\n\u2013 We have missed a cultural caf\u00e9 in the countryside in the area. We are located by road 126, near \u00c5snens national park, so many tourists pass by here, says Sofia.<\/p>\n

Barely two years later it is time for the caf\u00e9 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.
\n\u2013 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.<\/p>\n

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The beautiful sign above the caf\u00e9 with the text \u201dPastry Shop\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

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 caf\u00e9, 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.
\n\u2013 Here, visitors can buy birdhouses, decorate and paint them beautifully according to personal preferences. Then the houses are nailed up in the tree.<\/p>\n

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At the caf\u00e9, 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 R\u00e4is\u00e4nen.<\/p>\n

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 caf\u00e9?
\n\u2013 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.
\n\u2013 It would have been a completely different project, adds Rasmus.<\/p>\n

Sofia and Rasmus's tips, advice, and encouragement for success:<\/h4>\n