Berte Qvarn is pioneering sustainable grain production with Improvin’.
Berte Qvarn, Sweden's oldest mill with a 453-year legacy, is an industry leader in sustainable food production.
Since conducting their first LCAs in 2008, they have adopted Science-Based Targets, switched to fossil-free energy and transportation and introduced eco-friendly plant variants, among other impactful measures.
In 2022, Berte Qvarn implemented a sustainability performance platform provided by Improvin’.
The platform helps Berte Qvarn gather primary data scalably from their 300+ growers and quantify and share their sustainability insights.
Key results: Record-high grower engagement and faster sustainability reporting.
Read further to see what Helena Stenström, the Head of Sustainability at Berte Qvarn, had to say about their journey with Improvin’.
“We now have a tool for sharing our ingredient footprint and field-level data transparently with our customers.”
Helena Stenström,
Berte Qvarn.
Sweden's oldest family business, the mill Berte Qvarn, has been standing tall for 453 years in Halland, south of Sweden. They source grains from over 300 local growers each year. For years, they have been paving the way for more sustainable food production.
We interviewed Helena Stenström, Head of Sustainability at Berte Qvarn to hear more about their sustainability journey and the most recent project with Improvin’, dating back to 2022.
The challenge.
Berte Qvarn has decades of experience with hands-on sustainability work. They did their first Life Cycle Assessments in 2008 and set their Science-Based Targets already in 2018.
“We have picked many ‘low-hanging fruits’: switched to fossil-free transportation and energy sources, improved our production methods, introduced new plant variants that yield more flour and reduce waste, and set stricter requirements to our growers”, Helena lists.
However, like all European grain processors, Berte Qvarn was faced with the challenge of reporting and reducing the largest share of their emissions; their Scope 3 emissions.
“99% of our emissions come from the grains we buy”, Helena points out.
In order to first understand, and eventually reduce, the Scope 3 emissions from their primary production, Berte Qvarn started to gather primary data from their growers.
Unfortunately, the process was manual and tedious.
Helena: “For a few years, we used Excel sheets to gather primary data from the growers. It was time-consuming; for us and them. And the data was uncertain. There was no way to validate the input.”
“Eventually we realized that we had to digitize the process”, Helena says.
“For a few years, we used Excel sheets to gather primary data from the growers. It was time-consuming. […] The data was uncertain. There was no way to validate the input.”
— Helena Stenström, Berte Qvarn
The solution.
The team at Berte Qvarn looked into digital tools that could help them gather primary data scalably from their growers and retrieve Scope 3 data for their sustainability reporting.
Helena explains why they chose Improvin’:
Digital platform tailored for the agri-food industry.
“We didn’t find any other provider on the market that seemed to understand the ins and outs of primary production in agriculture. We needed a partner, like you, that did.”
User-friendly for mills and growers.
“It was crucial to find a system that was easy to use, especially for our growers. We needed a system requiring minimal effort; otherwise, it would be difficult to convince the growers to use it.”
Flexible output for certifications and reporting.
“The system had to be versatile so that we in the future could use the same data for different reports, surveys and certificates; such as SAI certificates.”
“We didn’t find any other provider on the market that seemed to understand the ins and outs of primary production in agriculture.”
— Helena Stenström, Berte Qvarn
The results.
The impact of implementing the sustainability platform has already been tangible: Berte Qvarn has seen a significant uptick in grower engagement.
"We used the platform for the first time for harvest 2022, and we had a record-high grower engagement: more growers reported than ever before, and their feedback was positive", Helena says.
Reporting, which used to be time-consuming, took the growers on average less than 30 minutes with the new platform.
Moreover, 83 % of the growers said that the platform was easy to use.
Beyond the numbers, the results have been about enabling a shift in mindset.
Helena: “We now have a tool for sharing our ingredient footprint and field-level data transparently with our customers. Showing them the value in pure numbers makes them invested in the transition.”
“It must be a joint effort: the whole value chain needs to be committed to invest and move towards a more sustainable food production, simultaneously”, she continues.
83 % of the growers said that the platform was easy to use.
Looking ahead.
According to Helena, the Improvin’ team has been a joy to work with:
“You deliver what you promise and you’re passionate about what you do. It shows that you have a lot of in-depth knowledge about primary production and technical requirements for a platform like this. That makes you equipped to come up with smart solutions and suggestions that improve the platform continuously.”
“And working with you is fun. This is a long-term collaboration, so the dynamics really come into play”, she adds.
In the future, Helena and the Berte Qvarn team hope to engage even more growers and customers through the platform.
Helena: "We now have a great tool for sharing data and knowledge about actions that make an actual difference in the primary production.”
“It’s a great starting point for tangible change. We need to share the knowledge with our customers and growers, and everyone in the value chain needs to learn more about sustainable agriculture if we are to succeed in reaching our joint sustainability goals.”
When asked about recommending Improvin', Helena doesn’t hesitate.
"Yes, I’d absolutely recommend Improvin’. You deliver what you promise and see opportunities where we hadn’t even imagined. So far, it’s been a great collaboration", Helena concludes.
“Everyone in the value chain needs to learn more about sustainable agriculture if we are to succeed in reaching our joint sustainability goals.”
— Helena Stenström, Berte Qvarn
