Wednesday, August 28. Uppsala, Sweden.
There is a new REKO ring in town. It is located in the middle of the city, at a large square near the central train station. Here in Uppsala, where I live, previous rings have all been located outside the city center, as they usually are. This ‘move’ makes it more accessible in terms of walking, biking, or the use of public transports.
As I trodded my bike to the inaugural and first pick-up, I imagined the place to be crowded. Not least due to the lively pre-activities in the Facebook group. I had myself placed three different orders (vegetables, cheese, and some meat products), but there were many interesting producers that had joined the ring. Today there were 33 different producers!
I rolled into the square and was struck by the buzz. One rarely experiences this in Uppsala, despite its +245.000 inhabitants. It was a warm evening, which is not always the case in late August at this latitude. There were people of all ages carrying baskets and tote bags. People walking around the square, talking, and smiling. Sitting down at temporary summer installations. There was smoke rising from a BBQ joint on wheels. I smelled the doughnuts from a food truck. It did feel a little continental.
As it was the first occasion (pick-up), there was an inaugural ceremony including energized talks from the REKO administrators, the mayor (chairman of the municipality), a representative from the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (Naturskyddsföreningen), and others. They all praised the initiative. But walking around and talking to some of the involved it, however, had not been frictionless process in starting this new and centrally located ring. But with the enjoyment of the people coming for the locally produced foods, the hard-working producers, and the ‘promises’ by the speakers, it seems this ring is in a good position to thrive. The ring has gone from 0 to over 4000 members in the Facebook group in the last couple of weeks.
I also talked to people whom had never before visited a REKO ring, but were smitten. Not only by the opportunity to buy local produce, but also the setting itself, including the producers and all streetfood vendors around it in that particular place, to which they could walk. Indeed, REKO can be part of a ‘living’ community.
Normally, after those 30 minutes of intense activities have passed, the place goes silent. But that was not the case now, as there are many other actors with more permanent activities at the square. I find this mix enthralling.
/Daniel