Kaffestugan i Böda is a seasonal bakery that grows and develops year after year. Its list of offerings now includes an artisan bakery, a patisserie, a gelateria, a coffee roastery, a lunch menu, and a pizzeria. Not to mention limited overnight accommodation options. Kaffestugan has a fantastic location, nestled in a cozy, rural environment in one of Sweden’s largest tourist resorts on the island of Öland, which is flooded every summer by tourists from many different countries.
During the high season, there’s much work to be done virtually 24/7. The bakery opens in the spring and celebrates the end of the season with a harvest festival before closing in the early autumn to clean up, renovate and bring new plans to life during the winter months. And hire staff for next summer, of course! During the high season, Kaffestugan has about 40 employees, and many hands are needed to satisfy the appetites of its guests.
The married couple Frank and Lena Thygesen bought Kaffestugan i Böda about 13 years ago. Five years later, Sofie Loirendal joined the duo. Sofie’s arrival afforded more time for business development and allowed them to take their pizza concept to the next level. Pizza just might be Sofie’s greatest passion. In fact, in 2021 she took home the gold medal in the Småland (a region in Sweden) pizza championships with Kaffestugan i Böda’s original pizzas.
Kaffestugan is a popular destination, to say the least. In the high season, the line wraps around the block and their baked goods sell out every day. And that’s a lot of dough! Their products range from rolls, sourdough rolls, sourdough bread, all kinds of buns, Danishes, and cakes to pastries and pizza.
“ We try to divide up the menu so that we don’t bake everything every day, because that really becomes a bit too much work for us. But it’s hard; there’s always something that’s an absolute favorite for someone. And of course we also want to bake our own bread for the cold buffet, for example” says Sofie. She continues,
“ We’re extremely focused on quality, and ideally the raw materials should also be locally produced, if possible.”
During the high season, about 200 pizzas roll out the doors every day, all baked in Sveba Dahlen’s Pizza High Temp pizza oven. Kaffestugan used to bake their products in a different type of oven, but wanted to develop the pizza concept further so they could really do the dough justice. We really wanted to bake at higher temperatures, because our dough contains a Tipo 00 flour, Öland wheat flour, and a larger amount of water.
“ We went to BIC (Bakery Innovation Center) Scandinavia in Fristad and test-baked our dough in Sveba Dahlen’s high-temperature oven. That was a stroke of good luck! I immediately saw that the results exceeded expectations,” says Sofie. She adds,
“ We also already had several machines from Sveba Dahlen in the bakery, including a proofer and a rack oven, which we were very happy with.”
Before making the decision to proceed with a purchase, they did thorough research in which they compared the specifications of various high-temperature ovens. After the test-baking, during which they got a thorough overview of oven functions and technology as well as general tips and advice, it was clear that it was Sveba Dahlen that would have the privilege of providing Kaffestugan with a pizza oven. The installation went smoothly, and since they had already test-baked in the oven, they already had an idea of which settings were required to get the desired results.
“ You might say that once we were ready for installation, the oven was more or less ‘plug and play.’ We were on hand when the first pies went into the oven, we tested a few pizzas, and we’ve been up and running ever since,” says Sofie, laughing.
“ It's so wonderful to have the oven in place. The only thing I wish now is that we’d bought a double deck oven. That’s a hot tip for other customers,” Sofie continues.
In addition to a great deal of work, the other keys to Kaffestugan’s success are a generous helping of creativity and the will and desire to do something more. Kaffestugan in Böda finds inspiration for its entire business by going on group trips to visit other cafés, as well as trade fairs. They also follow various social media channels and attend courses, both in Sweden and abroad.
Sofie’s personal favorite? Well, naturally it’s her own prizewinning pizza topped with local ingredients: smoked venison, sauerkraut, goat cheese, pickled lingonberries and thyme, baked at 420°C / 788°F.
“ It’s a delicious combination that we also vary according to the availability of the raw materials. For example, lamb pizza with sauerkraut is also really yummy!”