Today I met up with Ben, an American 3-D artist turned baker, who runs a new home delivery business in Reykjavík. The company is called Hveiti og Smjör, Flour and Butter, and for a small price he will deliver delicious desserts to your home once a week in custom-made fiber glass boxes attached to his bike.
The man behind Hveiti og Smjör - Ben Mathis
Having worked most of his career producing intangible digital products, with little actual contact with his customers, he decided it was time for a change. He came up with the idea after hearing about the New York based Milk Made icecreams and he felt Reykjavík needed more variety in the baked goods department. After tasting his delicious Raspberry Pie bar this afternoon, I’m inclined to agree. Yum!
This was SO delicious - Yum!
Since he doesn’t want to run staff or a physical location, he borrows the kitchen of Litli Bóndabærinn, an organic take-away coffee place in Laugarvegur 41 and in return he makes some extra treats for the café to sell. He also blogs about each recipe he sends out at the Hveiti og Smjör blog, and towards the end of the year he plans to publish a book with all the recipes that he has produced over the year.
Ben is passionate about baking, so much in fact that every now and again during our conversation he would get so caught up explaining his methods and love for butterscotch that I would get completely lost. He’s also a great photographer and takes all of the photos for his blog, and eventually recipe book, himself. As an added bonus he has taken extra care to be as ecological as possible using unbleached recyclable paper for his packaging and using his bicycle for deliveries. He also tries to buy as much as he can locally.
I have to say that I’m quite in love with his little business. I like the idea, LOVE the sample he gave me (he even sent me away with some more treats to enjoy at a later time) and I’m half tempted to sign up for his service. It’s 8000 ISK a month for 4 deliveries and each delivery comes to about 8 servings. That’s 250 ISK per serving – delivered right to your door step. Like I’ve mentioned before I am a big fan of people who are gutsy enough to follow their heart and take risks to fulfill their dreams. It was obvious from our conversation that Ben’s heart is all in.
If you live in Reykjavík you can sign up for his service at the Hveiti og Smjör website and if you’re only visiting, you can taste his mouthwatering creations every Wednesdays and Saturdays at Litli Bóndabærinn in Laugarvegur (which is by the way super cute and you should visit them anyway – their coffee is absolutely lovely). Just show up early because the supply is limited and very popular.
Was really nice meeting you, and marvelous article. Thanks!
I was nice meeting you too and the ladies at my office sure enjoyed the rest of the pie you gave me – I’m sure there are some future subscribers among them