WINNER 2024: In restaurants and hotels around Sweden, leftover cucumber peels, herb stalks and tomato scraps could be turned into a sparkling drink. The idea was hatched by Ludvig Brydolf at a trade fair – where he created a completely new type of sustainable soft drink in just three hours.
When Circular Gastronomy named the winners of the Circular Gastronomy Challenge 2024 on January 27, one of them was Ludvig Brydolf, who is committed to making soft drinks from food waste. The jury’s motivation was as follows:
“For the idea of creating a circular system for producing drinks from food waste in a chain that involves beverage producers, wholesalers, hotels and restaurants. The system can be scaled up, can inspire others to create similar models, and also provides an opportunity for restaurants and hotels to communicate their sustainability work in a concrete way.”
It was not something that had been simmering for a long time: the idea for Kompostläsk bubbled up on the spot. It was at Gastronord last spring, when Sweden Foodtech was a co-organizer of the Big Meet at the Stockholm International Fair.Ludvig Brydolf exhibited with his company Törst, which has been producing organic soft drinks from natural ingredients and without synthetic additives since 2020. At the fair, there was a kitchen where a group of well-regarded chefs tested new sustainable products. Törst was also invited, even though they work only with drinks.
Ludvig, who had a 20-liter barrel with him, asked the chefs not to throw away any of the food waste that arose in the test kitchen. In three hours, he had managed to boil cucumber peels, herb stalks, slices of crushed tomatoes and other leftover waste, let the boil cool, strain it and add carbon dioxide. In other words, he did exactly what they do when they produce their already established soft drink – “but with garbage”. The compost soda was then served with the chefs’ food, which gave both dishes and drinks an additional dimension.
– Since food and soda came from the same source, they were also tied together in a flavor bridge. It became a very fun and clear way to talk about sustainability.
Simplicity is one of Ludvig Brydolf’s mottos and a key to what Törst does. It’s about the simplicity of the manufacturing process itself – and the fact that it’s so easy to both explain and understand. Compost soda is based on the idea that restaurants, conference facilities, hotels and other larger food-producing units simply save their kitchen waste. The food waste is sent to Törst, which grates, presses, boils and in other ways refines it into a juice that is then carbonated, bottled and returned to the restaurant or hotel from which it came – in a clear circular chain.
Opposite Törst at the fair, the company eSmiley had a stand where they presented their scales and calculation systems intended to keep track of food waste volumes and costs. eSmiley in turn connected with Gram Group, a customer with a strong sustainability compass that runs three hotels and six restaurants on the Bjäre peninsula in southwest Sweden. Now, the three parties are meeting and planning their joint steps forward. Finding out what is wasted the most at Gram’s facilities, they then create recipes that are brewed into tasty and different soft drinks.
– We are in the product development stage now, says Brydolf. Törst started when I started making soft drinks in a one-liter saucepan at home. The “pans” at work are now 2,000 liters. So the idea is that Gram will gradually freeze the waste until it reaches the specified volume, before we take care of it. From such a batch, there will be around 6,000 bottles of Kompostläsk, which we in turn send back to them.
They hope to be up and running by early summer when the season starts on the Bjäre peninsula. The finished soft drink can then be served as a non-alcoholic alternative in restaurants, added to alcoholic drinks and stocked in minibars. A big advantage is that they also become a source of positive sustainability discussion.
– Talking about Kompostläsk is fun, and those who hear about the idea are also happy. The restaurant and hotel environment is ideal, because unlike in the grocery store, you meet the consumer directly and can describe and explain the whole idea.
Now that you have won the Circular Gastronomy Challenge, what type of support do you want?
– Törst is a fairly small player in a gigantic industry, says Brydolf. The large mass consists of enormous corporate groups with international teams and their work and conditions are quite different from how we work. Our time for product development and strategic work is intertwined with the operational – where bottles have to be packed, deliveries made, accounting done and the garage driveway to the warehouse kept clear of ice. It is difficult to have time to fully prioritize anything, even if it is important – you need time for many things! With the Circular Gastronomy award and access to new points of contact and expertise, it almost feels like we will have a bunch of ad hoc consultants where we can get help with things we otherwise don’t have time to do, can do or even know can be done.
Compost + soda = compost soda. Compost jam, compost bread, compost spirits – why not? Ludvig Brydolf believes that compost could be combined with many other products in completely different industries than his own. Or together in new ones. In addition, the name indicates that the contents of the can or bottle do not have to taste exactly the same every time, something that is otherwise a must for food and drinks sold in stores. Because of course products like these could one day end up on store shelves, Brydolf believes.
– You learn a lot from listening to people who work in other businesses. And if we can get others to start thinking a little, the idea of compost soda is even more valuable.