Emily Vikre Response

 Hi family and friends! (and Hal of course!)

Today was our final pre-departure class before departing for the Scandinavian countries, and we had the pleasure of chatting with Dr. Emily Vikre. Emily Vikre is one of the co-founders and co-owners of Vikre Distillery, which is based in her hometown of Duluth, Minnesota. She draws inspiration from Scandinavian cultural traditions, particularly their flavors and moral values.

She began by discussing her educational history as well as her heritage with the class. Emily's grandparents are from Sweden, and she recalls visiting her grandmother there when she was younger. She stated she was inspired by culinary customs because she and her grandmother spent time together cooking meals. She also discussed the economic and sustainability elements of running a business. In contrast to traditional efficiency and money-oriented approaches in American culture, Vikre Distillery employs a triple bottom line approach. The triple bottom line approach emphasizes their three primary goals of people, planet, and profits in an ethical and environmentally sustainable manner. 

My question delved deeper into the exploration of wanting to learn more about the technique, its appeal, why she might have selected it over standard American methods, and if the practice would be just as successful if someone were to apply it in the same field of industry work. 

Her response showed how important her motivation and decision-making were to select a model that best reflected the company's values as well as her own, while also honoring what she had learned from her past experiences.  As she explained, the triple bottom line was the obvious answer, and while it wasn't always easy to navigate, she said that being a game changer in the industry has allowed other distilleries to reflect on their practices and improve to be more ethical and environmentally friendly in their unique creations of spirits. Emily said that, while it would take some effort for a company that had previously established itself with American-rooted practices, the shift and switch could be accomplished with patience and hard work. Furthermore, while studying, I discovered that the concept was first formed and applied in Europe, which corresponds to Emily's Scandinavian upbringing. 

That's all for now; I will see you soon in Denmark and Sweden! ✈

- Sadie B