Welcome to our homepage. We are organic farmers here on Iceland, producing milk and vegetables. Our farm is situated 48 km. north of our capital, Reykjavík.

For more information, please contact:

Kristjan Oddsson
Dora Ruf
Nedri Hals
Kjos 270 Mosfellsbaer
ICELAND
Tel: 00354 566 70 35
Fax: 00354 566 74 35
kristjan@biobu.is
dora@biobu.is

Biobú ehf

Biobú ehf. is a new company in Reykjavik which specialises in the production of organic milk products. In 2003, these were joined by a new product – Biobú, Iceland’s first-ever certified organic yogurt. The owners of Biobú ehf. are Kristján Oddsson and Dóra Ruf.

Biobú ehf
S 587 45 00
biobu@biobu.is
www.biobu.is

Nedri Háls

Organic agriculture Located only 48km north of Reykjavík amid the breathtaking surroundings of Hvalfjörður, Iceland’s longest fjord, Neðri Háls is home to Kristján Oddsson and his wife, Dóra Ruf, who together have practised organic farming there since 1987. Certified producers of organic milk since 1998, the couple today produce and market their own range of 100% organic yogurts, sold under the Biobú trademark and available in stores throughout Iceland’s capital.

Organic agriculture A tour with taste!

For a real taste of Iceland, treat yourself to a visit to Neðri Háls, one of the country’s few real organic farms. Enjoy a guided tour of the property in the company of those who farm there, followed by a unique opportunity to sample from a mouth-watering selection of organic dairy products.

Lactic culture!

Joining Iceland’s natural resources of clean air, fresh water and renewable energy comes Biobú, the country’s first organic yogurt

With its reputation for unspoiled nature, fresh air and plentiful supplies of clean water and renewable energy, it might be thought that Iceland would also be something of a world leader in the field of organic farming.

Despite the country’s pristine image, however, nothing could be further from the truth. When it comes to agriculture, Iceland is no different from any other western country, importing over 60.000 tons of artificial fertilisers each year, along with a large amount of the fodder required to support its sizeable population of sheep, hens, chickens and other domestic animals.

While some Icelandic farmers may try to gloss over the fact that their produce is no more “organic” than that found anywhere else, none would deny the fragile nature of their country’s Iceland’s agricultural ecosystem. If as the sagas claim the country ever was covered in forests from mountain to shore, 1,200 years of human settlement have ensured that this is certainly no longer the case today.

Centuries of cutting wood and brushwood as a source of warmth and shelter against the country’s inhospitable climate have left Iceland virtually bare of whatever woodland covering it may have had, while virtually uncontrolled grazing by sheep has resulted in even more damage to its delicate top soil.

The last few decades, however, have brought a reversal in this trend. Trees and woodland have now been planted at several locations around Iceland, while a variety of grasses and other plants have been sown in an attempt to arrest soil erosion.

Along with these efforts has come a growing realisation that Iceland’s geographical isolation could serve as a major benefit in terms of organic farming, and activity still very much in its infancy and currently practised by only 30 or so of the country’s farmers, less than 0.9% of the total. Around half of these are involved in horticulture and a third in breeding sheep, with three producing milk and milk products.

Limited as it may be, organic farming has already given rise to a range of innovative cottage industries producing a variety of wares, including herbal teas, food supplements, cheeses, vegetarian products, and massage oils. In 2003, these were joined by a new product – Biobú, Iceland’s first-ever certified organic yogurt.

Created by a company of the same name specialising in the production of organic milk products, Biobú organic yogurt is made from pasteurised, non-homogenised milk produced by cows fed solely on a grain-free diet of natural grasses and meal made from seaweed.

Use of antibiotics and other drugs is kept to an absolute minimum, and the welfare of the animals is ensured by keeping them in spacious accommodation and allowing them to graze outside for as much of the year as is possible. At the same time, crop rotation and controlled grazing ensure protection of both top soil and plant life, a partnership between man and nature which has resulted in a pure, not to mention tasty, product.

Biobú organic yoghurt is available from most large supermarkets and health food stores.