The story of Minnāga – from dream to home production!
We are a small home-based enterprise operating in “Minnāgi”, Straupe municipality, Cesis region. We – Maija and Ritvars – farm here with a great love for the land, nature and our own products.
We inherited farmland from my wife’s father in 2017. At the time, we were both thinking a lot about how to make the best use of this land, so that it could bring life and joy not only to us, but also to others. As we planned together, we realised that we wanted to start our own family business – and so the idea of growing chokeberries and chokecherries was born.
Over time, our farm grew and developed. From quince and chokeberry syrups, to apple juices, quince powders and other delicacies. Each recipe has been created with patience, rehearsal and a desire to create healthy, natural products that we are proud to put on our family table.
Although we are not certified organic, we work sustainably – we grow our plants without synthetic fertilisers and we do not add preservatives to our products. It is important to us that everything we offer is as close as possible to nature and the true spirit of the countryside.
These eight years have been full of experimentation, learning and perseverance. At first, we picked quinces only within the family, but as the harvest grew, we decided to organise clean-ups. Now it has become an annual tradition – friends and acquaintances are happy to come and help, and after a hard day’s work we all enjoy a relaxing and festive atmosphere.
We are proud to say that our work and story was featured in the LTV1 programme “Earth Stories” in 2022. It was a special occasion – an opportunity to share our experience and show how a real family business with heart and soul is born from a heritage and an idea.
This is our Minnāgi world – a place where work and passion come together to create delicious and natural Latvian products.
