Diego Thürlemann and Roger Muamba supply East Switzerland with fruit and vegetable baskets of regional organic farms and micro- enterprises with their company Emma & Söhne (German for “sons”). Together with the farmers they take the basic supply of food in the region in their own hands. We organize our second workshop round with common cooking in St. Gallen in their headquarter on Saturday, June 4th, 2016.
In this portrait, the two tell us how they started a company that promotes and implements conscious food consumption. They inspire to dare naivety in our own projects and lead as an example.
Here our portrait of Diego Thürlemann and Roger Muamba.
Doing yourself something good with conscious nutrition
When we visit a supermarket we are first greeted with fresh fruits and vegetables, but the deeper we go in, the more convenience products in all shapes and sizes we find. With this great variety of convenience and industrially-produced foods, it’s increasingly difficult to know what ends up on our plates. Knowing what ends up on their plates drove Emma’s sons Diego and Roger to do something about this situation.
The sons are both passionate hobby cooks. For them, it makes totally sense to cook seasonally and to eat what grows in the area they live in. They come from health conscious families in which they have been aware of what they were eating. Regionality and seasonality have always been a topic for them. Although, significant experiences in the later stages of their lives gave them a whole new perspective.
Diego has two children. With the birth of his first child, questions such as, “how are we going to design the future with and for our children?”. When he was younger, he was consuming convenience foods and soft drinks. After he became aware of what it did with his body, he stopped drinking soft drinks and minimized his consumption of convenience food.
Roger had a health related experience in which from one day to the next he had to reconsider what is good for his future and what not. He has expanded conscious food consumption to not unnecessarily filling up his refrigerator and his cupboards with food. Instead he takes a look at what he needs day by for his daily needs. He prefers high quality to mass when purchasing.
With Emma & Söhne they do the same for their region. They don’t want to preach, nor do they want to compete with large supermarket chains. Their goal is to inspire and to provide the possibility to enjoy conscious eating and doing oneself something good. They therefore encourage you to question your food consumption.
A life in abundance
Too little food, too little water, too little time, too little, too little, too little … Scarcity is a big issue in the media and in our society. Emma’s sons believe that it is possible that fewer people lived in scarcity.
Nature provides us with abundance. The closer they bring the plate to nature, the more they experience the abundance of nature. Their experience showed them that everything positive they put in their work comes back to them. It’s the inner attitude, which constitutes a life in abundance.
When we do what we like, it’s not exhausting, even if it’s a lot. It’s joy. As a result, we create abundance in life and know that we are on the right track. Diego believes this should be the goal.
So, my question to you is. Are you doing what you like and do you live a life of abundance? To a large extent, I can say that for me, but in certain areas of life I’m still on a journey and can learn a lot from this statement.
Dare Naivety
Eines der grössten Lektionen, welche Diego und Roger auf ihrem bisherigen Weg gelernt haben ist es Naivität zu wagen. Es kommt ihnen so vor als würden sie immer wieder von neuem beginnen. Jeden Tag wachen sie mit der Gewissheit auf, dass es am heutigen Tag etwas zu entdecken geben wird.
One of the greatest lessons that Diego and Roger learned on their previous way is to dare naivety. They have the impression that they always start from scratch again. Every day they wake up with the certainty, that there will be something new to explore.
Anfangs ging es lediglich darum saisonales und regionales Obst und Gemüse für sie selbst und ihre Familien zu beziehen. Die Idee fand Anklang. In dem sie beruflich voll einstiegen konnten sie viele neue Erfahrungen zu machen. In den 4 Jahren in denen sie schon mit Emma & Söhne unterwegs sind haben sie laufend neue Inputs und neue positive Dinge auf ihrem Weg mitbekommen. Auch Dialoge mit ihren Kunden bereichern ihren Weg. In dieser Zeit wurde es umso wichtiger, was möglich ist aus der Region zu beziehen. Den Punkt den sie heute erreicht haben ist noch lange nicht ihre Enddestination. Es gibt für sie noch viel zu entdecken.
Initially, it was about obtaining seasonal and regional fruits and vegetables for themselves and their families. The idea was well received. By making the process to their job, they made a lot of new experiences. In the four years they have been running Emma & Söhne they got a lot of new positive inputs on their way. Dialogues with their customers also enrich their journey. During this time it got even more important for them to get as much as they can from their region. The point they’ve reached so far is not their final destination. There is still much to discover.
Diego and Roger encourage us to try out new things and to execute the projects that are dormant in us. Starting simple is all we need. They believe taking the first step and taking action is essential to find your own way. Then we’ll see that we’re always starting from scratch again.
Dies ist auch meine Erfahrung. Es ist fast unmöglich die Zukunft vorauszusagen nur im Tun können wir dem Weg unseres Herzens folgen. Im Tun entfalten sich neue Erfahrungen, welche uns ganz neue Perspektiven geben. Im Tun erscheint jeder Moment neu.
This is also my experience. It’s almost impossible to predict the future. It is only by taking action that we can follow the path of our hearts. In taking action, new experiences which give us entirely new perspectives unfold. In taking action each moment is unique.
Interview
Find out more about Diego and Roger of Emma & in our video interview with English subtitles.
More about Emma & Söhne
Emma & Söhne works with hand-picked regional micro-enterprises, as well as with organic, IP-Suisse and Demeter farms. They package the harvest in fruit and vegetable baskets, which they deliver to their basket subscribers. Their doors at Paradiesstrasse 10a in Saint Gallen (Switzerland) are always open for exciting conversations.
Emma & Söhne teaches me to dare naivety in my own projects and to concentrate on doing what I really like.
What are your takeaways?
Cheers
Prosper
P.S. If you liked this article, we are thankful for shares and likes.
The post Diego and Roger of Emma & Söhne «Dare Naivety» appeared first on Journey to Real Life.