Swerl Coffee's travel guide to Falkenberg, Sweden

Sweden’s West Coast is one of the more picturesque wildernesses in our world. Green hills roll softly into the sea where wild seals play. Along this West Coast lies Falkenberg, a small town known to the outside world for little until in 2019 Beatriz Ferreira and her partner, Daniel, founded Swerl Coffee Roasters. Swerl has since taken the indy multi-roaster cafe scene by storm, and you can purchase Swerl beans in cafes around the globe in addition to online.

Beatriz’s guide to Falkenberg and Sweden’s West Coast is a can’t-miss guide to one of the more underrated parts of our planet.

Scenic view of Kattegattleden cycle lane along Sweden's West Coast — *There is the cycle lane* *Kattegattleden* *that connects* *Helsingborg* to *Gothenburg* throughout a well-maintained path by the coast,” says Beatriz Ferreira, cofounder of Swerl Coffee Roasters. “While 390km might not be for everyone, it is really easy to just do small sections of it and the 57km from *Halmstad* to *Falkenberg* *are very scenic.” Photos courtesy of Swerl Coffee*

Filter: What do you like to do for fun around Falkenberg?

Falkenberg is quite a small town, and according to me most of its charm lies in the closeness to nature: it is on the southwest coast of Sweden surrounded by the sea, the woods, and farmland.

Being originally from Lisbon in Portugal and only having lived in big cities, I truly appreciate the quietness and being close to many outdoors activities in nature. I really enjoy running in the beautiful woods around here, or going for swims in the sea mixed in with a little sauna visit here and there. Despite being tiny, the food scene around here is also pretty great!

Falkenberg is probably where people head off to escape the city.

Filter: If a good friend came to visit, where would you be sure to take them?

Again, the nature and the food is probably the best around here so we would be filling the schedule with many outdoor activities. A great day in and around Falkenberg would start with a porridge breakfast at the Borgmästaregården, they really do some mean porridge with all delicious kinds of toppings so it closely resembles a dessert.

Most things are cycling distance, and it is a great way to get around so we would be cycling to the highly picturesque rock formation in the beach Långasand where the sauna Bastuholmen lies for a swim. While this sauna is for members only, sometimes you can get lucky and be invited to join.

After basking in the sun for a while (if the very unpredictable Swedish weather allows it) it is time for lunch at Lilla Napoli, which is without a doubt one of the best neapolitan pizza places outside of Italy and funnily enough has its origins in Falkenberg. Besides the amazing pizza, they also have self-proclaimed wine festivals every weekend throughout the summer where different producers or importers come to guest the place and serve great wine for probably the best value for money you'll ever find.

Skrea Matbruk focuses on dishes with their own homemade pasta and seasonal produce. The restaurant looks out on a very tiny vineyard, and they also have gin-production in-house Skrea Backe Destilleri. A gin-tasting and short tour at this location with a pasta dinner afterwards is the perfect finish to the day.

Beatriz Ferreira and Daniel, founders of Swerl Coffee Roasters in Falkenberg — *Beatriz Ferreira and her partner, Daniel, founded Swerl Coffee Roasters in Falkenberg, Sweden, in 2019.*

Filter: What touristy things around Falkenberg are worth the hype?

The restaurant Lis Mejeri, located in an old dairy farm is also a must-go! The couple Johan and Rina offer a show when it comes to crazy food and super loud music—each unique dish is served to a song blasted in the background and once you notice it all guests are clapping and dancing, I won't spoil more than this!

For the cutest baking experience, Solhaga Bakery makes delicious Swedish baked goods such as the cinnamon or cardamom bun and the bakery Säf in town has one of the best sourdough breads I've eaten and definitely worth going there.

Filter: Where are your favorite quiet corners or hidden gems there?

There are plenty of these kinds of experiences around here quite close to each other. Paddling or kayaking through the Suseån stream is very beautiful during the summer and early autumn, and while you are in the area a small walk through the Vesslunda Nature Reserve is to be recommended.

There is the cycle lane Kattegattleden that connects Helsingborg to Gothenburg throughout a well-maintained path by the coast. While 390km might not be for everyone, it is really easy to just do small sections of it and the 57km from Halmstad to Falkenberg are very scenic.

Bastuholmen sauna by the beach in Långasand, Falkenberg — *Bastuholmen*

Filter: What's another coffee shop around there that you really admire, and what about them stands out to you?

There aren't many coffee shops around here that focus on coffee, therefore our favourite coffee spot is actually in Gothenburg at Morgon Coffee Roasters. The coffee is always great and the location underneath a huge crane by the docks is hard to beat.

If you'd like something local in Falkenberg, we go back to Borgmästaregården, that besides the breakfast also has lovely pastries and serves a rotation of nice coffee on batch brew. The design of the coffee-shop is beautiful too.

Filter: Where are you from originally, and how did you end up in the Falkenberg coffee scene?

As previously mentioned I am originally from Lisbon, and have been moving around throughout my whole life. I actually ended up staying in Falkenberg because of a job offer in a gastro-bar as their head-sommelier, which I truly enjoyed for a couple of years before diving into coffee.

Swerl was founded back in 2019 by me and my partner Daniel based on our values on relationships, quality, & traceability.

Currently, I focus mostly on sourcing and quality control which are two areas that I'm deeply passionate and interested about and that I feel can create a lot of impact, even if complex to navigate sometimes.

Filter: What makes Falkenberg feel like home to you?

Despite the nature and the small yet highly qualitative food scene around here which I've been rambling about, the people are really friendly and helpful. As a small example, starting a company can be quite challenging, however we received so much support from the council as well as the locals that everything went as smooth as it could possibly go.