“Baking and meeting people is my favorite thing to do”

Alma was only 14 years old when she opened a summer café with two of her classmates at Utsikten in Storuman in 2017. It took two more summers before she, with her family’s help, took full over the business. This year, Alma is celebrating her tenth summer at Utsikten.

“Baking and getting to express my creative side is by far the most fun thing I know,” says Alma, who enjoys having people come over for coffee at her place up at Utsikten, located at the top of the slalom slope.

–I also meet a lot of people when I attend dinners, memorial services, and weddings. You get to see so many different sides of people and be a part of the important events in their lives. It’s a lot of fun.

Alma Ludvigsson has always enjoyed baking. As early as ninth grade, when it was time to choose a high school program, she felt that an office job wasn’t for her. By then, she had run the summer café for a couple of summers together with two classmates, and she decided to enroll in the restaurant and food service program in Östersund.

When her friends dropped out one by one, she decided to run the café on her own that third summer, with help from her mom and grandmother. And that’s how it’s been ever since.

A true family business

During Alma’s second year of high school, the café building—which had previously served as a warming hut—was put up for sale by its then-owner, Hotell Toppen, which in turn had purchased the building from Friluftsfrämjandet. Alma’s parents, who run a gas station, didn’t hesitate to jump at the opportunity. They had seen how passionate Alma was about being a pastry chef, and letting her continue to run the café felt like a no-brainer. No sooner said than done, they bought the building, and despite a somewhat rough start—as she had to juggle both her studies and the café—Alma has continued to run Utsikten with her family’s help.

“They just thought it was really fun that I wanted to give it a try. My teacher supported me, too. I got to bake cookies in our apartment, and my mom and grandma helped out as well.”

These days, Alma does all the baking and cooking, but of course it helps to have a supportive family. Her mom does the dishes, sets the table, and takes care of the paperwork, while her dad, her partner, and her two brothers pitch in with maintenance and other technical tasks that need to be taken care of.

“It really is a family business, but I’m the one who represents it to the outside world,” Alma points out.

A pandemic also struck right at the start. So they took the opportunity to paint and spruce up the premises, and people were able to sit outside and enjoy a cup of coffee.

“It was exciting, but I still had the summer season in the back of my mind. There were three of us girls who were going to start a business, and sure, there were arguments and squabbles, but we’d learned an incredible amount.”

Part-time jobs as an assembler

There are plans to expand the business, and the hope is that she’ll be able to run Utsikten full-time in the future, but for now, the café is open during the summer, and during the winter months, she takes cake orders and provides catering services for parties, weddings, and memorial services. As a side job during the off-season, she works as an hourly assembly worker at Råsunda Mekaniska and is fortunate enough to set her own schedule.

"I have a really great boss who lets me come and go as I please, as long as I finish my work before the deadline."

Running a business and working in Storuman is perfect, says Alma, who wanted to come back here right away after graduating from high school.

–Largely because my family is here, but also because I knew I wanted to keep developing Utsikten. But then it’s also fun that everyone knows everyone else—I’m a real chatterbox who loves talking to people. As soon as I step outside, I run into someone I know. And then, of course, there’s the fact that we’re so close to nature. The whole family hunts and spends a lot of time outdoors.

Expansion to Mark the Anniversary

Alma takes a moment to reflect on the benefits of living and working in Storuman—perhaps for someone who is thinking about moving here—or staying here.

– If you want to go into town to shop on a Saturday, Storuman might not be the best choice, but if you love nature, it’s perfect. It’s a very close-knit community; everyone wants to help each other out and be there for one another.

As of this writing, the cabin is being expanded with an old log cabin from Gunnarn, and the hope is to be able to dedicate it in mid-May, just in time for an important anniversary.

"Dad is turning 60 and my brother is turning 30, so we're having a 90th birthday party."

Text: Monica Wiksten Gideonsson
Photo: Madeleine Rinman