That’s how Siv Kristiansen, CEO of Day of Week, puts it. Her company is developing a system that many want — but that doesn’t quite exist yet. A system built around local food, connecting chefs, hotels, producers, and consumers. In short, they want to make it easy to access locally produced food — and make collaboration between the different players much smoother.
— The challenge lies in the value chains and how the system is structured. The purchasing models are centralized and price-based. Large volumes pay off. Naturally, it’s difficult for a local farmer — who may not have enough to supply an entire region or the whole country — to compete with big distributors who can, Siv explains.
Photo: Siv Kristiansen, CEO at Day of Week
Day of Week isn’t just delivering new services — they’re creating systemic change. If we want to strengthen local food production and increase meal tourism, the system must change — from the bottom up. And Siv and her team are well on their way.
— Day of Week doesn’t just see one solution; they see the whole picture — and that’s a huge strength, says Gunnar Crawford, Cluster Manager for Agritech, and adds:
— They bring the idea, the technology, the drive, and the passion — and we help them channel the right forces at the right time and place.
Today’s food system is built for central distribution and the lowest possible price. That makes it efficient for large volumes — but also anonymous. Producers disappear behind corporate structures, and we as consumers lose our connection to the local. Day of Week wants to bridge that gap.
— We’re building a system that makes it possible to highlight local qualities and producers — without losing scalability, says Siv.
The system and services developed by Day of Week adapt to user needs — whether you’re a chef at a boutique hotel, a producer with seasonal goods, or a restaurant owner looking for new menus and concepts. Through data-driven solutions and AI, they’re building a flexible tool that reflects local needs and markets — instead of forcing users into predefined structures.
When local producers and restaurants are connected within a shared ecosystem, a living assortment emerges — full of diverse ingredients, expressions, and stories.
— This forms the foundation for a new kind of meal tourism — where local stories and qualities take center stage, Siv says. Our first goal is to create a sustainable food system in the Nordics, where technology amplifies the human and the local — not replaces it. That allows for a living product range with unique stories and locally rooted food tourism.
Photo: The CEO’s daughters have been involved in Day of Week from the very beginning.
Chefs are key players — ambassadors for Norwegian food culture and brand-builders for the producers. They carry the storytelling when the food is served on the plate.
— Meal tourism is a key part of Norway’s travel strategy. To strengthen it, hotels and restaurants need a system that gives them market insights into the potential of meal tourism — matched with their own profile and local potential for developing marketable dining concepts. And chefs need a tool that gives them access to local ingredients and helps them develop local menus with storytelling — to create holistic experiences based on place, season, and produce. That’s exactly what our system helps them do — making collaboration and delivery simpler, says Siv.
The system also opens new doors to local markets for producers. They’re not just suppliers — they become part of an experience.
— Hotels and chefs can connect directly to the flow of ingredients and producers — letting stories and flavors shape their offerings. This also gives producers more influence over the final product, strengthening their brand and income potential, Siv concludes.