Sporwoman Ingrid the apple farmer

Do you want tasty and beautiful fruit on your tree? Then, do as apple farmer Ingrid Sekse: thin! This means that you have to remove something from the map in early summer, but don't be sorry for the tiny fruits you throw away. You can actually do the thinning job for the autumn. - By thinning, the tree can use its energy on the remaining fruit, explains Ingrid, who likes to involve her husband, daughters, parents-in-law and even her own mother in the thinning job. Now it must be mentioned that Ingrid herself has 10,000 trees that need to be thinned. - Yes, it's quite a job! So I pay my good helpers with icecream, she chuckles, and underlines that most of the thinning is of course done by herself and hired seasonal workers.

The morning dew sparkles around her as the day's first rays of sunshine begin to warm. A light breeze plays with the branches, and sparkling drops of water lie like pearls on the new apple blossoms. It is tiny details like this that create the unique expression of the Norwegian jewelery collection Spor. - The entire collection is inspired by nature, says Ingrid and continues: - I find strength in nature. It is generous. Spor is now launching a completely new series called Apple Knopp. And what would be better than having an apple farmer take part in the launch? Spor's strategy is to highlight women who make a mark in life and thus inspire others. In the spring and early summer, Ingrid dresses her apple trees like the most beautiful bride. When the buds spring out in full bloom after the long winter hibernation, it is as if she lives in the middle of a fairy tale. The thousands of trees stretch upwards towards the snow-covered mountain peaks and are reflected in the majestic Hardangerfjord far below.

- People ask if I see how beautiful it is here. And yes, I do. My workplace is the best place I know of, says Ingrid.

- I love nature

- My whole life is about nature. I live surrounded by apple trees, work outside all day and use the mountains and fjords in my spare time. I can probably go as far as to say that I love nature, says Ingrid.

The "Spor women", i.e. all proud bearers of the art of jewellery, are women just like Ingrid in Hardanger: genuine and quality-conscious, who each set their own mark.

Ingrid is the tenth generation to run the orchard in Ullensvang in Hardanger.

- The apple buds are my livelihood and one of the finest things I know of. The fact that the buds develop as they should is extremely important to us fruit growers. I was really proud when I found out that Spor is made in Voss, which is only a short hour from my farm.

- It is also hugely exciting for someone like me to be allowed to take part in this, she continues.

Tracks are made at Voss

Not so many generations ago, the vast majority of people in Norway were farmers. Through decades upon decades, the knowledge of cultivation and harvesting was passed down from parents to children.

In the same way that Ingrid was trained by her father, goldsmiths often learn the craft from those with longer experience.

- I am proud of my workplace when people point out how great it is that we produce jewelery and bunad silver in Norway, says goldsmith Laila Time at Sylvsmidja in Voss.

She is the second generation jeweler in her family and has the same workplace as her father. It is, among others, her and her colleagues Iris June Bø Nesje and Hildegunn Gjerde at the traditional bunad silver manufacturer who make the Spor jewellery.

Versatile jewellery

The entire Spor collection has clear traces of Norwegian nature. That makes Ingrid happy.

- I also really like that the jewelery can be combined so that each individual can put it together in their own way. For me, it suits me that they are simple, as I have a somewhat minimalist style. Others can wear several pieces of jewelery at the same time and thus achieve a maximalist style, says Ingrid.

She admits that her life is quite different from that of the average woman. Nevertheless, it has many common features. The fruit farmer is therefore sure that she is not alone in liking the natural beauty of the jewelery collection.

- I think many people can relate to what I am doing. It is far from just me who is preoccupied with locally produced goods and taking care of the environment. But where others may think it's exclusive to chop wood, plant a tree or drive a tractor, this has become an everyday thing for me, she says.

Farmer on Instagram

Ingrid calls herself the "Hardanger farmer", and shares much of her life as a farmer on social media. As usual, always with a sideways glance and a solid dose of humour.

- Everything I do is real. I just show my life as it is, me.

She wishes to inspire other women to become farmers.

- I think being a farmer is the coolest profession one can have, says Ingrid and laughs with great conviction.

Ho får eit bestemt uttrykk i det isblå blikket og lèt auga kvila på fjorden før ho held fram: 

- But it was never the plan for me to become a farmer. I trained as a teacher, myself.

It was her father who ran the farm. In 2013, he suddenly fell ill and died shortly after. This gave Ingrid new ideas about farm management. It was now or never. It was now.

- Tough me? Phew!

- First I applied for leave from my teaching job to test out farm life. Then a year passed, and then I resigned. In the long term, the goal is that my husband can also make a living from the farm, says Ingrid.

Until further notice, he works in the North Sea. It's a nice combination with being a part-time farm boy.

- Yes, Bård is my farmhand, states Ingrid and bursts into a delightful laugh.

When Ingrid first entered the male-dominated farming profession, she received quite a few interesting comments.

- Several people asked my husband what he had done to get me to drive a tractor. Someone also wondered if I did it to toughen myself up. Tough me, like! On a farm, a tractor drives because one is at work.

Bottles with soul

When Ingrid became a full-time farmer, there was a lot to deal with. Among other things, there were many old apple trees that had to be replaced, something that is not exactly done in the blink of an eye. In addition, all plum and morel fields were replaced with apple trees.

- We decided early on to bet everything on different varieties of apple, says Ingrid.

In the middle of the yard, a brand new production room is now in place. Everything from pressing to bottling of the precious drops takes place here. They also have garden sales.

- Our various products are made from pure apple varieties to highlight each apple variety's unique taste. Everyone is named after a person who is or has been an important part of my life, says Ingrid.

The applejuice "Firstinline" is, for example, named after the eldest girl Ida, while "Babygirl" is named after the youngest girl Tuva. In addition, Hardangerbonden has, among other things, "Grandma" and "Mother-in-law" among its range. On the back of the bottles you can read the history of the actual person the product is named after.

Spor currently consists of three different series: Low, Knopp and Blad, which all come in 925 silver in white and oxidized versions. Some of the jewelery is also made in gold. There are constantly new products in the series, and the very latest is the Apple Bud.