It was here in Kivik on the slopes of Stenshuvud that the first seed for Kiviks Musteri was sown in 1888 when Henric Åkesson planted the apple trees that would become Sweden’s first professional orchard. He understood then that the trees he planted thrived in the mineral-rich and sandy soil of Österlen. That was when the foundation of the family business Kiviks Musteri was laid.
Up until then, the family had successfully grown and sold their fruit around the region. The year was 1935 when Henric’s son Ivar came up with the idea of starting a musteri in the orchard, a small-scale business that would process apples into apple juice. New markets opened up and soon Äppelmust from Karakås Kiviks Musteri was born. Then the 100-degree must was ground, pressed and filled into bottles that were corked and labeled. All work was done by hand and the apple press consisted of a hand-operated mill (today Kiviks Musteri presses eight tons of apples in two hours!).
The company grew and when Ivar’s son Ingvar took over in 1950, he bought more land and planted even more apple trees. The winery began using modern machinery for the time, while bottling, corking and labeling were still done by hand.
In the mid-1960s, the small musteri was transformed into a modern industrial company. In 1969, cider production started and cider from Kivik quickly became popular. One of our first cider varieties, Kiviks Herrgårdcider, is still available today. We installed a concentrate and aroma recovery plant and now Kiviks Musteri could, as the only company in the country, produce apple juice all year round.
In the 1970s, the first Tetra Brik machine was installed.
As Kiviks Musteri grew, it also became popular to visit us. In the late 1980s, Gunnel Åkesson, the 3rd generation, opened our first small shop at Kiviks Musteri. In 1996, Äpplets Hus was founded – a knowledge house with inspiration and information about everything to do with apples – history, cultivation, harvest, research and processing.
In 1988, import protection for foreign fruit was removed and a concerted effort was made to create positive attention for Swedish fruit. Ingvar was one of the initiators of the campaign “Swedish Apples 1988” and on October 16, 1988, the very first Apple Market took place in the square in Kivik. 1985 was the year when Kiviks Musteri developed the first Swedish sparkling wine, Amadeus. The sparkling drink became a success and three weeks after the premiere, not a single bottle could be found at Systembolaget!
In 1999, the next generational change took place at Kiviks Musteri. Siblings Kristina Levinsson and Bengt Åkesson took over the baton and the management of the Kivik Holding group. Five years later, Åkesson Vin was acquired and another five years later, Kronovalls Vinslott was also added to the group’s operations. In 2012, Stina’s Café was opened and a little later, our own nursery was also opened.
During the 2010s, the company grew even more. Solnäs Gård in Fjelie outside Lund with its 20 ha orchard was incorporated. This multiplied our apple growing.
Today, we are a modern industrial company, but with a very differentiated business, such as our visitor attractions with more than 250,000 visitors per year, the Kärnhuset restaurant, the Musteributiken, and Äpplets Hus with display gardens.
But we are also one of the country’s larger apple growers with both organic and traditional cultivation.
Our diversity and our secure anchoring in our roots and our core business are our strength. With this stable foundation, we feel secure and confident for the future.