The Pomorskie Taste is much more than just a culinary route – it is a living story of people who passionately preserve local traditions and put their hearts into everything they do. In this feature, we let the creators of regional specialties speak for themselves. Through their voices, we discover what truly lies behind the flavours of Pomorskie – family heritage, time-tested recipes, daily effort, as well as moments of pride and joy. Authenticity, dedication, and love for local products are what make the taste of Pomorskie so special.
Statkiewiczówka in Swołowo
Edyta Statkiewicz: My cheesemaking journey began with a professional course run by a cheesemaker from Żuławy at the “Pod Wesołym Pomorzaninem” Inn in Swołowo. It was there I first made an acid-rennet fresh cheese and an aged cheese in the style of Gouda. I brought home my first cheeses and the starter kit – Cheese-Tek culture, natural rennet, a wooden cheese press, a mold, and a cheese cloth. After tasting the young cheese a few days later, and the young Gouda after two weeks, I knew this was the path I wanted to follow. My family and I realized we always wanted to eat this kind of cheese. And that’s what happened – I was hooked.
After many trials and errors, courses, and reading, I began making cheese for myself, my family, and friends. Later, I started selling it. The milk came from a friendly local farmer. Farmstead cheeses are unmatched in taste and nutrition – because they are made from fresh, high-quality ingredients.
To meet customer needs, I applied for funding to build a small cheesemaking facility next to my home in Swołowo. In January 2019, the dairy was opened – a professionally equipped space that responded to growing consumer interest in artisanal cheeses made under hygienic conditions. Today, everyone visiting Swołowo can taste and buy healthy, delicious farmstead cheeses.
I also hold traditional cheesemaking workshops, both on-site and during various events. Participants learn to make semi-hard cheeses like Korycin-style cheese, ricotta-style whey cheese, aged Gouda-style cheese, and natural or fruit yogurts.
The workshops last about 6 hours and include essential hygiene principles for food production.
Do you use traditional family recipes or reinterpret them?
I use knowledge from professional trainings held by the Polish Farmstead Cheesemakers’ Association, of which I’m a member.
What does the “taste of Pomorskie” mean to you?
Taste begins with good ingredients – and Pomorskie has plenty. Fertile pastures feed the cows and, in turn, us. Good cheese comes from good raw material, made by hand with natural ingredients and organic spices. We don’t use enhancers or colorants.
What are you most proud of?
Of the taste and quality of our cheeses, and the hygiene standards we maintain.
What challenges have you faced?
Starting my own business and handling all the paperwork was a big challenge. Our biggest success? Our loyal customers – they show us that we’re on the right path.
What has the Pomorskie Taste brought you?
It’s a new chapter, a new challenge, and a joy to be selected for the project. I’ve met great people, and I hope new opportunities are on the way – like workshops and tastings with storytelling.
WitAnn in Łupawa
Anna Witkowska: The idea for our business was born from a passion for food and healthy eating.
Do you use traditional recipes or reinterpret them?
We turned to recipes from our grandparents and parents. In their time, cured meats were simple – made with natural spices, no additives. That was our model. But we added new ideas, new flavour combinations, and inspirations from our travels.
What does the “taste of Pomorskie” mean to you?
For us, it’s about care for flavour, naturalness, and culinary diversity – whether in Słupsk Land, Kociewie, or Kashubia.
What are you most proud of?
That we never take shortcuts – we focus on quality, hygiene, and consistency. And above all, that we share our passion with others.
Challenges and successes?
There have been many – since we don’t do mass production, our products are sometimes underpriced. But our biggest success is our growing group of customers who understand how our products are made – and keep coming back.
What has the Pomorskie Taste brought you?
I’m glad you asked – it’s a wonderful project that helps small producers reach a wider audience. It’s brought new relationships that turned into collaborations with other producers, restaurants, and hotels. Attending fairs and festivals gives us a chance to proudly present our products and connect with our customers.
Gorzelnia in Podole Wielkie
Michał Paszota: Food has always been important to us, but working with it wasn’t part of the plan. It was a beautiful coincidence. When we started producing our own alcohol, we did it differently. We created spirits that go beyond cocktails or neat tastings. Our white distillates – which avoid the neutrality of typical vodka – pair beautifully with all kinds of food, from fire-grilled sausages to fine dining dishes. That’s how the adventure began. And yes – we’re also amateur chefs (laughs)!
Do you use traditional recipes or reinterpret them?
Our recipe is… quite adult – it starts with alcohol! In Podole Wielkie, we aim to revive forgotten Polish distilling traditions. We don’t use historical recipes directly, but interpret them in our own way. We’re unique in Poland – growing our own raw materials and distilling them on-site in a 19th-century distillery.
Once we have our aqua vitae, we create matching dishes and snacks. Our inspirations come from all over the world, often given a Polish twist.
What does the “taste of Pomorskie” mean to you?
It’s a chance – for every visitor on the trail. In a world of sameness, we show there’s still room for variety, authenticity, and surprise. Good food, good stories, and good places create real experiences – and that’s the greatest value today.
What are you most proud of?
That we’re forging our own path – going against the grain. We create spirits our own way – with full intention and a lot of fun.
Challenges and successes?
Every day brings challenges – and they lead to our biggest wins. We’re now one of the few distilleries in Poland open to visitors, and we’ve started exporting our products. These are major milestones for us.
What has the Pomorskie Taste brought you?
It’s a dream come true. A few years ago, we proposed a driving cultural trail across our voivodeship – and it’s incredibly satisfying to see it come to life in a different form.
Eko Elita in Jawory
Anna Bartosiewicz: Our culinary journey began with science. My husband and I, knowing we’d take over his parents’ organic farm, studied Food Biotechnology at Gdańsk University of Technology. We wanted to bring something new to the farm. So we started processing only what we grow on our certified organic farm – a new chapter in a business started over 20 years ago.
Guided tours let us show how organic farming works – including vegetable cultivation and our closed-loop system.
Do you use traditional recipes or modern versions?
We rely mainly on what we learned at university. We make fermented products like vegetable kvasses, sauerkraut, and kimchi, using traditional methods. We always aim to create high-nutrient, health-promoting products.
What does the “taste of Pomorskie” mean to you?
For us, it’s the taste of local and fresh. We associate it with vegetables and preserves from our own fields – made without unnecessary additives.
What are you most proud of?
That we’ve run the farm and processing entirely within the organic system from the beginning, and that every product is made exclusively from our own produce.
Challenges and successes?
Balancing physical and mental work was tough, and we lacked extra hands. Our workday is much longer than eight hours. But our biggest success is the appreciation we receive from local customers. Developing our own method of organic vegetable growing was also a huge achievement.
Awards include:
- 1st place in Pomorskie’s 2022 “Best Organic Farm” competition
- 2nd place in the national edition
- 3rd place in 2024 as “Best Organic Processor” in Poland
What has the Pomorskie Taste brought you?
Above all – new experience.
Conclusion – Voices from the Pomorskie Taste
Each of these stories shows that taste is more than just ingredients – it’s emotions, memories, and the people who shape them. Pomorskie Taste is not only a culinary path, but a living narrative about a region that tastes best when experienced with heart. We invite you to discover these places, meet their makers, and share the authentic, local, and unforgettable flavours of Pomorskie.
Pomorskie Taste is part of the “BASCIL – Innovative Solutions for the Rural Food Production Sector to Diversify into Sustainable Culinary Tourism Services” project, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Program 2021-2027.
