Fika, the cultural glue that holds Swedish society together, is getting a better-for-you revamp by a start-up that offers “progressive fika” with an adaptogenic twist.
The word “fika” refers to the Swedish custom of taking a break to sit down with a hot drink and a light snack – usually in the form of a cookie, cake or pastry – while talking to friends or colleagues. Most Swedish workplaces have at least one or two fika breaks per day where employees meet up in the lunchroom to have a fika and a chat for about 15 minutes.
Naima, founded in 2023, wants to offer health-aware consumers a modern and nutrient-dense alternative to classic Swedish fika components such as cinnamon buns or chocolate balls (a mixture of oats, butter, cocoa, sugar and coffee). To do this the brand bases its products on a mixture of dates and cashew nuts or oats, to which it adds prebiotics, adaptogens and superfoods. In the ingredient list are established ingredients such as turmeric, beetroot powder and buckwheat, but also more novel alternatives like Indian gooseberry, lucuma, lion’s mane and reishi.
All products are vegan, free from gluten and made with “natural sugars”. One 55g blueberry cheesecake square contains 214 kcal, 13g fat, 21g carbs (of which 13 are sugar), 3.5g protein and 3g fibre.
The products are sold frozen and are available DTC and in several major Swedish hotel chains as well as selected 7-Eleven stores and other convenience stores. At SEK 37 ($. 3.69/€3.38 )for a 55g piece, a cinnamon bun alternative from Naima costs approximately 20% more than a regular cinnamon bun in a 7-Eleven store. On a price per gram basis the price premium is 100%, with a standard cinnamon bun weighing around 90 grams.
The brand had sales of SEK 2.1m ($0.22m/€0.21m) in 2023, with losses of SEK 0.1m ($0.01m/€0.009m).
With its striking packaging design Naima is a highly ‘Instagrammable’ product, and Instagram seems to be one of the brand’s main marketing channels. Marketing is entirely focused on indulgence and the superior nutritional profile of Naima’s products, with messages such as “reset your mind, body and gut”, “no sugar spikes here!” and “packed with micronutrients, nutrition and adaptogens”.
