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REKO-rings: Sweden’s Best-Kept Secret for Fresh Local Produce

  • Updated on October 30, 2025
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If you’re passionate about local grocery shopping, then REKO rings are for you: a local order-and-pickup system for fresh produce that removes the middlemen. Freshness, sustainability, and a focus on reducing food waste.

I first came across the concept of REKO rings while desperately searching for good tomatoes. Sweet, juicy, bursting with flavor, the kind you can find when you pick them off the vine, not the ones packaged in aseptic plastic boxes at the supermarket. This search led me to find a grocery shopping option unlike anything I have ever seen before: the REKO ring.

What are REKO rings?

Put very simply, REKO rings are a local grocery shopping system that allows small farmers to sell their goods directly to customers, which means without going through any intermediaries. 

The difference between REKO rings and farmer’s markets is that the produce showcasing and placing of orders only happens online. Each REKO ring has a designated “pick-up” time and location, usually the parking lot of a big supermarket. Here is where all the farmers who are selling their goods in that specific REKO ring come, once a week, to deliver the orders they’ve received. 

How does it work?

Although the whole process might seem confusing at first, it’s really quite straightforward once you get the hang of it.

Step 1

First of all, you need to find the REKO ring that has the most convenient location for you. Since every REKO ring has a dedicated Facebook group, that’s really easy to do! 

Step 2

Every week, local farmers who are selling their produce in that REKO group will publish a post with a list of everything they have on stock, and their respective prices. Now is when you virtually walk around the online “farmers market” and decide what you want to buy.

Step 3

Once you are sure about your shopping list, it’s time to place orders! You do this by leaving a comment under the post you’re interested in. Let’s say a farmer is selling fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs, and flowers. You can leave a comment underneath their post with a clear list of what you want to buy from them. Be careful to write the name of the product and the amount you need. This is where you’re making your reservation! 

Step 4

Now you must wait for the order to be confirmed: this happens when the farmer leaves a comment on your order with a thank you, or sometimes even an order number to make things smoother at pick-up.

Step 5

Pick-up! Every REKO ring’s designated pick-up location and time are clearly stated in the group rules. The pick-up window is just 30 minutes, because farmers often visit more than one REKO ring on their route, so make sure you’re on time! Most of the times, producers show up even 10-15 minutes before the official pick-up time start.

Find the farmers you’ve placed orders with, say your order number if you have one, or just your name! Payment is usually done via Swish, but some sellers also accept cash. Details about payment methods are always present in each farmer’s weekly post, so do keep an eye out for that.

That’s it! Easy, right?

Why bother with REKO rings?

Supermarkets are incredibly convenient, and carry every product you could possibly need. So why even bother with REKO rings, ordering online, all these extra steps?

There are quite a few advantages to doing your grocery shopping in a REKO ring! Here are a few:

Quality

Because these are local farmers, and produce doesn’t need to travel a long time to get to you, it can be picked at peak ripeness. Tomatoes that get a chance to ripen on the vine under the sun are much tastier than those picked green and left to ripen in a cold storage warehouse. This is true for all sorts of fruits and veggies, not just tomatoes. Furthermore, farmers who sell in REKO rings have small productions, so they invest much more into quality rather than quantity.

Seasonality

Another positive aspect is the fact that this system makes eating seasonal a must: farmers only sell what is currently growing, so it’s must easier to follow the natural flow of the seasons and eat a balanced, diversified diet.

Environmental impact

If you care about the environment, buying from REKO rings will substantially decrease your carbon footprint: these products only need to travel a few kilometers before they get to you, instead of thousands. This greatly reduces the impact of transportation on your weekly grocery run.

No waste

Because farmers only transport and deliver what is already ordered, there is absolutely no waste. Unlike farmers markets, where produce needs to be hauled back and forth, resulting in part of it going bad, REKO rings are an amazing way to cut food waste!

Stronger local economy

Buying local means that money goes straight to the people who grew your food, supporting small farms and fragile supply chains.

Convenience

If you already love purchasing from gårdbutiker (farmer shops), the REKO ring is perfect for you as it allows you to do it without having to travel to each individual farm.

Some frequently asked questions

I don't have Swish, how can I pay?

Most producers accept Swish (very common), some take card or cash: the payment method is listed in the farmer’s post. If you don’t use Swish, message the seller in advance to agree an alternative; most are happy to help newcomers.

REKO produce is rarely dramatically cheaper than supermarkets: the value is freshness, variety and supporting local farms. Expect to pay similar or slightly higher prices for higher quality or specialty items.

The products available in your local REKO ring depend vastly on the farmers in the area: you can certainly expect fresh fruits and vegetables, flowers, eggs, fresh or frozen meat (poultry, lamb, beef), cheese, honey, cereals and stoneground flours, preserves, juices, sometimes even ice cream, kimchi, freshly baked bread, or handmade scented candles.

Some farmers give the option to subscribe for certain products (eggs, weekly seasonal veggie box), which is a great option if you want to make sure you’ll be getting those products every single week or every other week. Check with the farmers you’re interested in!

It’s always useful to bring your own bags and possibly a cooler in case you’re buying perishable items. If you’re paying cash, make sure you have the exact amount for each order, because sellers usually don’t have change.

reko ring

At pickup you’ll typically see cars and vans in adjacent rows in the parking lot, and producers selling the orders from the back of their cars. They will often have a sign with the name of the farm, and a QR code for quick Swish payments.

Contact the seller immediately! Explain your situation and some will hold your order briefly or arrange collection elsewhere. Repeated no-shows, however, will lead to removal from the group, so try to be reliable.

It is 100% safe! Farmers need to have a company and several health and safety authorizations in order to function and sell to the general public.

There is also no need to pay in advance, in fact sellers will usually ask you to pay the day of the delivery for administration purposes.

Give it a try this week!

If you care even a little about flavour, buying through a REKO-ring is one of the handiest, most honest shortcuts you’ll find: a small experiment that can change how you think about food. It supports tiny farms, trims waste and transport, and gives you a direct line to the person who grew what you eat. Do this week’s tiny test: join a local group, place a small first order, and see what happens. Then tell us about it!

Read more about shopping on a budget and how to save money in Swedish supermarkets.

Picture of Maria Petrescu
Maria Petrescu
I’ve been living in Sweden since 2021: a dream I turned into reality after years of wanting to move here. Through my articles, I help other internationals understand and enjoy life in Sweden. I write about learning Swedish, finding your place in Swedish society, and discovering how everyday life really works here. Every piece I publish is based on careful research and personal experience, so readers can trust the information and feel more confident about building their own life in Sweden.
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REKO-rings: Sweden’s Best-Kept Secret for Fresh Local Produce

If you’re passionate about local grocery shopping, then REKO rings are for you: a local order-and-pickup system for fresh produce that removes the middlemen. Freshness, sustainability, and a focus on reducing food waste.
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