Finding the courage to change the direction your life is headed takes courage, self-belief and an innovative spirit. For many of us the comfort of the everyday can anchor us into a familiar routine we find difficult switching up, however sometimes the allure of how life could look different is worth the risk of the unknown. We chat to Angelita Eriksen, Tamara Singer and David Zilber – three people who successfully made a career swap.

The Algae Whisperers

When Angelita Eriksen and Tamara Singer met during physiotherapy training in Australia, they never thought they would one day be running an innovative food business together. After international placements, the Norwegian and the New Zealander have been living for several years in Napp, a fishing village with just 200 inhabitants on the Norwegian archipelago of the Lofoten Islands. Eriksen was longing for home, Singer was drawn by love to the far north.

This is where they established their company, Lofoten Seaweed, in 2016. The women harvest and process seven different types of seaweed that grow in the sea right on their doorstep. It is used to make spices, chocolates, bread additives, soaps and, the most recent development, pasta.

“At first, everyone thought we were crazy. But over time, we have developed a wonderful co-existence with the fishing businesses at the harbour,” says Eriksen. “Now, the old fishermen call our idea the future of food. I’m really proud of that.”

Thanks to her Japanese mother, Tamara Singer has known about the sea plant since childhood as it featured prominently in her diet. Once Singer’s mother confirmed the quality of the Norwegian seaweed, she needed no further convincing.

“Algae is one of the most – if not the most – nutrient-rich plants on the planet. It is high in iodine, low in fat and is said to have antibacterial and even anti-carcinogenic properties,” says Singer.

At first, they built up their business alongside their jobs as physiotherapists. However, they have been devoting themselves full time to Lofoten Seaweed for over a year now to raise its profile and open up new market opportunities.

Seaweed is still very much a niche product, but the two founders have set themselves the challenge of encouraging people to integrate it into their diets through easy recipes or as a complement to a dish – for example as enriched salt. Their close friendship is a key recipe for their success.

“It’s the combination of Northern Norwegian temperament and creativity with a Japanese sense for quality and details. We complement each other perfectly and can build on each other’s strengths.”

The Fermentation Genius

David Zilber found courage in a quote from Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way when he quit his job at the beginning of the pandemic with no specific plan in mind.

“A quote from Julia Cameron’s book The Artist's Way was stuck in my mind: ‘Jump and the net will appear’. Sometimes in life you may not have all the answers at any given time, but you have to have the faith that you can find them.”

Zilber is a trained chef, who for many years was part of the core team at the renowned restaurant Noma, whose cuisine has several times been voted the best in the world. When he took over management of the Fermentation Lab at the restaurant in 2016, his fascination with microbes and fermentation processes blossomed. He quickly learned from mistakes and experienced many “addictive aha moments”, such as when he began to understand the complex naming of enzymes – the nomenclature – in all its depth and effect. But then came the spring of 2020, when Zilber realised that the time was ripe for change.

“The pandemic exacerbated many problems in and around food consumption. For example, the just-in-time logistics that collapsed in many places left entire harvests rotting in farmers’ fields,” says Zilber.

“I feel a responsibility to bring about the change I want to see in the world in everything I do. That’s why I started deeply questioning how I could use my limited time on this planet in a meaningful way.”

Zilber has been doing this with Chr. Hansen, a global biotechnology company, for one and a half years. Their common mission: to explore fermentation’s potential to develop new tastes and flavours and ultimately propel sustainable food production for the benefit of people and the planet.

The move from gastronomy to science feels completely logical to Zilber because Chr. Hansen gives him access to over 40,000 microbial strains, which open up almost endless possibilities for innovation. He uses fermentation technology in a specially equipped laboratory to develop healthy and tasty solutions aimed at bringing about sustainable changes in the food system.

“For me, fermentation is a metaphor for ecology. The very definition of the word implies interaction between microbes, plants and humans,” says Zilber.

By Josefine Klatt