THE HOTEL

Kerstin Bramford and Karin Bramford are operating Hallfreda Hotell AB together.

Kerstin started the business together with Ann Nilsson in 2009. Kerstin is responsible for the finances of the company. Kerstin lives in Mästerby and is also working at the kindergarden in Sanda.

Karin joined the company in 2017 and is responsible for reservations and customer contacts. She lives in Visby and also works as a midwife at Visby Hospital.

THE FARM

Hallfreda property is owned and operated by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. The farm has crop production of cereals, peas and oilseeds.

The area consists of 303 hectares of arable land and 246 hectares of forest, which makes it one of Gotland's largest farms. The property provides the land needed for the field trial activities engaged in by Gotlands Hushållningssällskap.

The farm  has two full-time employees - a manager of the farm and a manager of the research station. During the high season they also hire extra staff.

HISTORY

Hallfreda is one of Gotland's largest farms with a long history that dates back from the 14th century.

Jürgen Heinrich Donner was a powerful merchant from Lübeck who owned a big company in the trading house Donner in Visby. When he died in 1751 his 25-year-old wife, Anna Margaretha Lythberg, took over the company and purchased Hallfreda. She was an accomplished businesswoman and she developed the company. She was engaged in the export of cereals, tar and timber. At Hallfreda in Follingbo she started growing tobacco and opened a factory which made soap. Her business contacts in Germany could not believe that a woman could stand behind such a large and well-known trading empire and was therefore often referred to "Madame Mister Donner".