I met up with Sonja Dänzer, the founder of “The Green Fairy” and inventor of the delicious vegan ice cream of the same name, for an oat latte at Henrici and she let me in on a few sweet secrets.
What motivated you to found “The Green Fairy”?
When I switched from a vegetarian to a vegan diet two years ago, it was clear to me that I not only wanted to change my eating habits, but also actively do something to change the perception of our society. My approach with the delicious, beautiful ice creams from “The Green Fairy” is to convey that vegan does not mean “giving up”, but is extremely enjoyable and imaginative, and not “colorless and boring” but stylish and creative.
What else is special about the ice creams from “The Green Fairy”?
They are organic, fair trade and come in all kinds of special varieties that are not available anywhere else and change seasonally. I love the ice creams myself! My favorites are Sweet Ginger and Chocolate Peanut Butter. In the fall there will be a chestnut glacé that I can’t get enough of, and in the winter chocolate chili.
The philosophy of “The Green Fairy” summarized in three words.
Yummy, sustainability and style.
You have a three-year-old son who you feed a vegan diet. Is he doing well and does he like your ice cream creations?
My son loves the ice cream! He is a huge fan of the vanilla-cardamom variety. His health is very good, he was always one of the tallest and heaviest of his age. I have done a lot of research into the nutritional basics to make sure he gets everything he needs and recommend this to anyone feeding their child a vegan diet. The book “Becoming Vegan” by Davis/Melina is perfect for this.
Which vegan cookbook has inspired you the most in your everyday cooking?
“Vegan with a Vengeance” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Great book, great woman! Also highly recommended is her self-made cooking show “The Post-Punk Kitchen” on YouTube.
Your goals for the future?
I want to promote and sell the ice creams throughout Switzerland, finish my doctoral thesis on fair trade, make a living from my entrepreneurial activities at some point and be able to donate part of the income to children’s charities and PETA. I also hope that my work will inspire other people to eat a plant-based diet more often and to actively do something to spread the vegan lifestyle. And I want to create lots of new delicious vegan things, cupcakes for example, and one day open a beautiful “The Green Fairy” café…
Patty’s Tip:
The oat and vanilla frappé from Henrici (with oat milk and “The Green Fairy” vanilla ice cream), perfect for enjoying the last days of summer.
Henrici, Niederdorfstrasse 1, 8001 Zurich
Photo by Daniela Fricke
More information and points of sale at www.thegreenfairy.ch and http://www.facebook.com/TheGreenFairyVeganeBioGlaces