Latest news with #Stedsans
News18
02-05-2025
- News18
158 Barrels Of Human Waste, Unpaid Taxes: Couple Behind Famous Eco Resort In Sweden Flees To Guatemala
Last Updated: Flemming Hansen and Mette Helbæk created the eco-friendly retreat, "Stedsans", in Halland, southern Sweden, after feeling the "call of the wild" in Copenhagen, where they previously managed a popular rooftop restaurant A Danish chef duo, who once gained international fame for their 'forest resort" in Sweden, have been located in Guatemala after reportedly fleeing tax authorities, leaving behind 158 barrels of human waste. Flemming Hansen and Mette Helbæk created the eco-friendly retreat, 'Stedsans", in Halland, southern Sweden, after feeling the 'call of the wild" in Copenhagen, where they previously managed a popular rooftop restaurant, Guardian reported. Stedsans, featuring 16 wooden cottages with stunning nature views, received rave reviews from influencers and critics who labeled it 'magical" and 'enchanting luxury." However, a few months ago, an investigation revealed that the couple had disappeared, abandoning numerous animals and 158 barrels of human waste, with wastewater seeping into the forest. Staff reported that various animals, including ducks, perished after being left outside overnight, while others were neglected once the couple vanished. 'Stedsans" was declared bankrupt in March, and the couple reportedly registered as living abroad before Christmas. The investigation showed they left Copenhagen in 2016, where they owed millions in debt to Danish tax authorities, and moved to Sweden to establish 'Stedsans". There, they accumulated debt to Swedish tax authorities, totaling around £470,000. The couple has since started a new hotel business in Guatemala. In a message on their website, they stated: 'We came very far with Stedsans, but we also had to realise that being soul-driven entrepreneurs in a country with some of the highest taxes and relentless bureaucracy is an impossible task." Local authorities described their actions as 'environmental crime." Daniel Helsing, head of building and environment for Hylte, told Dagens Nyheter: 'Voilà. Over 150 barrels of human waste." When approached by the newspaper, Hansen denied any issues with animal handling. He criticized the Swedish tax authorities as a 'narcissistic entity" and claimed he owed them 'over 7m" SEK, stating he was now 'sentenced to a life in poverty." Location : Sweden First Published:
Telegraph
11-04-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Barrels of human waste and dead animals dumped by eco lodge owners
Two 'soul-driven entrepreneurs' fled their acclaimed Swedish eco-resort for a new life, reportedly leaving behind huge tax debts, dead animals and 158 barrels of human waste. Danish chefs Flemming Hansen and Mette Helbæk, who used to run a rooftop restaurant in Copenhagen, set up Stedsans, an internationally celebrated forest retreat in Halland, southern Sweden, after feeling the 'call of the wild'. They vanished from Sweden several months ago and were tracked down to Guatemala where they have set up a hotel business. 'When you read this we have probably been declared bankrupt by the Swedish tax authorities,' they said on their website. 'All we ever wanted was to be a part of creating a more beautiful planet.' Social media influencers had gushed over Stedsans' 16 wooden cottages in the Swedish wilderness. When Mr Hansen and Ms Helbæk vanished, they reportedly abandoned multiple animals and 158 barrels of human excrement for compost toilets. Staff said some of the animals, which included ducks, had later died. Wastewater had also been allowed to run into the forest, according to an investigation by the Dagens Nyheter and Politiken newspapers. On Thursday, the couple claimed they had acted lawfully over the barrels of waste. 'For people in rural Sweden it's a very normal thing,' they said on social media. 'It's also a very important part of the permaculture principles that you deal with your own s---.' Local authorities described their actions as an 'environmental crime'. They said proper procedures for compost toilets, including reporting the intention to use them and having barrels collected by the local authority, had not been followed. The newspaper investigation found the couple owed millions of kroner to the Danish tax authorities before they moved to Sweden in 2016 and built up a reported £470,000 debt to the Swedish taxman. Stedsans was declared bankrupt in March. 'We came very far with Stedsans, but we also had to realise on the way that being soul-driven entrepreneurs on a mission in a country where taxes are some of the highest in the world and bureaucracy is relentless, it is an impossible task,' the couple stated on their website. They accused the journalists behind the investigation of being responsible for 'our life's biggest (literal!) sh-tstorm'. 'The article claims that we have been damaging the local environment with our procedures at our permaculture resort and that we have left animals to die. All these claims and several others are false.'
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Barrels of human waste and dead animals dumped by eco lodge owners
Two 'soul-driven entrepreneurs' fled their acclaimed Swedish eco-resort for a new life, reportedly leaving behind huge tax debts, dead animals and 158 barrels of human waste. Danish chefs Flemming Hansen and Mette Helbæk, who used to run a rooftop restaurant in Copenhagen, set up Stedsans, an internationally celebrated forest retreat in Halland, southern Sweden, after feeling the 'call of the wild'. They vanished from Sweden several months ago and were tracked down to Guatemala where they have set up a hotel business. 'When you read this we have probably been declared bankrupt by the Swedish tax authorities,' they said on their website. 'All we ever wanted was to be a part of creating a more beautiful planet.' Social media influencers had gushed over Stedsans' 16 wooden cottages in the Swedish wilderness. When Mr Hansen and Ms Helbæk vanished, they reportedly abandoned multiple animals and 158 barrels of human excrement for compost toilets. Staff said some of the animals, which included ducks, had later died. Wastewater had also been allowed to run into the forest, according to an investigation by the Dagens Nyheter and Politiken newspapers. On Thursday, the couple claimed they had acted lawfully over the barrels of waste. 'For people in rural Sweden it's a very normal thing,' they said on social media. 'It's also a very important part of the permaculture principles that you deal with your own s---.' Local authorities described their actions as an 'environmental crime'. They said proper procedures for compost toilets, including reporting the intention to use them and having barrels collected by the local authority, had not been followed. The newspaper investigation found the couple owed millions of kroner to the Danish tax authorities before they moved to Sweden in 2016 and built up a reported £470,000 debt to the Swedish taxman. Stedsans was declared bankrupt in March. 'We came very far with Stedsans, but we also had to realise on the way that being soul-driven entrepreneurs on a mission in a country where taxes are some of the highest in the world and bureaucracy is relentless, it is an impossible task,' the couple stated on their website. They accused the journalists behind the investigation of being responsible for 'our life's biggest (literal!) sh-tstorm'. 'The article claims that we have been damaging the local environment with our procedures at our permaculture resort and that we have left animals to die. All these claims and several others are false.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
The Independent
08-04-2025
- The Independent
Couple who ran eco-resort accused of abandoning it and leaving 158 barrels of human faeces behind
A Danish couple who founded a popular eco-resort in the Swedish woods are accused of abandoning the site and leaving behind more than 150 barrels behind filled with human waste. Flemming Hansen and Mette Helbæk established Stedsans in the south of Sweden, a site that boasted more than a dozen wood cabins and an organic restaurant, reportedly attracting the wealthy and influencers. But a joint investigation in Swedish media accuses the pair of vanishing without informing staff or organising care for their remaining animals several months ago. The pair, reportedly now in Guatemala, have hit back and claimed there has been a 'witch hunt' after an investigation from newspapers Dagens Nyheter and Politiken. The couple claim they have received death threats and were called 'horrific things' since the article was published. 'It feels like a witch hunt. I'm extremely scared and don't know what to do. I have so much more to share and explain, but right now I'm just in shock,' they posted on social media. In a separate post, they acknowledged they had made some mistakes but defended their handling of their animals and sewerage, adding: 'We have not left any animals to die - We had a good system to deal with fecal resources'. 'We are super sorry for the loss and inconvenience our bankruptcy has caused. 'We have disappointed many. Even angered some. And for that we are deeply, truly sorry. But we can say from the bottom of our hearts that we have done all we could,' they wrote in a farewell post on their blog. 'Right from the beginning Stedsans never really had a chance.' A former staffer named Malin told local media the couple's car had gone and their house burned down. She said she had taken in surviving chickens and ducks from the resort, but that many had died before that. Another former staffer, Lars Delling, said that behind the facade of wooden eco-friendly cabinets melding with the forest was a darker side to the lodge, with sewerage and grey water pumped straight into the forest. He showed the newspaper the sewerage system used at the resort: 'Voila. Over 150 barrels filled with human s***', he said. The investigation said Stedsans was declared bankrupt in March with the couple allegedly leaving behind debts of about 6 million kroner (£500,000). 'From now on, what happens to assets and debts is out of our hands. All the hand-selected items we have gathered over the years to give Stedsans soul, the buildings we drew and had made in local timber, are no longer ours,' the couple wrote in a blog post in January. As of last week, the couple were preparing to launch their new venture: a hotel called Hotel San Pedro La Laguna in Guatemala, which they said would open in May. 'We are shaken, but still standing. Still here to contribute to a softer world, still here to cook delicious food, still trusting our work is not in vain although it has been brutally hard lately to try and forge a new path,' they wrote on Instagram.
