LTV paid a visit to one of these regional producers, namely the Arumi homestead at Rūjiena Municipality, northeastern Latvia where Ineta and Laimonis of the Bole family make excellent blood sausages.
The two initially made blood sausages for themselves and their relatives, but word spread and a local business consultant kept pestering them until they gave in and obtained a manufacturing licence.
"I am ecstatic when making sausages. I like it. I didn't like selling them at first, but when people come and say they only buy our products, it's sweet. I like talking to people. We make it ourselves, we sell it ourselves, we don't any more employees," Ineta told LTV.
They produce prized blood sausages for the local markets. They don't take their product to Rīga anymore, as it doesn't pay.
One of their more unique products is a gluten-free blood sausage. "We've blood sausages with buckwheat, a gluten-free product. People who can't use gluten seek us out."
They make about 120 kg worth of blood sausages for each weekend. They usually manage to sell everything, but if they don't, the rest is given away or given to the local church parish.
"We are well-off. We can afford to visit children and go to parties. We've got our health. If you're active, you can survive. But if you grumble, you can't," said Ineta.
For the past two years, Ineta and Laimonis' blood sausages have been named the best Latvian product in a number of international exhibitions.
