Life in Estonia. Winter 2018 by EAS, Enterprise Estonia

No47 1 /2018

cover Markus Villig photo by Atko Januson

Estonia − Nordic hub for digital and knowledge-based business When talking about Estonia with foreign entrepreneurs and investors, their overwhelming impression is that despite being a small Nordic country of only 1.3 million people, Estonia seems much bigger when looking at it from the inside out.

executive publisher Positive Projects Pärnu mnt 69, 10134 Tallinn, Estonia lifeinestonia@positive.ee editor Reet Grosberg translations Ingrid Hübscher language editor Daniel Warren design & layout

Nonetheless, Estonia is a small country, but our size is actually an advantage − it makes us agile and fast-paced, it is easy to get to the right information and find the right people. All of this has allowed both local and foreign businesses to progress and achieve proof of concept rapidly and, as a result, create ground-breaking solutions that the world needs. A great example of this is the Estonian ride-sharing platform Taxify that is disrupting the industry all over Europe. As IT becomes the value driver across all industries, Estonia is uniquely positioned as the choice for digital- and knowledge-based businesses. Our world-class digital capabilities and extensive use of IT across the economy creates significant efficiencies, scalability, and real-time data. We constantly seek and develop new digital solutions that allow things to be done faster and cheaper. Cleveron’s digital innovation in the field of robotics based parcel terminals is a clear proof of this. Estonia is an excellent business location that has been developed in cooperation with our investors and entrepreneurs. But we are not going to rest on our laurels; instead we are going to keep shaping our business environment to continue offering a national-scale testbed for solutions as well as a flexible legal environment and powerful tech ecosystem.

Positive Design

We welcome you to Estonia to build the perfect business environment together! Allan Selirand Director of the Estonian Investment Agency Estonian Investment Agency supports companies investing and expanding in Estonia. World-class human capital, unique digital capabilities and a competitive business environment make Estonia a smart, agile location for businesses with global ambitions. investinestonia.com

Printed on 100% recycled paper, inspired by green technology.

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News & events

Magnetic MRO wants to conquer the world

The Estonian coffee tribe

The aircraft maintenance company Magnetic MRO was recently named the Estonian Company of the Year 2017. It services large aviation companies from Europe and even Africa. Today, the company’s market share is tiny, but they are hungry for more.

How unlikely is this − the best coffee in the world comes from Estonia! Coffee People has been searching for the best bean on the planet for a decade now by bringing coffee farmers, roasters and drinkers together into one big coffee tribe. They are nominated for the European Excellence Award in 2017.

Happy birthday, e-Residency!

Estonian small house KODA: Bold. Mobile. Convincing. Optimal. Effective. Global.

A licence (not) to drive Only ten years ago it seemed unfathomable to hail a taxi with just a few moves of a fingertip on a phone. Neither could anyone have predicted that the company to disrupt the taxi industry in Europe would be built by a very persistent Estonian teenager. This was exactly what Markus Villig did with Taxify − a ride-sharing platform that now operates in 20 countries in Europe, Africa and South America with 100 000 drivers and 4 million passengers.

19 Cleveron knows clever ways to deliver Cleveron, which started as an online furniture retailer, is today an innovation leader in robotics-based parcel terminals, having just recently entered the US market with about 100 pick-up terminals at Walmart stores. The next step is to bring the smart delivery stations to people’s homes to make life even more convenient and save time.

CONTENT

It’s been three years since Estonia became the first country to launch e-Residency − a secure government-issued digital identity that provides access to Estonia’s public e-services and transparent EU business environment. Literally anyone in the world can apply and almost 30 000 people in 139 countries have already done so.

Koda is like a square egg − a warm wooden interior equipped with everything necessary to live and a hard shell of an exterior. This living unit, currently making waves in the international media, is likely to win you over with its sincerity. Created and polished by innovative people, the building meets all contemporary high-tech and design requirements. It is elegant inside and out.

Estelon’s ultimate loudspeakers bring a concert experience into your living room Created by an Estonian family company, Estelon speakers are the best in the world. This is not just empty praise; it is a fact proven by various global awards.

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The ultimate romantic getaway − ÖÖD

Estonia through 100 pairs of eyes

Foodie stories by Anders Husa

ÖÖD-house doesn’t even seem to exist at first sight. It blends into the surroundings so well that as a visitor you might easily walk past. Yet, when you discover that the breath-taking view is only a camouflage for the small but perfect living space, you’ll never want to leave.

50 PORTFOLIO − Kristina Viirpalu Fashion in the blood Kristina Viirpalu, this year’s winner of the most reputable fashion award in Estonia − Kuldnõel − finds inspiration in the delicate beauty of old handicraft techniques.

63 Kadri Voorand − giving herself to the music The Female Estonian Artist of the Year 2017, Kadri Voorand, is in the midst of her busiest time of year. When Life in Estonia caught up with Kadri, she had just returned from the EFG London Jazzfestival and was about to dive into the rehearsal period of her next project “Giving Myself to the Sea” which is, according to the singer, the most important creation of her life until now.

The Republic of Estonia celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2018. Many people have initiated diverse projects as a gift to their homeland, be it a 160 square metre hand-knitted Estonian flag, one hundred planted trees, a new song or one hundred so-called “good deed” benches. Graphic designer Kaire van der Toorn-Guthan and photographer Toomas Volkmann have decided to give Estonia a book of 100 portraits of Estonians; each year represented by one person.

Estonian food is influenced both by the seasonality (pure and fresh ingredients) and the long traditions in preparing it. Luckily, the Norwegians have noticed this too! In October 2017, a famous gastronomy influencer Anders Husa visited Estonia to find and capture the best Estonian food experiences, as well as discover the most passionate, young, and exciting chefs to talk to on the way.

5 relaxing ways to relieve stress in Estonia

Christmas in Tallinn

Each year, the most famous Christmas market in Estonia unfurls on Tallinn’s Town Hall Square with the Christmas tree as its crown jewel. If the legend is true that the first Christmas tree was brought to Tallinn in 1441, that would make it the first Christmas tree placed in a town square in Europe. The Christmas Market is open from November 17th until January 6th and is the per-

Events calendar: Highlights from December to March Winter in Estonia is the perfect time to enjoy not only world-class sports events but also big international music events. Take a look at the highlights in the coming months.

fect place to sip hot mulled wine and shop for traditional handicraft gifts.

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Estonia had a massive presence at Nordic Business Forum 2017 Estonia sent its largest ever business delegation for Nordic Business Forum 2017. As much as 960 representatives of Estonian business and innovation sailed to Helsinki together to promote their own business opportunities, but also deliver a joint message: ‘Join the first digital borderless nation as an e-resident.’

The highlight of the event was a meeting with Sir Richard Branson in which he was introduced to e-Residency and other remarkable initiatives from the first borderless digital nation, such as Let’s Do It World - an Estonian organisation that mobilises 5% of the entire Earth’s population for a massive world clean-up day in 2018.

Photos by Erlend Straub

The delegation included leaders of Estonia’s business and startup scene such as TransferWise CEO and cofounder Taavet Hinrikus, Lingvist co-founder Mait Müntel, as well as Head of Quality Engineering at Pipedrive Tiit Paananen.

The Nordic Business Forum is one of the most important business events in Europe and this year’s theme was ‘purpose, responsibility and leadership’. More than 7500 attendees from around Europe and the world learned of the opportunities provided by e-Estonia and our cloudbased, digital nation at our stand in the conference hall. Moreover, visitors of the forum got the chance to enter one of the most innovative houses ever designed: Koda, a future-proof movable concrete home.

Richard Branson: ‘I didn’t know much about Estonia before, to be honest. But from now on I’ll most definitely keep my eye on it!’ 6

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Estonia is driving Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s digital future The Tallinn Digital Summit (TDS) on the 29th of September was the highlight of the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the European Union that brought 25 heads of EU member states to Tallinn to discuss the digital future of Europe. Ahead of the summit, 26 heads of states, President of the EU Council Donald Tusk, President of the EU Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani met for an informal dinner at Kadriorg Palace. This was the first time ever that Estonia hosted so many European leaders at once.

Photo by Aron Urb

Donald Tusk, President, European Council; JĂźri Ratas, Prime Minister, Estonia; Jean-Claude Juncker, President, European Commission

The aim of the TDS was to achieve a shared understanding between EU leaders of where Europe should be headed by 2025 in terms of digital innovation, and to identify the key enablers for the digital transformation of the EU. The leaders were looking in detail into questions such as how to bring governments and the public sector into the digital age EU-wide, the issues of cybersecurity as an enabler for trust, how to make the EU the best platform for the digital economy and how Europe can nurture a highly skilled workforce and digitally literate citizens.

Klen Jäärats, Director of the EU Affairs at the Estonian Government Office looks back at the results of the summit. Having the summit in Tallinn was in itself a big thing for us. For many larger countries it’s a regular event − hosting leaders from all over the world. For us it’s a once-in-a-lifetime or once in a generation event. In fact, so far there hasn’t been such a meeting in Tallinn ever. This was a big challenge, also in terms of logistics. We said at the outset, we should be reflecting on the future of Europe. In President Jean-Claude Juncker’s priorities for the EU

there was no place for digital. It was president Tusk’s idea to have a specific summit on one certain subject in Tallinn. The digital topic emerged after we talked to other members. In that sense it’s an agenda driven by the EU member states, not the institutions. The expectations were high as we have set the digital issues as our priority. It was the first time that European leaders have discussed digital in that format. The Tallinn Digital Summit was about the value digital creates for society at large. It’s not about who has the coolest gadgets, even though this quickly turns into a macroeconomic issue. We have to look at the big picture − how will digital development affect our educational system, our work and labour laws, social security and all other policy areas.

Klen Jäärats, Director of the EU Affairs at the Estonian Government Office

Has the summit helped to reach an EU-wide understanding on the leadership level as to what is needed to keep the pace in the digital race? There is quite a big digital divide between the EU member countries. Most of the leaders who have given serious consideration to the future do see digital as one of the biggest challenges, also in order to stay relevant. There are huge divides even within countries. If we think about Estonia we are not leaders in many areas like digital literacy, skills, productivity. In that sense it was also a challenge for Estonia −

what can we take out of it and how can this give the right message in Estonia? Even if the leaders and their preparation teams took the minimum amount of time to think about what is important for my country, what needs to be done in terms of digital development, it’s already very successful. We’ll have to see. Photo by Aron Urb

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We agreed on the common points based on our prime minister’s conclusions in Tallinn. Most of these were also adopted as the European Council conclusions. It’s not only about the legislative work, because the legislation in itself will not do the trick. It’s a question of 10-20 years to see the effects on our everyday lives. How can you educate half of your population? It’s a huge effort to make people understand that you might have to go to school and learn new skills several times during your life. This change is not like a tsunami, it’s more like climate change − you know it’s happening, it’s happening slowly and it’s going to be very painful.

own knowledge in the preparation and not as much on the EU institutions. We did however rely on the goodwill: you are good at digital, so we trust you to help us make sense of it all and to see further. With a presidency you have the responsibility to carry the whole thing forward. Every presidency will have a footprint. Europe has a friendly way of negotiating. It’s an individual thing but at the same time we also want to achieve results collectively. Every member

state wants to have as much as possible from its own national point of view but everybody also wants us to move forward together. Estonia has had a lot of goodwill. I hope with our youthful energy we have contributed to the kind of optimism − “the smooth wind in the sails” as Jean-Claude Juncker called it.

Angela Merkel, Chancellor, Germany

There is certainly a positive bubble around Estonia in all things digital which is good. It also pushes us. As a presidency and in terms of the summit we did to a large extent rely on our

Photo by Arno Mikkor

Estonia has a lot of credit and credibility as a “European digital wunderkind”. Did we live up to the high expectations?

Photo by Annika Haas

What was important about the summit was the understanding that we can’t say “Europe should”, but rather “we must”, because Europe will not educate the labour force of the member countries or fix the social systems. It’s the leaders of the countries that have the responsibility. You need to show only fundamental data to justify the sense of urgency.

TDS in numbers • 1500 participants in total • 25 Heads of State and Government + EC, EuCo, EP, GSCE • 368 delegates • 391 journalists • 220 expo participants • 492 support staff • 3500 m2 temporary constructions for support facilities (press area, digital expo area) • Budget: 4.5 m EUR

Emmanuel Macron, President of France

Conclusions of the Tallinn Digital Summit

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Bring government and the public sector fully into the digital age to improve public services for citizens and businesses, contain costs and promote innovation.

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Make Europe a global leader in cybersecurity by 2025, in order to ensure trust, confidence and protection of our citizens, consumers and enterprises online and to enable a free and law-governed internet.

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Make the EU the ideal home for enterprises and innovators in the digital age. As digitisation transforms sectors, ensure that the EU’s freedoms are fit for the digital age. Make the most of the free movement of data.

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Empower and enable people in the digital age. Digital skills are the new literacy and must be taught universally.

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Invest in the growth of the digital economy, including a world-class infrastructure. LI FE I N ESTON IA N o 47

Everybody loves a success story. The ability to grow a company and, one day, showcase your product/service at sTARTUp Day is an exciting prospect. At the sTARTUp Day 2017 business festival there will be hundreds of companies that are doing just that − enjoying their well-earned successes and using the festival platform to aim even higher.

The untold stories of Estonia’s biggest startup entrepreneurs By Triin Liiv and Liina Kudu

It often seems that today’s world is ruthless for startups and businesses in general. There is never enough time, money, employees, trusted partners, resources; and when all finally seems to be coming together there is a competitor or a market crash around the corner. In short − making a startup work seems to be a huge challenge for everyone. The last year’s theme for sTARTUp Day 2016 was “How to earn if there is nothing to burn?”. This year we took the question to the next level − how to earn if there is nothing to burn and know, when the self-belief is low. Therefore, choosing the theme for sTARTUp Day 2017 couldn’t be easier. This year’s theme “From Zero To Hero” is carrying a meaningful message − everyone can, in fact, become successful. What sounds like a cliché and an impossible mission to some, has been a reality to so many incredibly accomplished entrepreneurs of today. Having no resources, contacts or dare we say − hope − many startup and traditional business entrepreneurs managed to do the impossible and to succeed. Sure, some people have eaten their dessert with a silver spoon from the start. However, the statistics show that out of the world’s 100 richest people, 73 are self-made.

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There are many “from rags to riches” stories about people who had literally nothing. Even worse − managed to grow their company in a time when information wasn’t easily accessible and seed rounds were a rarity. Let’s take Larry Ellison, the multi-billionaire CEO of Oracle Corporation and once the richest person on Earth. Ellison is a self-made technology entrepreneur, who was given up for adoption at 9 months old. He was raised in a middle-class Jewish neighbourhood by a Russian immigrant. When his adoptive mother died, the future technology giant dropped out of college and moved from job to job, learning to program in the meantime. The first time he was introduced to computers was in college, making him a “late bloomer” compared to many other technology entrepreneurs. The story of Larry Ellison is just one in a sea of others. Estonian entrepreneurs have similar stories to tell, maybe not so grand, but eye-opening and inspiring nonetheless. Here are some incredible “from zero to hero” stories of our beloved startup CEO-s, who agreed to share their untold stories that may shake up your views on how to make it.

What did the early days of Click & Grow look like? When starting out, we made all the mistakes that one can think of. For instance, one of the first big orders we delivered turned out to be faulty. So we had to travel to Russia to reprogram all the devices of that shipment. But such failures and mistakes taught us a lot. Today, we are still facing challenges. They have grown with the company and become more complex, but at the same time can be successfully tackled with the help of experience and knowledge we have gained on our way.

Mattias Lepp Founder and CEO of Click & Grow Mattias started out with Click & Grow 8 years ago in the business idea competition Ajujaht, which the company won. The idea itself was born even earlier. Mattias had always been interested in plant growing technologies and eventually decided to turn his passion into a business.

Building a startup is like running a 400-meter dash. You get tired after the first 100 meters and have no other option than just to push yourself through the rest of the distance. Our first marketing efforts got us published in several big magazines, such as New York Times and Wired. Back then, it was a lot easier to impress people with your idea and gain visibility. Today, your idea needs to be at a different level to get that kind of exposure. But you should not get blinded by

How did your journey from Playtech to sTARTUp ecosystem look like? After leaving Playtech, I was away from the tech world for 5 years to take time for myself and my family. After the break, I had to make a decision, what to do next. As it was not easy to make a choice since I had too many options available, it took a whole year of discussions with my business partner Rain Kivisik to reach the decision of developing an intelligent cooperation software for teams.

your first achievements because this is the point where your challenges only begin − the hardest 300 meters are still ahead. Keep in mind that successful startups are not born overnight. They usually take 5-10 years to develop and grow. How have you managed to keep ahead of the competition? We started developing our technology from zero. This is the longest and hardest way one can choose, but as a result, our technology is many times cheaper and simpler than technologies used by our competitors. I believe that this has given Click & Grow an advantage and helped us to stay in competition. What advice would you give to starting entrepreneurs? The most important thing is to have both feet on the ground. You should not have an illusion that today you create something and tomorrow you will already conquer the world with it. Don’t take your first victories for granted, there will still be a lot of challenges awaiting.

As we also started organizing events for startups in our hubs, the idea for sTARTUp Day was born in the community. By that time, it had become clear that the startup ecosystem as a whole was the thing we wanted to focus on. We shut down the development of the teamwork software and started building a new tool called Startup Includer that is also meant to power the startup ecosystem. What are the biggest challenges you have faced?

Rein Lemberpuu Founder of Contriber, sTARTUp HUB, and SPARK HUB; President of EstBAN, President of the Estonian Startup Leaders Club Rein Lemberpuu is an experienced entrepreneur. He led Playtech through its fast growth period and has now become a startup ecosystem builder in Tartu and Estonia. He is still engaged in entrepreneurship today. Besides running his own company Contriber, he also invests in startups and is an active mentor for his portfolio companies.

After that, one thing led to another. We did not find a suitable office for our startup, but then saw a building for sale in the Town Hall Square and decided to buy it. It was a little big for our team but luckily there were activists that were about to create a coworking space in the same building. In two months’ time the house was full. Then we took a leap of faith and bought another building on the other side of the river − now known as SPARK Hub − in the vision of much more active startup ecosystem in Tartu.

One of the biggest challenges for me has been maintaining balance. Balance between the fear of failure and taking action. Balance between over-complicating things and acting from gut-feeling. Balance between work and family. And the list goes on. Another huge challenge was finding the meaning of life − why I am doing the things that I am doing and what I want in my life. But this is another story for some other time.

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How did your journey start? It all started when we created a mobile advertising service for a practical course in university in 2002. The particular project was not very successful, but the team was a good match and we decided to continue working together. And we’re still together today − the same team members are now leading the companies that have grown out from Mobi Group: Fortumo, Messente, MobiLab, and MobiGW.

Rain Rannu Founder of Fortumo, Mobi & Garage48 Rain started his first business when there were no startup incubators or ecosystem like there is today. Rain’s first company Mobi was founded by friends from university more as something fun to work on than a serious business, but against all the expectations it became surprisingly successful.

What was the Estonian startup scene like back when you started? There were no startup incubators or the ecosystem like today. Furthermore, there were almost no angel investors who would invest in early stage companies. The only way to survive was to get money from your clients and

What has SprayPrinter’s journey been like from the beginning until today? It most definitely has been a journey of learning. The first lab for our inventor was in the BuildIt accelerator’s bathroom. Two years later we are headquartered in Silicon Valley and the inventor has set up his lab at the local Tech Shop in San Jose. This is one way of illustrating the joy of the process.

Richard Murutar CEO of SprayPrinter Richard is a songwriter, sailor and a father. He founded his first company when he was 18 years old.

From the technical side, it started with a smart printer head. A handheld version of SprayPrinter. And these are still very powerful tools − especially for smaller scales. But we decided to scale up and combined the printer with a wall-climbing robot. The result − a mural robot − is called Albert. What is the biggest accomplishment so far? Progressively uncovering the true potential of our technology and the vision, we make it look like a success story. So far it has been just an-

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reach profitability − all the business decisions were driven by that. Otherwise, you had no money to invest in new projects and expansion. Compared to 15 years ago, the availability of investments in Estonia is really good today. In the past, you had to build your startup more like a traditional business. What advice would you give to starting entrepreneurs? Take the next step and the next risk. Don’t get stuck in your comfort zone. Many people with great ideas don’t take the first step because their idea gets criticized. I recommend starting up anyway. You don’t always need to have a long-term vision. It’s more important to start doing something, to start working on your idea and after that one activity will lead to another. If nothing else, you will gain valuable experience for sure.

other story that follows the path of people who already have done the same things just a short time earlier. What we have seen is that what others among us can do, we can do as well. We will have accomplished something when we are able to start showing others how it’s done. We have come to Silicon Valley to learn from the best. We are good at learning. So far, this is our biggest accomplishment. What will the future bring? We will create a global high-rise art exhibition. It means that art should be everywhere. We put paint where it ain’t. It will be fun and includes creating the world record with the biggest mural ever. Everyone who wishes can participate. We love to collaborate. What advice would you give to starting entrepreneurs? Smooth seas do not make good sailors. Go out there and enjoy the ride.

Erik Mell CEO, Co-founder of LeapIN Erik Mell has over 20 years of experience as business and e-channels manager in the biggest telecom and IT companies in Estonia. Prior to moving to the private sector, Erik worked as a system analyst for the Ministry of Finance. In 2015, together with 3 co-founders, LeapIN was born to offer e-Residency solutions to freelancers, digital nomads and location independent entrepreneurs. Why did you decide to start offering solutions for micro businesses and freelancers? We, founders of LeapIN, come from a technology and software development background. Back in 2010, we ventured out as entrepreneurs and built a small boutique IT consultancy providing services to larger companies here in Estonia and Scandinavia. It was in this role, acting as freelancers, that helped us understand the pain of freelancers who have to focus on their core business while also looking after the administration. Estonian e-Residency emerged at the end of 2014. After many brainstorming sessions a half year later, we recognized that there was an opportunity to provide a solution for entrepreneurs globally.

What has been the hardest obstacle on your startup path? The first customers that I guided from the airport to the LeapIN office, the bank, together with an old-town tour, still bring a big smile to my face. We didn’t have a solution that was smooth nor was it automated. LeapIN types of services allowed us to launch a “beta” having only a webpage with the LeapIN offer. The first customer needed to hear that LeapIN already had tens of customers. I have told him by now that he was first and he has forgiven me the lie. Customer onboarding and service delivery were done manually, improvising on the way. Fake it till you make it. Our understanding of “faking” was not so much about promising “the bluest sky”, but rather that whatever was promised to the customer needed to be delivered, at all costs, no matter what. From there on, we onboarded more and more customers, learned what they needed and built the product platform that we offer now. At the same time regularly reminding ourselves and checking the validity of the long-term vision.

So if you think you have obstacles in your way then think again. Stop making excuses for yourself and remember that everyone started somewhere. Take your first step and join sTARTUp Day. We will create a place where you can share your ideas, get useful and relevant feedback, tons of inspiration and of course − priceless contacts. And remember that everyone loves a success story. Write your own! startupday.ee

Tell us how Mooncascade was started. We started in the deepest hole of recession in 2009. We were a team of 4 full stack software engineers working for a startup that failed miserably. At that point we didn’t want to create another startup company. Instead, we decided to start our own consultancy to help other companies build software products.

Co-founder of Mooncascade & Garage48

The first year was very hard. We had almost no clients or projects at all. But thanks to our marketing efforts, we managed to get into media. Then people started to notice us and order from us.

Priit has co-founded the Estonian leading software product development consultancy company Mooncascade, Garage48 Foundation, Latitude59, and MobileMonday Estonia. Today he is focusing on business development and strategic aspects of organisational design.

We have been building software products for A round startups like TransferWise and Monese and servicing big companies like Nordic telecom operators ever since. We have not involved any outside investments and have been bootstrapping the whole company.

Priit Salumaa

What do you think have been the main changes in the Estonian startup ecosystem over the years? Today, Estonia is much more well-known for its startup ecosystem internationally. The society in the country has become more understanding and supportive for startups. Young people know what startups are and that it’s cool to work for them. Old people understand that startup and high tech companies help to boost the economy of our small country that has almost no natural resources at all. 10 years ago it was not reasonable to expect that Tartu would host a startup festival with such a large number of participants, but today it is a reality.

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Photo by Atko Januson

A licence (not) to drive By Ede Schank Tamkivi

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Taxify operates in: Austria: Vienna Azerbaijan: Baku Canada: Toronto Czech Republic: Prague Estonia: Tallinn, Tartu France: Paris Georgia: Tbilisi Hungary: Budapest Iraq: Baghdad Kenya: Mombasa, Nairobi Latvia: Riga Lithuania: Kaunas, Vilnius Malta Mexico: Durango, Mexico City Nigeria: Lagos Poland: Warsaw Romania: Bucharest Saudi Arabia: Riyadh Serbia: Belgrade Slovakia: Bratislava South Africa: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg Ukraine: Kyiv

Only ten years ago it seemed unfathomable to hail a taxi in just a few moves of a fingertip on your phone and pay less than 10 euros for a ride from one side of the city to another. Neither could anyone have predicted that the company to disrupt the taxi industry all over Europe would be built by a very persistent Estonian teenager.

“We might have decreased the number of old-school taxi call-centres − meaning dispatchers and taxi company owners − but we have given tens of thousands of drivers an opportunity to offer their services on our platform,” says Markus Villig, the CEO and founder of Taxify, a ride-sharing platform that now operates in 20 countries in Europe, Africa and South America with 100 000 drivers and 4 million passengers signed up. Taxify recently announced funding (of an undisclosed amount) from Didi Chuxing, the world’s biggest ride-sharing platform that forced Uber out of China. Markus and his colleagues can now use the knowhow and the tools provided by their Chinese investors while not leaving their main office in Tallinn, which is based in a recently renovated art nouveau-style limestone building that housed a furniture factory for the best part of the previous century. “We really needed extra space and that was almost the only office of that size available in Tallinn,” Markus explains in his usual modestly self-assured manner. It’s lunch hour in their office and a buzzing group of young people gathers in the kitchen on the first floor, bringing their meals in from a

canteen next door. Looking around in the room it’s obvious that I’m the oldest person in the room as the average age of Taxify employees is about 28-29. “But now we actually do have people younger than I am,” Markus adds. Just to make it clear: he is 23. In a year they will move a few blocks down the road to a new building, that will be located right next door to another Estonian-born international superstar, TransferWise, which just recently announced a whopping €240M round on top of its previous investment rounds. “As compared to TW, we have been super-efficient in our growth, having made it so far with only €3M,” Markus comments. Taxify probably better deserves a comparison to Uber which has raised €10B. “Compared to them, TransferWise is still very efficient,” Markus remarks. As to the current employee-count, Taxify’s General Manager Riina Einberg has to look up the most recent number: “We have been adding up to 20 people per week.” The count comes to 320, 160 for Estonia and the same for another 19 countries and 25 cities. There are 30 nationalities in the Estonian office alone.

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Martin Villig, brother and co-founder: Most people just confuse us with each other as our names sound similar and there is a strong physical resemblance but there have been a few instances when somebody thinks I’m his father.

I really enjoy working with my brother as he is definitely one of the best young leaders in Estonia, if not in the world. He has a strong vision, really fast thinking and an amazing drive. Our roles are clearly divided: Markus is in charge of growth strategy and product development. I’m taking care of finances, legal issues, offices and regulations.

Taxify recently announced funding from Didi Chuxing, the world’s biggest ride-sharing platform that forced Uber out of China.

An early start One might think that Markus is too young to have pulled off a company of such a multinational scale but he’s actually no rooky in the startup world. In 2010, at the age of 16 he − accompanied by his father Tiit − attended the first ever Garage48 event in Tallinn, which was organized by his older brother Martin who was then working for Skype. Markus happened to be in the same team with Skype founders Jaan Tallinn and Ahti Heinla, and although nothing came of their baby-name-generating app Namefy (other than the ending of the word −fy), he had already lost his soul to entrepreneurship. In 2012, his brother Martin was organizing another Garage48 event in Kyiv, Ukraine, and tried getting a taxi online, which turned out to be quite a hassle. He then came up with the idea of how to make ride-sharing much easier. Markus picked up the idea and plunged into it. According to his own account, he discovered he had a lot of time on his hands during his high school final exams so he decided to build a platform to ‘get this taxi business in order in Tallinn’. There were 30 taxi companies in Tallinn at the time, all operating on old school call-in devices, with an operator, misogynistically referred to as ‘a Kitty‘, mediating the rides from a central station. The early start was quite promising. Markus did a Google Docs survey in his school to which he received 600 answers, 90% out of which responded that there is an acute need for a new taxi platform. Nobody had even heard of Uber yet. Markus started going through the taxi stops and things started going a bit astray: “Of course I had no platform to show yet and being a 19-yearold kid disturbing the drivers from reading their newspaper…” 8 out of 10 taxi drivers would yell at him to get the hell out of their cars. Markus could hardly speak any Russian and that was an obstacle communicating with drivers. He soon realized that his initial budget of 200 euros was simply not feasible to actually develop a platform. A developer he had found ‘somewhere from the city’ was asking for 7000 euros for a prototype.

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He turned to his parents who finally gave in to his pleas and lent him the money they had set aside for his studies at university. “It’s up to you now, what you spend this money on,” they said with a heavy heart. His mother Reet helped a lot with the early sign-ups of the Russian speaking drivers and to this day she keeps in touch with the company, now taking care of the office plants.

Riina Einberg, General Manager of Taxify: All the startups I have worked for − Skype, ZeroTurnaround, Monese − have been successful and outstanding. Yet I never worked for a company that has teams and businesses in 20 countries and 26 cities around the world, most of these established in the past 9 months. My job at a startup is usually a temporary one: I join in fast growth phases and act as an interim for several positions at the same time. I choose startups I work for just like investors decide on their investments: based on an exceptional founding team. I believe in co-founders who act like entrepreneurs and owners at the same time. Not many of them actually do.

Markus is an exceptional entrepreneur and he has the power of a dynamite. He is creative, very smart and thinks very fast, works harder than any of us. But it seems pretty effortless because he doesn’t panic, he stays calm, focused, enjoys it and jokes. He learns very fast, getting to the bottom of things − no matter if it’s about hiring people, a legal issue, app-related or a pricing issue. He makes decisions based on facts, is confident, well rounded. It is very inspiring to follow his discussions with our expansion team. It is a challenge to keep up with him and to follow the standards he sets for our team. So one has to learn a lot, deliver on time and can’t hide. He makes sure everybody keeps their eyes on the ball and does not forget about our long-term perspectives either.

Bumps on the road Other than strong support from his family, it was all downhill for Markus. “We had no money for marketing so we sent press releases to all media outlets in Estonia saying that a 19-year-old is trying to shake the taxi industry in Estonia and luckily it worked, we got our first stream of customers. But the first prototype was full of bugs, drivers who had shared their contacts did not really sign up and people literally could not get taxis,” Markus confesses. A lot of money had been wasted but there were no drivers and people who had downloaded the app could not use it. Business prospects seemed gloomy. Any less strong-willed person would have given up there and then. But not Markus. “It was now or never. It was a pretty crazy month. I was working 24/7 to get it to function, learned a lot of mobile development to fix the prototype and spent the rest of the time out on the streets hiring more drivers. By the beginning of September, we had almost reached the critical mass of drivers.” That meant 20 rides a day. These days, a regular month means hundreds of thousands rides in Tallinn, which is only the 10th largest city for Taxify. Markus had just started his studies at Tartu University and could not continue roaming the streets of Tallinn at night, harassing the leathervest-clad moustachioed middle aged men who would much rather solve crosswords in their Wunderbaum-scented Ford Scorpios than discuss possibilities of earning extra money by offering better services to their customers with a taller-than-average teenager. He also realized they needed a real developer. The only person who responded to their ad on php.net forum just happened to be the right person. After the first meeting, Oliver Leisalu called back a few days later and had already built versions of both the driver’s and customer’s app. He’s now one of the cofounders of Taxify, which really took off shortly after he joined. A year into the business, big brother Martin who had so far held a supportive role also left his ‘day job’ at Fortumo and joined full time.

“My ambition from the very beginning has been building one of the biggest technology companies in Europe.” But the troubles were not over yet. In December 2014, Taxify raised a first round of €1.4M from investors and started developing and scaling very quickly. By March 2015, it was clear that if they keep up the same pace they would be out of money by the end of June. Revenues were still small and some countries were slow to pick up pace. “We had to cut the spending, let some people go and start raising a new round from investors who were less than willing to give us any more money. That was a very tough year,” Martin recalls. Against all odds, they finally found a scalable model in the cities of South Africa and the company turned cash flow positive. Now, with the latest investment from Didi, they can feel “much more relaxed about spending”. Markus can finally consider actually visiting the countries they are operating in. And not just visit the offices, but get to know the places as well as the people. “What I’ve understood in my years in startup business is that good people are the same wherever you go in the world: they are open-minded, tolerant and… well, just normal.” LI FE I N ESTON IA N o 47

Taavi Kotka, a fellow entrepreneur, former CIO of Estonia: What I’ve learned from my own experience is that usually a clear understanding of the processes in one specific industry comes in about a decade. Amazingly enough, Markus has managed to get a really good grasp of ride-sharing operations and regulations in only a few years. Although he has an older brother Martin from whom he has obviously learned a lot, he’s a very smart and a really hard-working person. There is so much more to him than just the eagerness of a young entrepreneur.

Going after the Big Fish “My ambition from the very beginning has been building one of the biggest technology companies in Europe,” Markus is not shy to announce. And since the transport industry is ten times the size of the marketing sector of the whole world, this is where he sees his challenges. “It’s only a matter of time until we break the regulations that have been limiting this industry in Europe for decades. There is simply no explanation as to why a company should pay 100 000 euros for an operating licence in a single city and then charge its customers 100 euros for a ride. It’s as if someone would charge you 200 000 euros if you wanted to become a programmer.” The strict regulations have started to crumble state by state, with Estonia leading the way, yet they stay intact in many countries like Italy, Germany, Spain or our Scandinavian neighbours. The transport regulating office of London recently pulled operating licences for both Taxify and Uber in the biggest city of Europe. “Uber makes €2 billion of revenue on its rides in the UK only, so probably making a few hundred million in commissions, therefore it’s no small business,” Markus explains their motivation in fighting for the change in regulations. At the time they started, he did not even regard Uber as a competitor as it only operated in a few European cities as a limo service. Things changed when Uber raised billions in investor capital. Transport is usually considered to be a very local service. Markus brings a recent example when the Kenyan press proudly announced that a Kenyan company raised an extraordinary investment from a Chinese investor. That company was, of course, Taxify.

“The ridesharing app and the platform for drivers is just a start. In just a few years it might end up with operating pools of self-driving cars or delivery services or both or who knows what − the whole industry is changing very fast right now.”

What to disrupt next? Riina Einberg, who has experience from helping scale several new companies, claims that the challenges of this startup are different. “On one hand, it’s about sharing economy, using unutilised assets and allowing people to earn extra income in their free time, but at the same time it is about changing the future of urban transport. The ridesharing app and the platform for drivers is just a start. In just a few years it might end up with operating pools of self-driving cars or delivery services or both or who knows what − the whole industry is changing very fast right now.”

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It’s obvious that the disruption has just begun as 70% of the cost of a taxi ride today comprises the driver’s salary. Markus is well aware of the social impact of the disappearance of jobs. In the long run, it’s inevitable: “Either building tall walls like some countries do or introducing basic income for all.” Markus claims that many people simply have not realized yet that it is actually cheaper not to own a car. “I do not have a driver’s licence,” Markus laughs. “So I’m kind of stuck with what I do.”

Cleveron knows clever ways to deliver By Maris Hellrand

Photo by Sergei Zjuganov

The Cleveron cloud-based smart mailbox SnapLocker can send and receive mail according to parcel size as well as notify the inhabitants on arrival.

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Photos by Viktor Tund

If you order something online today you still have to wait for the courier to drop the delivery. An individual parcel station can take over this task in the future. The customer will receive a message when the parcel has been delivered and can pick it up at home whenever convenient. The delivery service can operate more efficiently this way as well. The new home delivery station can even be served by an autonomous drone. Only the authorised courier, the owner or customer can open the station, which recognizes the smartphone of the customer. Another possible use is the sending of parcels − the delivery company can just pick it up at your house from the parcel station. The greatest potential for the new generation smart station is in grocery deliveries because the station is also a fridge. The delivery can be made within any period from two hours to minutes from when the customer actually wants to receive the groceries. No need to wait for the courier or go to the supermarket.

The average grocery shopping trip takes 41 minutes. If you multiply that by the 1.5 trips per week average, that’s over 53 hours per year you’re spending in the grocery store − more than one working week. However, the online grocery shopping market has been picking up fast in the last few years. Around a quarter of American households already buy some groceries online, and more than 70% will engage with online food shopping within 10 years. Looking towards Europe − almost half (48%) of Brits are online grocery shoppers. One in ten (11%) do all of their grocery shopping online. According to a recent report by Food Marketing Institute and Nielsen, the online grocery shopping market is expected to grow fivefold over the next decade. The only obstacle to more rapid growth is the last mile delivery of perishable goods on time. Now, some clever Estonians have come up with a solution and are picking up speed in the growth of their own company Cleveron. Founded by Arno Kütt in 2006 as an online furniture retailer in the central Estonian town of Viljandi, Cleveron soon found a new business focus − developing software and hardware for automated parcel terminals to overcome the inefficient and monopolistic delivery service that was an obstacle for its own business. Today, Cleveron is an innovation leader in robotics-based parcel terminals, having just recently entered the US market with about 100 pick-up terminals at Walmart stores. The company is growing fast − entering new markets and coming up with new innovative products. It’s a one-stop-shop from product design, hardware engineering and software development to assembly and maintenance of the parcel delivery stations. The next step is to bring the smart delivery stations to people’s homes to make life even

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more convenient and save time. The prototype of the new robot Cleverpod is ready and the company plans to start production next year. Founder and Chairman of the board Arno Kütt explains: “In the future, robots will take over more tasks from people, especially the less smart tasks that people really don’t like doing anyway. Our challenge is to help people save time so that the customer doesn’t need to wait for the delivery but rather vice versa. We have been talking about the fridge ordering your groceries for ten years now. I’m not sure when this will actually happen but what I am sure about is that if you order the milk it can be delivered and waiting for you when you come home from work.” Cleveron has provided 470 parcel pick-up stations in Finland on behalf of the Finnish postal service and today has operations in nine countries − Estonia, Finland, Bulgaria, Norway, Germany, USA, UK, Hungary and Spain. The fastest growing new market is the USA where the state-of-the-art parcel stations enable Walmart shoppers to pick up their groceries in less than a minute, compared to the 15-minute over-the-counter pick-up time of the past. Recently, Cleveron launched a new self-learning click & collect parcel terminal called CleverFlex on Inditex that is piloting the first CleverFlex at their Zara-brand store in A Coruña, Spain. Kütt stated that the cooperation with Inditex has been very thorough. ‘We have a common interest − to enhance customers’ omni-channel shopping experiences and develop a cost effective click & collect pickup solution. The first results show that we can set high expectations.’

Kersti Kaljulaid, the President of Estonia, visited the Cleveron factory on the 3rd of November 2017: “Cleveron in Viljandi is a truly clever company, just as the name states. I am very happy that the meeting with the Walmart leadership in the summer has already resulted in a deal and the first parcel robots have been installed in the USA. The company founders were kidding that they have already made a gift for Estonia’s centennial: a year ago Cleveron had 45 employees, now there are exactly 100. It’s great to have companies that make a bit of history every day.”

Another exciting pilot is the LAEV smart house in Tallinn, equipped with the Cleveron cloud-based smart mailbox SnapLocker, which can send and receive mail according to parcel size as well as notify the inhabitants on arrival. The inhabitants don’t have one specific mailbox assigned to them but rather a range of boxes and drawers of different shapes and sizes that can be opened via app and used according to their particular needs at the time. In the future, many services could operate via a smart box − why not have the drycleaner pick up and deliver clothes straight from your apartment block? This could also be used to return online ordered items without leaving your own home.

In spite of disrupting the whole delivery sector with smart parcel robots the factory floor of Cleveron is still full of people busily assembling them. Isn’t that a contradiction? Kütt is not surprised by this observation: “Of course we are already working on solutions for how robots can start performing certain simpler assembly tasks. It’s a very realistic future that robots will build other robots. People will only do the more complex tasks and jobs that require creativity and inventiveness. The routine jobs will be handed over to machines more and more.”

The success of Cleveron is no surprise for Kütt: “It’s the result of ten years of targeted work that is now starting to bear fruit. We are prepared for growth and are just now starting to expand the production site threefold.”

Cleveron was showcasing its award-winning click & collect robotics based parcel delivery terminals, PackRobots, as well as latest drone technology at the Tallinn Digital Summit on 29th September 2017. Despite the fact that Cleveron’s drone technology is ready to deliver, the drone is tied to the ceiling at the moment. Kütt says: “We could be delivering with drones today, the technology is ready, it is just that we do not have the legislation. And legislation is up to politicians. If we want Europe to be the digital innovation leader, the politicians should speed up the legislation of new technologies in all sectors.”

“It’s great to have companies that make a bit of history every day.” Location is the most crucial factor for many fast-growing technology companies. Cleveron has stayed put in a small town in central Estonia. For Kütt, moving the company away from his hometown is not an option: “Viljandi has just under 20 000 inhabitants and finding a qualified workforce is indeed a challenge. However, our strategy is to motivate people to move here instead of moving production. We want to stay here − it’s a nice town and our core team all comes from here. Viljandi has lots of smart and able people.”

Drone deliveries are waiting for EU regulations

Cleveron already conducted a test in Viljandi last summer; people could order soft drinks to be delivered by drone across the lake. It was very popular among the customers. The advantages are clear − no traffic jams and no salaries for the drones. Arno Kütt: “The digital development will occur anyway. It’s hard to change the habits of consumers but there is no reason to be afraid. The digitalization will make the lives of people easier and help us save time.” LI FE I N ESTON IA N o 47

Magnetic MRO wants to conquer the world Estonian Company of the Year 2017 By Tanel Saarmann

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The aircraft maintenance company Magnetic MRO services large aviation companies from Europe and even from Africa. Today the company’s market share is tiny, but they are hungry for more.

Brussels Airlines, airBaltic, Austrian Airlines, Thomas Cook, FedEx − those are just some examples of companies that have their aircrafts serviced in Estonia at the modern hangars of Magnetic MRO. Maintenance is not only limited to checking tire pressure and oil exchange. Aircrafts are disassembled here down to the smallest details and the base maintenance of a plane can take several months. The company is based in massive hangars at the Tallinn Airport. Their new hangar, specially built for painting aircraft, was opened in November this year. It is fully booked for the next six months.

Photo by Karli Saul

In 1991, Estonian Air − the first national airline in Estonia − was established. The company needed someone to take care of the maintenance of their Boeing aircraft and hence established its own maintenance unit. For some years Estonian Air was under Maersk and SAS, the latter of which also had its aircraft serviced in Tallinn due to lower labour costs. In 2010, the maintenance unit went under the ownership of the venture capital company BaltCap which, since 2014, has carried the name Magnetic MRO. It was a period of large-scale change. Estonia was no longer the land of cheap labour.

Much more than a maintenance company Risto Mäeots, CEO of Magnetic MRO says that Baltcap’s entry changed the rules of the game. In 2014, the company added the sales of engines and spare parts into its portfolio in addition to base maintenance. Today, the engine branch has become the largest part of business for Magnetic MRO, generating profits in the region of 25 million euros this year. Aircraft maintenance makes up 17 million of the turnover and so does the sales of spare parts. Aircraft spare parts are sold in 36 different countries. “Aviation companies spend 75 billion euros a year on maintenance, in order to keep planes flying and to purchase spare parts. It is a growing business and in a decade, it will be worth 109 billion euros,” says Mäeots. Magnetic MRO’s share of this market is only 0.01 percent today. Yet the company’s annual turnover this year is over 70 million euros. They have set their minds on the aim of getting a larger piece of the pie. By 2020, the company’s turnover should reach 140 million euros. “Our current share is so small that we would not be worth much if we didn’t grow,” says Mäeots. According to him their average competitors are just that, average, and their customer service of secondary quality.

Building trust In order to have premium class airlines bring their aircraft into maintenance with your team for months means a lot of hard work. In the case of Estonia, it also means getting rid of some prejudices. We are a former Soviet country after all. For example, Estonians have been asked what kind of garage they do their work from. A breakthrough came when customers began to visit on location and witnessed professional work with the latest technology in place. The Estonian company started to get more procurements; airlines gave test jobs. Today, Magnetic MRO is a recognised name in its field. The company’s selling point is not cheap prices, but the quality and price ratio as well as work performed to deadlines. LI FE I N ESTON IA N o 47

Financial and Administration Director Astrit Viisma-Kass and Sales Manager Andres Uusoja together with Kersti Kaljulaid, the President of Estonia, at the Entrepreneurship Awards 2017.

Risto Mäeots

“We are not about making big talk about delivering in ten days. We are realistic and clients appreciate that. The topping on the cake is Estonia’s reputation for being innovative. Average maintenance companies are actually lagging behind in comparison,” says Mäeots.

Old, big aircraft maintenance companies have mostly grown out of aviation companies with a long history. In comparison to them, Magnetic MRO is more flexible and modern. For example, it is possible to print plastic 3D aircraft details, if necessary. The tools are equipped with microchips that show who is using what and this, for example, eliminates the chance that someone forgets the tools inside a plane.

Maintenance matters

Aviation is not like the world of automobiles where an Audi service provider can also repair an Opel for instance. The aviation industry is much more strictly regulated. In order to add new types of aircraft into the maintenance portfolio, each technician and company needs to have the appropriate license.

The base maintenance of an aircraft, however, is comparable to a car’s annual check-up. In aviation, one counts flying hours and landings, whilst also checking the calendar. After every year and a half, an airplane is brought to large-scale maintenance and disassembled into details. Depending on the age of the airplane the volume of work varies from a week to a month. Just like in the world of car maintenance, aircraft producers have identified what exactly needs to be checked.

“One needs to have a critical mass of customers within the distance of a two to two-and-a-half-hour flight and one needs to consider the types of their aircraft. We are focusing on Boeing 737 and Airbus 320 families,” says Mäeots. At the same, time he admits that there are changes going on globally, to do with the optimisation of seats and fuel expenditure. This has led to the development of Embraer and Bombardier and also ATR. Hence, Magnetic MRO is constantly carrying out analysis on where next to invest. This is a strategically pivotal decision. The Estonian airline Nordica is operating Bombardier and ATR. Therefore, Magnetic can only offer them line maintenance and not base maintenance.

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What is the difference between the two types of maintenance? Mäeots brings a parallel with cars. Line maintenance is like a car owner checking out the car in the morning, looking at the tires, lights and wipers. It is the daily operative maintenance done when airplanes make their regular stops.

Aircraft maintenance is a very sensitive field. A lot of data and business secrets move around here. Mäeots admits that this makes the work much more complicated. The responsibility is higher. Every detail, change and activity on that detail is recorded. Today it is fortunately all carried out electronically, albeit there is still a lot of paperwork. Magnetic MRO also helps to facilitate aircraft ownership changes, which need a documented history of the iron birds. Without the paperwork or electronic history, an airplane is just a pile of metal. One is not allowed to fly such a plane and nobody can tell whether it is safe or not. The documentation is worth tens of millions of euros.

Helping Africa The competition in aircraft maintenance is huge in Europe because of the seasonal nature of the business − people tend to travel more in summer and airplanes need to be flying. This is the reason behind Magnetic MRO’s decision to enter the African market. It is not a region for everyone. Mäeots admits that there are many prejudices about the dark continent and the media tends to emphasize the negative. The reality is different.

The London company was experiencing difficulties, but the Estonians changed the management and breathed new life into the company. The company was purchased because of its long history and thorough experience in the field of intellectual property. MAC Interiors owns the rights to everything the company has ever designed for large airlines. It still produces interiors for the largest passenger airplane in the world − Airbus A380. But now it is done by a company based on Estonian capital. The Gatwick based company also designs VIP salon interiors for Qatar Airways and Emirates.

Magnetic MRO’s main partner country in Africa is Nigeria where they are currently collaborating with four aviation companies.

Magnetic MRO is hiring

“The history of continuous catastrophes has changed Nigerian aviation companies. It is forbidden to bring airplanes older than 20 years into the country. Such strict rules don’t even exist in Europe; Boeing 737 Classics from 1995-96 are a standard phenomenon here,” says Mäeots. He believes that in ten to twenty years we will see incredible growth in Africa, similar to Asia today. Soon the company’s delegation will travel to Ethiopia, home to probably the best airline on the continent − Ethiopian Airlines, which also has a Boeing 787 Dreamliner − even rare in Europe − in its airplane park. “Of course there are various crises in Africa and you need to be able to manage the clients. Use advance payments and such like. We have already established who we can do business with and who not,” explains Mäeots. These days the maintenance of Nigerian airplanes takes place in Tallinn. The company understands that the African market is changing. Today, they don’t have a single maintenance hangar, but this will change in the near future. It will then make no sense for African companies to fly for six hours to Europe. At the moment they don’t have a choice.

“If you want to conquer the world, join our company.” The engine and spare parts business is exciting. It’s not a case of just buying parts and then reselling those somewhere else. In order to access spare parts, the company buys entire airplanes and then disassembles them into parts. Estonian engineers fly to a location, evaluate all the details of an airplane and calculate whether it makes sense to make the purchase or not. If an airplane is bought, it is sent to be disassembled by a business partner. It would not make any sense to disassemble the planes in Tallinn. Also, some passengers may think it inappropriate to see an airplane disassembled into bits in a hangar while they are waiting to embark on their flight.

From the outside in The recent success of Magnetic MRO does not only have to do with maintenance, engines and spare parts. The company’s ambitions are demonstrated by the fact that last year they purchased MAC Interiors − a company that has been designing aircraft interiors for half a century near Gatwick airport in London.

Just like many Estonian companies, Magnetic MRO is also trying to create the best qualified labour despite of the limited resources around, thus employing all the best graduates from the Tartu Aviation Academy and the Latvian equivalent. Throughout the years, most people who work in the field of aircraft maintenance in Estonia have been employed here. For example, the staff of the Border Guard and Ämari Air Field of Panaviatic. Everyone knows everyone. “If we had to start from scratch today, Estonia would definitely be the place of dreams. The country has no history of aviation. The entry from Estonia into the global aviation industry is full of obstacles, which many big aviation countries don’t experience,” says Mäeots. Magnetic MRO has no current plans to build more hangars. Future development should be organic, although we cannot rule out that the company might join a bigger corporation. The Estonian company wants to enter large airports, increase line maintenance and be experts in the maintenance of Boeing 747 and Airbus 330 and 380. But there are not enough engineers. There are not enough in Estonia; they would need to be trained from the beginning. Other countries are better off in terms of their labour force. The company itself trained people for the colouring hangar that was recently opened in Tallinn, a process which took almost two years. Specialists were recruited and car painters from the street were retrained. Leading experts have also visited the engine unit and their input has increased the capability of the Estonian workforce. But the company’s largest unit working on engine sales and evaluation is based in Serbia. Magnetic MRO has close ties to the Estonian Aviation Academy and often the demand surpasses the supply. The company also trains people “from the street” who show interest in technology. The average salary in the company is twice the average salary in Estonia. The certificate from Magnetic MRO will enable an engineer to work anywhere in the European Union. But at the same time, working in this field is not easy. “If you want to work from 8 to 17 then this is not a place for you. It is not possible to just spend hours here. The aviation industry is a 24/7 business and we breathe in the same rhythm. Fortunately, we have begun to attract talent ourselves. They come to us wishing to be part of our success. They say we do global things. Our young engineers fly to evaluate airplanes in places others can only dream of. If you want to conquer the world, join our company,” says Mäeots.

The article was first published in “Top Estonian Enterprises 2017”.

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Happy birthday, e-Residency!

It’s been three years since Estonia became the first country to launch e-Residency. E-Residency is a secure government-issued digital identity that provides access to Estonia’s public e-services and transparent EU business environment. Literally anyone in the world can apply and almost 30 000 people in 139 countries have already done so. The programme was launched in beta mode because it’s being continuously improved based on the feedback of e-residents already benefiting. Many of the first e-residents were simply fans of the idea, but applications are now arriving at record speed and the single biggest motivation now is the desire to establish a location-independent company through the programme. For many people around the world, a company established through e-Residency can have major advantages over one registered in their own country because it’s trusted, operates within the EU business environment, has access to a wide range of financial services, benefits from low administration costs and hassle, and can be run entirely online from anywhere in the world. E-Residency makes it considerably easier to conduct business, but it does not override existing international rules by automatically providing

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tax residency or the right to live in the European Union, for example. As a result, e-residents can use the programme to make an even larger contribution to the countries where they live and work. In recognition of the positive impact of e-Residency, the programme has even now partnered with the United Nations for an initiative called eTrade For All, which is helping developing countries empower more of their citizens to benefit from entrepreneurship and e-commerce. As a country with just 1.3 million physical residents, Estonia benefits from e-Residency by building more connections around the world. An independent report from Deloitte discovered that every €1 invested in e-Residency by Estonian taxpayers returns €100.60 to Estonia’s state and economy. Some companies established through the programme do contribute taxes in Estonia, but an even larger contribution is made to the Estonian economy by e-residents in the form of investments, the use of products and services from other Estonian suppliers, and business travel to Estonia. The biggest priorities for the programme now include increasing the number of pick up locations globally for the digital ID cards, ensuring better access to a wider range of financial services (such as banking and payment providers), and making it easier for e-residents (and Estonians) to connect and conduct business.

E-residents now run more than 4000 companies and each one has a unique story. These are the main types of entrepreneurs now signing up for e-Residency:

Entrepreneurs within the EU

Entrepreneurs facing Brexit

Many people assume that e-Residency is primarily aimed at entrepreneurs who need access to the EU market, but entrepreneurs within the EU are currently the largest demographic. An increasing number of entrepreneurs across the continent are realising that they need an EU company, but there’s often no reason to establish it within their jurisdiction, especially if the costs and hassle of running it there are higher.

There’s been a sharp rise in applications from the UK since the country voted to leave the European Union. Many British entrepreneurs discover e-Residency while searching for a way to ‘stay in the EU’, but soon discover that the benefits of e-Residency are bigger than Brexit as it can often enable them to more easily conduct business globally.

Oleg Savanovich, originally from Russia, now lives in Sweden where he has built Telexchange System, which is now the top performing Telecom company registered in Estonia.

Ellenor McIntosh and Alborz Bozorgi are the Mayor of London’s entrepreneurs of the year 2017 for developing an ecofriendly toilet paper called Twipes. They believe that the EU is their most valuable market to grow their product so chose to establish their company through e-Residency while remaining in the UK.

Entrepreneurs outside the EU The largest growth for e-Residency is currently coming from outside the EU where entrepreneurs want to gain access to the EU market and benefit from its legal frameworks, access to financial services, and higher level of trust when conducting business globally.

Arzu Altınay from Istanbul has been running guided tours of her city through her company, Walks in Istanbul, since 2008. When PayPal ended its service in Turkey last June, she began searching for an alternative payment platform. At the same time however, Turkey also experienced a decline in tourism so Altinay had to think further outside the box − and borders − to sustain her business. She discovered e-Residency and then established Walks in Europe as an EU company so that she could access international payment providers, but also expand her business across the continent.

Startup entrepreneurs Location is one of the most important decisions facing startup entrepreneurs as it affects their access to customers, as well as the talent and funding required to reach them. A startup established through e-Residency is location-independent however because it can be run within the EU business environment from anywhere on earth. This flexibility allows startup entrepreneurs to start very lean, contract talent globally, and keep their options open.

E-resident Deepak Solanki from India is developing LiFi technology − an innovative alternative to WiFi − through his company, Velmenni. He had difficulty raising finance before establishing his company in Estonia. The company is now run remotely through e-Residency with investors from the UK and Zimbabwe, all of whom are also now e-residents.

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Digital nomads Due to rapid advances in digital technology and more flexible working cultures, a rapidly increasing number of people are choosing to live as ‘digital nomads’ because they can work anywhere there’s an internet connection. This group includes remotely contracted workers, freelancers, entrepreneurs and even self-employed expats who may stay years in one place before wanting to move with their company to another country or back home. Although not everyone is familiar with the term ‘digital nomad’ (yet), it’s predicted that the majority of jobs could be location-independent in future.

Soheila Yalpani is originally from Canada, but now uses Berlin as her ‘base camp’ while travelling and working for her location-independent company established through e-Residency. She is a consultant for governments and startups on the development of technology ecosystems. She also runs Thinkstr.co, a website about business, travel and money.

Blockchain entrepreneurs The rise of blockchain technology is disrupting an increasing number of industries, as well as providing new opportunities to raise finance through ‘Initial Coin Offerings’ or ICOs. This is a broad category of companies, but one thing that many of them have in common is the need to authenticate the online identities of users through a process known as KYC or ‘Know Your Customer’. Fortunately, the secure government-backed digital identities offered to e-residents provides means that they can be onboarded faster and at lower cost.

Freelancers from emerging markets Trust is one of the most valuable assets in business. Unfortunately, large numbers of people around the world are currently not trusted in business and have difficulty using financial services just because of their location. However, e-residents undergo background checks with the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board and then gain access to an open and transparent EU business environment where they can access all the tools needed to conduct business globally, such as PayPal.

Olya Kostova is a conversion optimisation specialist from Odessa in Ukraine. She secured work with a major European cruise company, but it was too difficult to receive payments from abroad through her Ukrainian company so she urgently had to open an EU company and run it from Ukraine instead. E-Residency was her solution.

Interview with Arzu Altinay from Istanbul, founder of Walks in Europe and proud e-resident Arzu Altinay is a professional tour guide from Istanbul who first founded her company as Walks In Istanbul. By 2015, she had built up a successful business after selling more than 600 walking tours, providing work for 12 local tour guides and earning a huge number of positive reviews online. Then disaster struck. Political problems within the region led to a sharp decline in tourism as governments issued travel warnings for people stay away. Then PayPal stopped operating in Turkey so even those who did want to travel were unable to pay for her services. Arzu says that she spent several days staring into the void as her business disappeared, but decided not to give up.

What did you do next?

Peter Ferry cofounded Microsoft’s business in Scotland and is now the Commercial Director of a new global software business based on blockchain technology called Wallet.Services. All of the board members are now e-residents and so too are many of their customers.

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I did a lot of research because I was stuck in a country that was exploding with terrorism and did not have international payment gateways. I searched for solutions in the US, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Canada, but my business model was not something these countries were interested in for various reasons. It wasn’t disruptive, it wasn’t innovative, it wasn’t IT, it wasn’t IOT, it wasn’t clean energy, it wasn’t a sector any of these countries were interested in.

Then, one day I just saw this beautifully designed blue page that asked: Do you want to operate an international business? Is your business online? Do you want an EU company that you can run globally? Do you want to accept international payments? Yes! Yes, to them all! So I contacted one of the business service providers recommended and established my new company, Walks in Europe, through e-Residency. After this point on, my experience with e-Residency has been a complete success and a very positive one.

What has e-Residency enabled you to do? I was able to establish a travel company (which is a regulated industry all around the world) with no capital share. I was able to get a travel license with just a click (which is very difficult in the rest of Europe). I was able to open a bank account at Swedbank. I am able to accept Euros into my Swedbank account so I do not lose from exchange rates.This is revolutionary for someone living in a country where PayPal doesn’t exist. I am able to transfer Euros to my local guides all around Europe with no transfer fees (which saves me a lot of money). I sometimes use Swedbank and sometimes Transferwise Borderless. I can do all my accounting with 49 euros a month (it is a minimum of 100 euros in Turkey). I am able to pay no company taxes until I take out dividends.

What does your new company offer? Walks In Europe operates in 15 different cities across Europe as an alternative universe of tour and activities. We develop and deliver all kinds of experiences, including some you never knew you wanted to be in. They are all hand crafted locally by talented individuals. Most tourism is boring - marching through museums and monuments that locals would never visit. Our walks are for people who are willing to scrap these in favor of more unusual and memorable experiences with locals.

What is your business model? Walks In Europe is a travel company established through e-Residency and based in Tallinn. Our channels are the website (www.walksineurope.com) and then two online travel agents (Viator and Get Your Guide) for whom we pay 20% commission. Our clients are mainly from the US and Canada, then the UK, followed by continental Europe and the rest of the English-speaking world. Once the client finds us, they go through the channels and decide on a tour in a city that they will travel to. They pay online with a credit card in Euros. There’s a booking engine on the website. The money goes to the company’s Swedbank account or my Transferwise Borderless IBAN. Once the tour is delivered, my guide sends me an invoice and I pay them in Euros as per our agreement. The balance stays in my company account until I pay the capital and decide to take the dividend.

How has business been since you’ve started? Since March 2017, I’ve sold 120 tours in 15 cities across Europe, which is not bad for the first year. Walks In Europe is already creating revenue in Estonia. I am very positive that my company will make enough space that will help Estonia get its fair share of Northern European tourism.

What are your future plans? Next year I’ll start my MA degree at Tallinn University on Estonian Studies. It’s the best place to learn Estonian, the history and the culture so that I can interact with my clients who will come to Tallinn for walking tours. I may start guiding myself in Tallinn too. The studies will let me create the correct context of Estonia for tourism. Tallinn is the shining star of Northern European tourism with its port for cruise ships and proximity to many European cities. I am very willing to contribute to the tourism industry in Estonia and use it as my base for Walks In Europe. I want to employ at least three people and delegate my responsibilities as the founder. I will open the tours to more languages, especially to customers from the far east such China, Malaysia, India, Japan, Korea. I also want to open a branch in Germany to attract more German travelers to Estonia as that is the biggest market in Europe.

Taxation is perhaps the most challenging topic to understand for e-residents, but there is now more detailed advice available on the e-Residency website and more planned in future. Can you tell us how your own company taxes work? All my business transactions are within the eurozone. I am still under a minimum so I do not do VAT. Until I reach a certain amount, I am not touching the money that’s saved in the company account. Once I pay the share capital and afford the 20% tax then I can pay myself out in dividends. So, for the moment, it’s working well for me. I will then need to declare income tax to Turkey where my residency is. I haven’t employed anyone yet so that will be something I will need to learn in future.

What was your biggest challenge running your company? We are absolutely short on resources because money stopped coming from Istanbul and we’ve had to finance it with family and friends so far. Walks In Europe is ready for an investment. It’s a one-man show doing all the business side behind the scenes thanks an excellent network of local guides. We could do with a professional marketer, a content writer, and an IT person to grow.

What advice would you give to new entrepreneurs now? If you are operating in the eurozone and your business model is supported then Estonia is a great place to do business. It is quick and efficient. There’s very little bureaucracy. People are smart, straight talking, easy to get along with and speak perfect English. It may be a small country but a huge one in terms of opportunity.Grab it and be part of this programme that’s reinventing entrepreneurship.

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Alfred Vassilkov with his daughters and business partners, Alissa and Kristiina, at Burghley House in UK celebrating the diamond jubilee of Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club by launching Rolls-Royce inspired speakers â&#x2C6;&#x2019; Estelon Extreme Legacy Edition.

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Photos by Amy Cassidy

Created by an Estonian family company, these speakers are the best in the world. This is not just empty praise; it is a fact proven by various global awards.

Estelonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ultimate loudspeakers bring a concert experience into your living room Estelon Extreme Legacy Edition

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Photos by Sergei Didyk 32

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Photo by SoundStage Network In 2010, Alfred Vassilkov and his daughter Alissa Vassilkova went to Enterprise Estonia and proclaimed: “we will start producing the best speakers in the world, will you support us?” The Vassilkov family’s decision to create a company that produces exclusive, valuable, handmade speakers, tuned to the finest sound and design details, was born at a Sunday breakfast table seven years ago. It was only six months later that the company Alfred & Partners won its first global recognition − the International CES Innovation Design and Engineering Award − with the speaker model Estelon XA at a trade fair in the USA. Given out since 1976, the purpose of this award is to recognise home electronic appliances and technical solutions that stand out in terms of their design. Today, the list of awards received by Estelon would take up pages.

Alfred Vassilkov has been interested in sound technology all his life and spent at least half of it as a professional in the field of researching acoustics and creating electronics. Born in St Petersburg, he studied electroacoustics and ultrasound technology until he received an invitation to work at the newly established home electronics department at the Soviet radio electronics factory in Tallinn. The aim of the department was to create the highest quality stereo equipment and speakers were a part of that. “Of course, I was already interested in speakers and sound design before − as a young kid I used to dismantle radios and see how electricity becomes sound and why they are so different,” recalls Vassilkov. “Acoustics has always fascinated me. My grandpa and his sister played the accordion and I always listened to their concerts and I heard a lot of radio. This is where my musical understanding originates.” Vassilkov himself did not play accordion for long − after all, boys are meant to play

sports. Although Alfred and his two daughters Alissa and Kristiina do not play musical instruments, they have all inherited a feel for music. As Estonia re-established independence, life became full of changes that were sometimes difficult for Alfred. Working in a Soviet factory meant that there was only ever one contract, hence no competition and no need for marketing. Suddenly, the borders became open. The engineer with an inventor’s soul spent several long years working in his own lab along with the Estonian company Audes, which had grown out of the former radio factory. In collaboration, the first speakers were born in 1999 and product development took ten years. “I gained a huge amount of experience − contacts with partners, customers, competitors, visits to the largest trade fairs in the world. At one point I felt that it was all still too narrowly contained,” says Vassilkov. You will always have borders if you are working to a contract. But an engineer wants to invent, to break out of borders. “I spent a lot of time thinking about how to build the highest technology speakers in the world. I researched materials, components. It started to grow into a project that I worked on in my basement and not in the lab as I didn’t want to share it publicly. It took five years of work and then one day it was almost ready.” By 2010, Alissa had been assisting her father for a while. “Dad took me along to various exhibitions and trade fairs and, in essence, tested my ears. As we came out of different producers’ showrooms, he always enquired about what I had heard. I tried to explain what I remembered about the sounds I had heard. In the end I think it was a relief for my father that there was nothing wrong with my hearing,” laughs Alissa Vassilkova. LI FE I N ESTON IA N o 47

Awards

Extreme 2017

Best Performance of the Year -

Audio Art (Taiwan)

2016

Loudspeaker of the Year (Cost-No-Object) -

Hi-Fi+ (UK)

2015

CES Best of Innovation Award (USA)

2014

Best of 2014 - Part-time Audiophile (USA)

2014-2015 Most Coveted Product - Munich High

End Show - The Absolute Sound (USA)

2014

Most Significant Product Introduction -

Munich High End Show - Jonathan Valin,

The Absolute Sound (USA)

2014

Gold Show Award “Best New Product” -

Munich High End Show - Peter Breuninger,

AV Showrooms (USA)

X Diamond 2012-2017 Editors’ Choice Award - The Absolute Sound (USA) 2012

CES Innovation Award (USA)

2012

Product of the Year - The Absolute Sound (USA)

2012

Outstanding Floorstanding Speaker -

Super AV (China)

Estelon X Diamond

XA 2012-2017 Editors’ Choice Award - The Absolute Sound (USA) 2012

CES Innovation Award (USA)

2012

Product of the Year - The Absolute Sound (USA)

2012

Outstanding Floorstanding Speaker - Super AV (China)

XB 2015-2017 Editors’ Choice Award - The Absolute Sound (USA) 2013

Editor’s Choice Award - Hi-fi News (UK)

XC 2012

The most influential audio equipment of the year -

New Audiophile (China)

YB 2017

Red Dot Award

2016

Best Sound (For The Money) - Munich High End Show -

Robert Harley, The Absolute Sound (USA)

2016

Most Significant Products - Munich High End Show -

Neil Gader, The Absolute Sound (USA)

2016

Best of High-End - Munich High End Show -

Douglas Schneider, SoundStage Hi-Fi

LYNX

Estelon YB

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2017

Best of High-End - Soundstage Global (Canada)

2017

Most Significant Product Introduction -

Munich High-End Show - The Absolute Sound (USA)

2017

Best Presentation / Sound - Munich High-End Show -

Hi-Fi+ Magazine (UK)

2017

Innovation Award - Munich High-End Show -

Audio HUB (Greece)

2017

Innovation Award - Munich High-End Show -

Audio HUB (Greece)

Photos by Estelon Estelon LYNX

“We had spent years researching different materials and looking for people for our team. But when Alfred brought his first speaker model out of the basement, we realised that we would not be offering it to other people. Looking back, it seems like a totally crazy journey, but here we are today and the awards we’ve received show that it was the right decision,” recalls Alissa. She claims with satisfaction that in order to make it to the top globally, one must work more than what is considered normal. “I was young and brave and could not foresee any dangers. I also went to Enterprise Estonia with this bold claim that we were going to produce the best speakers in the world. They stared at me with big eyes and asked how I knew that. I said, I knew because my father was making them!” In fact, Enterprise Estonia has put immense trust in the project and has supported Alfred & Partners with various grants since its establishment.

ceived the award for “Best sound for the money”. However, Alfred and Alissa take great pride in the Estelon Extreme Legacy Edition, a super luxury set of speakers in terms of sound, design and material, which were specially released for the 60th anniversary of the Rolls Royce Enthusiasts’ Club this year. It takes 16 weeks to produce a pair of Extreme speakers and they will set you back 250 000 euros. Just applying the 14 layers of paint and polish to the speakers takes 8 weeks, polishing the stainless steel rings takes 3 days, and so on. This is all costly and, most importantly, clients really appreciate the luxury.

The Vassilkov’s first international trade fairs were in Denver and Las Vegas, but now they have taken Asia as their target market with resellers in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, South-Korea and Singapore. “The image of Estonia is great there − we are considered a Nordic country and European products are held in high esteem. In Asia, people appreciate classical music and want to listen to it on a great sound system,” explains Alissa. “We quickly realised that the Asian market is not full like it is in the USA. In America, the audio equipment and home cinema culture is quite old and the market has already developed. In Asia it is a growing market and Estelon holds a very high position there.” Alissa says that their brand name really hit the spot in China by coincidence. Estelon means “love poem” in Chinese and, indeed, what could be more beautiful for a human ear than a love poem?

In spring this year, Estelon once again managed to amaze music and tech lovers with Estelon LYNX speakers, another trendsetter in the industry (priced: 4 000 euros). These are world’s first high-end wireless intelligent speakers. The Estelon Intelligent Audio technology used in LYNX removes the need for extra equipment and allows the listener to experience pure high-end audio through a smart, wireless system. The revolutionary system can be updated via software and the ability to upgrade its ground-breaking modular hardware to latest technology will be available in the future; never becoming old, always staying the best. This means that in addition to the speakers, one only needs a power cable, a phone or an iPad to play the music. Why are the speakers called Lynx? “The lynx is a mysterious animal and a very smart one, as you can hardly spot them in the forest. Our speakers also transfer the signal in an intelligent way and have the effect that you almost don’t see the speakers when listening to music. The sound image is created behind the speakers. When you close your eyes, you can feel where the stage is and in what size room the music has been recorded,” explains Alissa.

It is no secret that Estelon’s ear-loving speakers do not come cheap. Their products will never go into mass production and it is only the really affluent or dedicated audiophiles who buy them. Often Estelon’s customers are both. Estelon’s YB model costs 17 000 euros and has re-

When asked what else is left to achieve and how long he can maintain the stamina to develop speakers that stun the world’s audiophiles, the top engineer answers cannily: “You want to know when I will retire? I still want to do a lot of things but let there be some surprises!” LI FE I N ESTON IA N o 47

The Estonian coffee tribe

Photos by Marek Metslaid

By Maris Hellrand

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How unlikely is this − the best coffee in the world comes from Estonia! The specialty roaster just outside Tallinn, Coffee People has been searching for the best bean on the planet for a decade now by bringing coffee farmers, roasters and drinkers together into one big coffee tribe. Founded by internationally acclaimed coffee judges Annar Alas and Heili Politanov, Coffee People value most of all a personal connection with the farmers, who deserve a fair share of the price, unlike when selling to the coffee commodity market.

Coffee People were already selected as the world’s best new coffee business in 2010 and nominated for the European Excellence Award in 2017. Among the flagship customers are some of the top restaurants and cafés in Copenhagen, such as Europa 1989, Kødbyens Fiskebar or Musling Bistro. The most remarkable story is the journey that started in 2014 when Annar was exploring coffee farms in Colombia and ended up discovering the Inga Aponte tribe almost by accident … changing the lives of a whole community.

left it. When we got out of the car, we were suddenly surrounded by a tribe of Indians. They started dancing and singing and making smoke and this all went on for a few hours. I got impatient and asked if we can talk about coffee. José asked one of the elders but he told us, we need to establish the right energy before we can talk. After that I relaxed and let things happen. Later we talked about coffee and I was one of the first ones to buy the specialty lot, which came with the next harvest.”

An amazing transition “I got very good coffee samples from some farms in Colombia − one from the Caldas region and one in the Nariño region from Hacienda el Obraje, so I bought the lots without having visited the farms. When we started roasting this coffee and discovered that it was really outstanding I decided to go and visit the farms, as this is what we usually do to get in contact with the farmers. When I was traveling around Colombia I met José who was running a small cooperative of local farmers. I asked him to take me to some other farms. So one day José told me “It hasn’t been raining for three days, so we can go to a very special place”. We were driving for a whole day. The region is of outstanding natural beauty and very remote, most people have never

In a meeting of the whole community only a short time earlier the Inga Aponte village had decided to resist the pressure of the drug lords and guerillas and to break free from drug farming. Instead they decided to rely their livelihood on coffee and other agricultural products. Annar was impressed with the quality of their coffee: “What they have there are virgin soils. They are very high up in the mountains − 2200 meters above sea level. This is way higher than where coffee usually grows. So the soils have not been exploited, they are volcanic, virgin. The taste that coffee gets there is just incredible.” LI FE I N ESTON IA N o 47

Photos by Marek Metslaid

For Annar it has been very rewarding and a big honour to be part of this journey: “I’ve visited the tribe three times now and they have been here in Estonia once. Being able to witness this change is quite a huge experience. I have also met their elders and been part of their rituals. The energies there are really strong. The Inga Aponte tribe is part of the Coffee People family now. When they were in Estonia they made a ritual for this roaster. Last July I was invited to the tribal gathering of three tribes − there were 280 Indians, who went through two days of rituals. An incredibly humbling and honourable experience. The success we will have will be a joint one.” The tribe has also assured that it is important for them to sell their specialty coffee to a customer rather than a stock exchange. They can sell their quality for a much higher price.

What makes a great cup? A great story and high quality beans alone are not enough for an excellent cup of coffee. The Coffee People tribe also includes a professional biochemist − the roast master who combines science and artisanship to

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create an individual roasting profile for each coffee. Annar explains: “We do the roasting profiles and we analyse the effect of every second and every degree on the taste of each coffee to create a specific roasting profile for that coffee. This is the scientific part. The artisanship is − as the product is actually alive − we have to change it all the time. Nothing stays constant.” And then the barista steps in. The recipe for an ideal coffee drink according to Annar Alas is “300 ml water, 20 grams of coffee”. The only machine you need at home is the grinder − because with the grind level you can adjust and play with the result. “Coffee needs time and space to brew, similar to tea. The best preparation is Chemex, which looks like a wine decanter. Brewing takes place within 3.5 minutes, this is a good time for coffee, if it’s less it gets worse and worse because it’s not extracted. To brew faster you need a darker roast and finer grind to get something out from the coffee. If you don’t want to put your Oolong tea in a capsule and brew it in 8 seconds then you don’t want to do it with your coffee either. So the automatic espresso machines are just a compromise. The best option is still in the cup, filter coffee, French press or Chemex.”

A challenge for the taste buds Annar says that coffee has about 1200 taste molecules − twice as many as wine. Coffee is much more complex than wine. The alcohol disturbs the senses and tastes in wine. In coffee one can distinguish tastes much better. At the coffee cuppings (tastings) there is always a surprise moment for the first-timers. Everyone thinks: how big can the differences be; surely as a non-expert I won’t even be able to tell. Afterwards, everyone is really astonished about how big the differences are. “Some of our best coffees that might cost about 100 euros, like the award winning Geisha from El Salvador, taste better cooler. They start to taste like blackberry or strawberry juice. In case of bad coffee, with lots of Robusta inside, you also start to perceive the taste more clearly when it cools down, it gets worse and worse. A good test − make a jug of filter coffee, let it cool down half an hour and if it tastes good, it’s good coffee.”

The Inga Aponte tribe with their virgin soil plus the outstanding taste of their coffee − that’s the combination you can find inside that bag.

“If you don’t want to put your Oolong tea in a capsule and brew it in 8 seconds then you don’t want to do it with your coffee either.”

Most of the farmers have actually never tasted their own coffee. The farmers don’t usually have a roasting machine or the dry mill, so they cannot process the coffee beans and send them directly to the anonymous coffee market. “The farmer doesn’t even know what good coffee tastes like; he goes to the local store and buys Nescafe 3 in 1. Therefore, breaking the anonymity in the chain is crucial to achieving better quality and eventually a better livelihood for the farmers. Actually, the farmer needs a better understanding of what varieties to grow, how to pick the type of fermentation for the coffee and so on. After that he can ask for double, triple or even more in price, not just a few cents. This changes everything,” explains Annar. And finally, do Annar’s friends ever dare to offer him a cup of coffee when visiting? “I often ask them to do just as they usually do it, not to worry. I’ll enjoy it anyway. Very often I take the barista role on that occasion and am happy to prepare coffee for everyone. I don’t want coffee to be a luxury. It’s part of our daily life just like bread. It’s still ok to have a mug of latte in the morning with your omelette.” LI FE I N ESTON IA N o 47

By Anneliis Aunapuu

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve created an oasis of health. kodasema.com

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Photo by Paul Kuimet

Estonian small house KODA: Bold. Mobile. Convincing. Optimal. Effective. Global.

KODA, which attracts a lot of discussion from everyone who sees it, has found acknowledgement on both sides of the Atlantic: Winner American Architecture Prize, Silver for Interior 2016 Winner of WAN Urban Challenge 2017 Finalist in World Architecture Festival 2017 Winner of Architizer A+award 2017 Nomination in EUMiesAward

Koda is like a square egg − a warm wooden interior, equipped with everything necessary to live, a hard shell of an exterior. This living unit, currently making waves in the international media, is likely to win you over with its sincerity. Created and polished by innovative people, the building meets all contemporary high-tech and design requirements. It is elegant inside and out. We asked Ülar Mark, the architect of the micro-home to give us an overview.

t is a recent trend (part of sustainable lifestyles) that people in the Western world like to test the limits of the space they actually need in order to live − with how little can one get by? Have you yourself tried to inhabit different spaces? A container? Or a car? Of course, there is a piece of a container or a car in every hotel. But my most compact experience comes from sailing on a yacht. In the last decade I have sailed thousands of miles each year. For example, I spent 36 hours at sea and didn’t leave the yacht for a week. I have experienced this alone and in a group. It is a space where you need to fit all your necessary belongings into 7 square metres. Protective gear in case of a storm, dry clothes to change into and more festive clothing for occasions when you need to look your best when on shore. Not to mention two spinnakers and three front sails, safety equipment and provisions. Also, you cannot just leave when you feel like it. Or you could actually, but before that you’d have to get over the psychological barrier of abandoning your crew and the hours of looking for a harbour. Today, of course, I have the experience of trying to live and work daily in the 28 square metres of an orbital station called Koda.

Who are the people behind the idea and its development? The company Kodasema OÜ was founded by people from very different backgrounds including a finance specialist/school leader (Hannes Tamjärv), chemist/inventor (Marek Strandberg), builder/playwright (Kalev Ramjalg), IT specialist/writer (Taavi Jakobson), and architect (me). The team started to grow from the beginning and brought in a diverse group of people, because the task at hand was sufficiently abstract, yet concrete. We collaborated closely with educational institutions like Tallinn Technical College and the Estonian Arts Academy.

Photo by Mairi Hüüdma

Container-like units are also produced in Estonia, but they are usually made of wood. Do you consider concrete to be a more sustainable, cheap, economical and comfortable material than wood? The interior of Koda is made of cross-laminated timber produced in Estonia and the exterior is made of concrete. Concrete has many advantages − it is strong, resilient, washable, waterproof, malleable, cheap, fireproof and, most importantly, soundproof. It is a great material considering all those properties. The use of concrete dates back to Egypt and the Roman times. The use of modern concrete, which contains cement, has really increased since the early 19th century. Concrete is the most widely used building material in the entire world. Cement production, however, pollutes and isn’t energy-efficient. It is definitely a problem in terms of sustainability. At the same time, the entire Koda unit includes only 9 cubic meters of concrete, which is the same amount used for the foundation of a similarly sized log house. Our building does not need a foundation. LI FE I N ESTON IA N o 47

An architect is usually an artist or a tailor, not an industrialist. When did you reach the point where you thought that the house could go into mass production and distribution? Let me first correct the question − it’s not just my project, it is our project. This means we created the initial task and developed the concept to the point where we have the building we see today. We created the initial terms of reference with mass production in mind, the aim of creating and producing it in mass volume was there at the outset. An architect as a tailor is a very recent phenomenon. Initially the construction master was the re-user of mass techniques, indeed, with some unique handicraft touches. But still the history of building houses is a history of typology. Most buildings were constructed according to a typical project in the 20th century. The contemporary era wants to have both − something special and weird as well as something that fits the context and is similar to what already exists. Real estate developers want to have buildings that they can safely sell on the market and yet have something distinctive. I bring a combination of architecture and product design. There are many architects who also do product design and they are successful when the so-called factory and business side understands the importance of engineering and design innovation, knows how to ask for it and how to implement it.

How long did it take for the idea to become a product?

In the early days, we were often in discussion with car designer Björn Koop about the differences between the creative process in car production and house production. At first, we designed the idea house on paper, just like the idea car is normally created. Then we created the one-to-one model, just like in the car industry, in order to find the impact of the space, the form and the nuances of the proportions. Then we worked on the prototype that needed to “swallow” the technology − the technology had to be adjusted to the form. The next stage was developing the factory worktops and appliances in order to produce the real model. Another prototype. This was followed by a year of testing and more testing and changes and more changes, always in the details that are invisible to people outside the process.

I saw the first KODA in front of the entrance to Kultuurikatel (Culture Hub). When was it again? It was September 2015. As we developed mutual interest with the organisers of the Tallinn Architectural Biennale, we decided to create and exhibit our first prototype at the biennale. Typical of a prototype, there was a lot of interest, we were able to exchange ideas with others and visitors could see and touch a homemade product.

Photo by Tõnu Tunnel

With houses there are always a lot of norms and regulations. Fortunately, we had the opportunity in the beginning to create exactly what we

considered right and optimal. Subsequently, we produced a prototype and started to fit our solutions to all sorts of regulations. If we had taken products from the catalogue at the outset, we would never have created the innovative wall panel and technology in the way we have. We went into production in January 2017. Hence it took us three years from the idea’s inception to reach the production stage.

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Photo by Tõnu Tunnel

“The architects have not stinted on modern energy-efficiency technology in their modular building.” Jakob Schoof, DETAIL

In addition to a clear and simple form, I recall the interesting mould shape of the concrete, which reminded me of a sail. Is it true that the concrete was poured onto a sail? After we tested the fixtures and strength of our panel under the press at the laboratory of the Tallinn Technical College, we decided on concrete. Then immediately we were faced with the question of what kind of facture the concrete would have and what kind of distribution of mould plates − the lines of the wall in other words. It was a period when all of us used to carry all kinds of materials from home and shops to the factory in order to pour concrete onto them. Concrete is a very agreeable material in the sense that it takes the exact pattern of its base surface. Of course there are nuances; for example, the fine filler of the concrete should not leak from the bottom of the mould, meaning that the surface onto which you pour the concrete must be filmy and water-resistant, etc. We had tried out several plastics and still hadn’t found the right one. I was sitting on a yacht at the Pirita Yacht Club, after a regatta, and held an old sail in my hands when I suddenly sensed that it was also a filmy surface. Competing yachts no longer use canvas and stitching but films and glue. I brought my old sails to the factory and after the first test it was clear to everyone that we had found the special something without which Koda would not be the same. The sail pattern allows the concrete to “get it wrong” with a bubble here or a wrinkle there without it hurting the eye. Each panel is a bit different from the other and the wrinkles of sails have been eternalised in concrete.

Does the product have other clever tricks you cannot see? The list is endless. Seals, silencers for climate appliances, co2 detectors, automated LED lights, a concrete door, the door hinges and switches created by the team, frameless windows, plastic beams to connect concrete and wood, vacuum panels, etc.

KODA is a technical consumer item similar to a car. In contrast to other buildings, it is not chained to the ground and you don’t need permanent land, only communication lines (water, canalisation etc.). Does it even need building permission from the local government? Yes, you will need permission in one form or another, whether it is for a temporary or permanent building. This is the most complicated aspect today. We build the house in a week, but formalising the documentation takes 5-8 months. In Holland it took 4 months. This sets limits for the buyer; nobody wants to buy before it is clear that they are allowed to place it somewhere. At the moment we are working on some larger villages consisting of 50 houses and in this case the length it takes to formalise paperwork is more logical. At the same time, pop-up kiosks and villages are very trendy in Europe and in America, for example trade container Boxpark in London. Those are meant for a couple of months or a few years. Why should city centre land plots only be carparks when there could be temporary buildings with accommodation for business-related purposes until the “big house” is built. LI FE I N ESTON IA N o 47

• • • • • •

28 square meters no need for a foundation long-lasting and sustainable can be relocated and repurposed infinite times usable as stackable units or villages no finishing works after the delivery

MARRIAGE of DESIGN & ENGINEERING • • • • • • •

concrete features old sail pattern front wall of 4-ply glass provides natural light upper horizontals cantilever as a sunshade solar modules make the house energy-neutral everything is built-in including a bicycle holder waste water heat goes into air circulation smart climate and power systems are neatly concealed

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Photos by Paul Kuimet, Frank Saunanen, Rasmus Jurkatam, Oliver Moosus

UNIT

Photo by Tõnu Tunnel

“You could pack your suitcase and move from KODA to KODA and be in a familiar environment in another town or city with all the usual amenities.” John O’Brien, Associate Director for Construction Innovation

You also offer help with the transport, installation and communication connections of KODA. Do the customers only have to worry about paying? Yes. We have installed the houses all over Europe − in Norway, Finland, Holland, England and on the island of Hiiumaa in Estonia.

How many days does it take to produce one unit? Currently we are able to produce one Koda per week in our factory. We only have space here for the concrete moulds of one house.

How have you attracted interest outside Estonia? Interested customers from abroad have found their own way to us. When you do something that interests people at home, at some point it will develop and reach outside as well − that tends to be a rule. Interest really grew when Koda was chosen to be part of the World’s Architecture Festival and we had a presentation in Berlin. There seems to be some excitement about the concept of Koda and it is also a very photogenic project, thus photos and talk of Koda and the company Kodasema spread to dozens of design and architecture websites, journals and yellow media − Iltalehti in Finland, The Daily Mail, The Sun and from there to Business Insider and The Financial Times as well as interviews in the Associated Press and BBC. Where are most KODA houses located today?

How many people do you employ? Between 20 and 40. There are different parts of the work that are done outside the factory. The concrete is prepared and transported to the factory by Rudus, who also helped to create the perfect composition of the concrete.

The largest collection today − 7 in total − is situated at Mere pst 10 in Tallinn. Two units there are used as offices and five units are offering accommodation services run by the company KodaStay. Other Koda houses are located as single buildings or are still in the factory waiting for paperwork to be finalised.

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The ultimate romantic getaway − ÖÖD Photos by Oliver Soostar

By Maris Hellrand

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The house doesn’t even seem to exist at first sight. It blends into the surroundings so well that as a visitor you might easily walk past. Yet, when you discover that the breath-taking view is only a camouflage for the small but perfect living space, you’ll never want to leave.

ÖÖD is a simple yet unique design hotel concept founded by brothers Andreas and Jaak Tiik just a year and a half ago. Mirrored glass creates walls on three sides that allow the 18 square meter house to all but disappear into nature. According to Andreas Tiik, this was the intention − to blend in with nature as much as possible. The same goes for the indoor experience − an uninterrupted view of 270 degrees, yet privacy granted. The brothers, Jaak with a background in construction and Andreas in advertising and marketing, were looking for a hotel stay in nature when the idea hit home. Everything on the Estonian market was either targeted at larger groups or the small-sized housing was of inferior quality − no great selection. So the idea was born: to create a form that offers a great experience of nature as well as a luxurious accommodation and design. Andreas explains: “The design of the ÖÖD house is simple and harmonic without competing with the surrounding nature. The ideal location is a natural surrounding while the house emphasizes everything around it and stays hidden itself. The more beautiful the surroundings, the more beautiful the house.”

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Photos by Anton Toomere

The Sunday Times called ÖÖD “a space-age pod, the shimmering highlight of the Surface & Materials show.”

New York Magazine discovered on their design-hunting trail that “this prefab mirrored house can be plopped almost anywhere.”

A dragon in the night sky This is the latest star of the prefab houses universe. Since the first reviews of ÖÖD were published in international design magazines and newspapers last summer, more than 4500 requests have poured in from all around the world. Andreas says: “The product is like a dragon that flies ahead of us at a speed that is impossible to catch up with. We have spent exactly 300 euros on marketing, the house seems to be doing the rest all by itself.” So, now the small production located in the southern-most town of Estonia, Võru, is faced with a demand it cannot possibly meet. “If it were a simple design product like a wallet or a chair we would just be shipping the goods. Now, without an existing sales network it has been difficult to turn the requests into business,” says Andreas. “We have started from zero and are just building up the business. We are very grateful to the many Estonian companies that have been of great help. A simple example − for a fair in the UK we were able to borrow all the interior, materials and tools from Estonian companies. Luckily, we sold the show house to a customer in Ireland, complete with the design and interior, so everyone benefitted.” The first show house was erected in Estonia a year ago. Now there are several in beautiful natural locations as well as a small hotel project in the making at the seaside not far from Tallinn. This is also a pilot for assembly on-site; some of the most spectacular locations tend to be remote and inaccessible for the truck and crane needed to lift the entire 6000 kg prefab house.

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The original concept of ÖÖD is to be an exclusive hotel accommodation unit complete with a bathroom and a kitchenette. It feels amazingly spacious due to the seamless glass walls and smart interior design solution. Now clients have started to shape their own functions for the ÖÖD basic design. Andreas explains: “We have a request from Hawaii for an ÖÖD surf board rental shop, from a Paris fashion boutique for a presentation venue of a special collection. A Swedish artist wants to build his art studio in an ÖÖD. Audi is planning an ÖÖD suite of three to four modules for its VIP clients next to their UK race track for the launch of its new model.” The list of potential functions is endless. The first international projects currently in production include ÖÖD houses built for Ireland, UK, Iceland, Italy and California. All of these should go live within the coming months. According to Andreas, most of the requests originate from the USA, Australia and Canada. However, so far ÖÖD has found retail partners mainly in Europe − UK, Ireland, Iceland and France. With a strong emphasis on design, ÖÖD’s ambition is to launch an ÖÖD Design Studio − a platform where clients can choose pieces of Estonian design for their ÖÖD house, thus delivering a personalized product while also acting as a doorman to Estonian design. Andreas says that challenges have come from different areas throughout the process, but currently the biggest challenge is to establish a network of strong international resellers. He anticipates product development as the next challenge − how to realize the best of the many ideas?

Photos by Oliver Soostar

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Fashion in the blood By Kristi Pärn-Valdoja/magazine Säde Portfolio photos by Sandra Palm

Kristina Viirpalu, this year’s winner of the most reputable fashion award in Estonia − Kuldnõel − finds inspiration in the delicate beauty of old handicraft techniques. Kristina is the only fashion designer in Estonia who uses the time-consuming techniques of handmade knitting and embroidery in her designs, as well as fine lace knitting − a very special tradition from Haapsalu that dates back to the 19th century and is used in making delicate scarves. Inspired by the romanticism of old embroideries and patterns from that era, Kristina transforms traditional techniques into unique and recognisable fashion; the making of one dress may take several months. continues on p. 59

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Interview with Kristina Viirpalu, this year’s winner of the most reputable fashion award in Estonia - Kuldnõel who regards fashion as her passion.

How would you introduce yourself and your designs to someone who knows nothing about you? What characterizes me is that I use high fashion to promote and sustain the foundations of Estonian national culture. In other words, I take Estonian ethnographic patterns into high fashion and introduce our traditional culture in a roundabout way.

Many Estonian designers view their Scandinavian counterparts as role models. How is it in your case? It is completely the other way around with me − I want to emphasize what is unique to us. I don’t see the point of emulating things that come from somewhere else. There is so much fashion in the world and it seems that everything has been done already. I want to introduce Estonia with my designs and to create things that don’t exist anywhere else.

How common is it to play with ethnic motifs in design elsewhere in the world? Many Georgian designers, for example, also like bringing in traditional images into their collections. Yes, indeed it happens, but what I am trying to do is to take the traditional and put it into a contemporary form, not just to present it like it is. The patterns are taken from traditional costumes and carpets and those who know them recognize them, but in a sense I draw them apart and put them into a contemporary context.

How did fashion find you? Or how did you find fashion? I basically grew up in the midst of fashion, in the sewing room, because both my mother and grandmother were seamstresses. I come from a small Estonian town − Antsla − and as peculiar as it seems today, there was a fashion studio there during the Soviet times. There were 2 000 inhabitants in Antsla, a grocery store, school and… a fashion studio! It was a spacious room where cuts were made and clothes designed to individual orders − everything was done there! I was a two-year-old running underneath tables picking up safety pins. My grandma also had her own fashion studio in the 1950s, where she trained future seamstresses, she was a real tailor. So fashion is in my blood. Every day after school I first went to my mom and grandma at the studio and did different things there. I practiced, picked up safety pins and sometimes stood in as a model. LI FE I N ESTON IA N o 47

Did you only wear clothes made by your mother and grandmother? Of course! And it made sense as in those days there wasn’t much available in the shops. We studied magazines such as Burda and then made everything ourselves.

Do you also have memories of some colourful customers? Actually I do! There was a customer who worked in a warehouse and, as she had a bit different proportions, it would have been difficult for her to find something to wear in the shops even if there had been something there to buy. So my mother sewed clothes for her, and as a reward she brought us Polish conserved peas or mandarins, plum compote and sweets, the kind of stuff that wasn’t available in the shops. It was a total market economy! It may sound absurd today, but her warehouse was open for us because my mother sewed. This is typical of things back then.

No, of course not! On the contrary, my mom was really afraid to leave me home alone because I used to recut her fabrics and her clothes in order to create new things. I used her sweaters to make my dresses and she was not really happy about it. Now of course she is very pleased and proud of me.

And then you left Antsla and came to study in Tallinn? Yes, I studied fashion management at the Tallinn University of Applied Sciences and choreography at the Tallinn Pedagogical Institute − I have a diploma in choreography − as well as jewellery design at the MA course at the Tallinn Arts Academy under the tutelage of Kadri Mälk. The last degree I haven’t finished yet.

Why did you study choreography? I have been dancing all my life − I was a competitive ballroom dancer. And if you think about it, it is all about a sense of composition. All these things complement each other. As a choreographer I find it much easier to stage fashion shows because my dancing background enables me to put them into a more exciting form.

Did you ever work as a choreographer? No, after I received my diploma I enrolled in the Academy of Arts and in between also gave birth to my two sons. But I haven’t just been sitting around; I’ve been active and working all the time. Today my company

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Photo by Erlend Staub

Have you never been fed up with being in the fashion business?

Kristina Viirpalu with the Golden Needle

and brand celebrate 12 years. Sometimes I think I should take more time for myself, but at the moment things just get busier and busier.

How easy or difficult is it to be in the fashion business in Estonia? It is complicated, because we don’t have that many people and it is more or less impossible to compete with big business. This is exactly why you need to create something very special in order for it to sell. But at the same time, the more you sell, the bigger the whole machinery becomes, but that does not really mean that you earn more.

Have you always just done your own thing? Yes. Sometimes I think it would be easier to just be employed as a designer in some company. In your own business you are everything. The moment you establish your own business you don’t have a single moment when you can just relax. You are responsible for staff, for paying their wages, responsible for the customers… Today we employ four people full-time and we haven’t done any subcontracting yet. But because of a showroom in Milan that is interested in my hand-embroidered bodys and leggings, I have to think about it in the future.

So your goal is to break out of the Estonian borders? I wouldn’t want to start mass producing anything and because we are talking about handmade embroidery, the volumes cannot really become too big. But I would like to be represented with a limited collection in a place that really works. I am in negotiations with a showroom, still negotiating the price as, like always, people want a Porsche for the price of a Ford. But if I sold cheaply, who would I leave unpaid? I cannot underestimate my own staff who are all strong professionals in their field.

It is no secret that the turnover of big fashion houses comes from the sales of small things − accessories and perfumes − and not really haute couture. Have you not thought about creating accessories, the more so as you study jewellery making? Actually I just started working on the earrings collection La Vie. I am creating those together with my former schoolmate and friend, jewellery designer Birgit Skolimowski, and this collection of jewellery was initially created for the Kuldnõel collection. The earrings have been made with laser cutting, the materials are silver and acrylic glass. The wearer can combine the jewellery according to their mood, choose between colours, patterns and ways of wearing them.

You showed your collection at the Paris Fashion Week. How did it go?

What is it about fashion that charms you? Why do you do this work?

It was very successful, we met some buyers who we had contacted much earlier and people really liked what they saw. But Paris is complicated, the market is full and they don’t really let foreigners in. Estonia is considered Eastern Europe, there is nothing to be done about it. And this of course means that they think everything is really cheap here. Hence we need to be trailblazers and let the world know we do great work, but it also costs.

It is my passion, a way to express myself and the love of creative work. Not that many people in the world can say that their job is their passion or the other way around. It is a wonderful combination. I cannot live without fashion. It doesn’t matter what I see around me, if it’s a film or an abstract painting at an exhibition, my thoughts start to wander and everything is linked to my next collection. It’s an inner need to express myself and it has just taken the shape of fashion.

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You got the fashion bug from your parents. Is it also something that interests your children? Not that it would be a problem, as there are many great male fashion designers in the world, but they are both boys and I don’t think they have got the fashion bug. They have their own world. My oldest is interested in design though, especially car design and this is also composition, but…

Do you only wear your own creations? I could and I’d like to wear more but it is always the case that “the cobbler always wears the worst shoes”. Very often I think: right, I will get something made for me now. And when this “something” is finished, someone will come to the salon and say: wow, I have to have this! And as I am running a business, of course I’ll sell it. I sell it thinking ‘oh whatever’, someone will be happy and I can make myself a new one.

Do you watch what people wear on the street? Do you still sew yourself? Of course I do!

And what does the Estonian fashion scene look like to you? It depends on the region. Estonian women tend to dress really well, they are much more feminine than in some other countries, for example England. Estonian women are not maybe totally fashionable, but they are in their essence feminine. I don’t think one should follow every trend and the masses. We are constantly bombarded with calls to buy more things and most of these have no quality, they pollute the world and they use child labour in producing them. But those things are marketed in a way which makes people buy. All praise to the people who are behind this, but they are in fact really hurting the world.

People who visit Estonia also often remark that Estonian women are very feminine and put on their high heels come rain or snow. But it seems to me that the new generation is not like that. It is definitely changing and the younger generation prefers comfort and this is also influenced by mass fashion. Actually I find it sad that the borders between the appearance of men and women are starting to grow vague. Of course all these harassment scandals are helping this and I think we will soon reach the point when men will be afraid of women and intelligent relations between men and women will disappear. I admire the fifties and the sixties because those were times when men respected women and everyone respected each other. Today nobody respects anybody else, it is all a grey mass. And the fashion supports the creation of this grey mass, with some exceptions of course.

No. First, I don’t have the time and secondly, I am not as professional as my workers. My work is being creative and composing the overall picture and, of course, I am always in the workshop testing, but the work is done by specialists in their field.

Who are your favourite designers? My absolute all-time favourite is Thierry Mugler. He is a great artist and designer and his shapes have always captivated me the most. And of course I have always liked Christian Dior. His retrospective exhibition, which is still up in Paris, was totally exhilarating. Dior’s aim was always to make women beautiful and in the post-war years he gave strength to them with his dresses, in fact making the world a better place. It should be the purpose of fashion to make people feel better and therefore also be better towards other people. Because when the goal is not to create conceptual design, fashion is about entertainment.

If you lost your luggage whilst on a trip, but needed to go to a party in the evening, where would you go to buy a dress? It actually happened to me last year when I attended the Paris Fashion Week. I received my luggage before the show, but if I hadn’t, I would have sent the models onto the stage naked, just wearing skirts which I had in my hand luggage, and I would have written “lost and found” on their backs. But where would I go myself? Probably some vintage shop.

What else is part of your life in addition to fashion? What else disturbs you in the world of fashion? There are actually many disturbing facts in the fashion world, for example the whole debate on fur. It is crazy! Nobody speaks about how much the world suffers because of fake fur production. Of course I am not in favour of fur farms, but what is so bad about lambskin when the animal has been killed already? The skin remains and people have used it to make clothes for millions of years. But now suddenly it is thought that fake skin is fine. I think it’s false.

Have you used fur in your own collections? I have used beaver fur and beavers are killed because they create a lot of havoc in nature. I have also used fox and raccoon, who were hunted in free nature and not bred because of fur.

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Family, of course. Then culture; also physical culture. But I am not the type to pay a lot of money to go sweat it out with others in the gym. I go jogging. Jogging by the sea and walking are the most calming moments for me, when I can think my thoughts and write them down when I get home. And travelling also.

What are your favourite places which inspire you? It depends on how tired I am − whether I want to enjoy some culture or just chill out. I really like Paris, also Barcelona. Gaudi is one of my favourite architects. But I also like the Bauhaus school. And Italy is really something that touches my soul, there is no escaping that. Other places may be exotic or just nice, but Italy is the best − it just gets inside you.

Photo by Stina Kase

Kadri Voorand â&#x2C6;&#x2019; giving herself to the music LI FE I N ESTON IA N o 47

One of the most praised, unique and special vocalists in Estonia, Kadri Voorand, is in the midst of her busiest time of year. When Life in Estonia caught up with Kadri, she had just returned from the EFG London Jazzfestival and was about to dive into the rehearsal period of her next project “Giving Myself to the Sea” which is, according to the singer, the most important creation of her life until now. Kadri says that, for some years now, her November has been so packed with activities that she has had to retune herself into very different creative projects during the course of one day. But the singer, who received the Female Estonian Artist of the Year 2017 award, is not complaining. On the contrary, she is grateful that her many years of hard work are starting to pay off. Now she aims to give it her all − nobody knows how long she can ride such a great wave.

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Kadri Voorand

Photos by Stina Kase

Born 18 November 1986 in Haljala Singer and composer 2008 Jazzkaar Young Jazz Talent Award 2014 Winner of the Annual Music Award of Estonian Cultural Endowment 2015 Estonian Jazz Award 2017 Female Artiste of the Year

Born in a small Estonian town, Voorand is a jazz musician, vocalist and composer whose music varies from contemporary jazz to pop and folk whilst being a symbiosis of genuine emotion, improvisation and fun. When her contemporaries listened to Spice Girls or Backstreet Boys, Voorand preferred the folksy music performed by the Association of Small Accordions. “I am totally ignorant when it comes to pop music; I grew up knowing nothing about pop. I don’t even know famous names as that world has never interested me. When pop music was played on the radio, I asked people to turn it off. Today I am of course much more tolerant; it no longer bothers me,” the singer laughs. “The music I listen to in my free time depends on what it is that I am doing. Currently I am writing choir music and this is why I listen to more classical music. I am indulging in it as this is the wave I am currently riding. Once this period is over, there will be something else in my CD player.” Whereas for years Voorand was classified as a jazz singer, her musical language has changed so much by now that the genre borders disappearing; she says her music is far away from pure jazz these days. Actually everything has come together in the musician − jazz, folk, rock and pop.

Voorand had been active in the music scene for a long time until one day she was invited to perform at a very important event of the Republic of Estonia − the gala concert celebrating the state’s anniversary. She knows that it was with that performance that she reached the masses. Many Estonians saw this young vocalist, who sings in different ways according to physical parameters and who uses strange technical assistance, for the first time. The singer does not get upset when people consider her use of the voice strange. “I am aware that they think that. According to physical parameters it is strange, but for me it is normal. I have sung my whole life and created music myself. I haven’t listened much to other singers, hence I never had a strong role model or example to demonstrate how one should sing.” Her strongest influences are in the traditional Estonian regilaul or runic song that surrounded her when she was growing up. “You listen to what the lead singer says with her song, you repeat the text, not the song. The message is important. How one should sing has kind of passed me by. I think this is why, in the early years of my career, it wasn’t very easy to listen to my music. But today many corners have been polished. I have grown and become wiser. I have learned to restrain myself a bit in the name of the beauty of the message.”

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A difficult start After school, Voorand enrolled in the Estonian Music and Theatre Academy to study jazz singing. The school was a real challenge emotionally speaking, and she was deeply depressed during her first year there. “I came from a background of science and I was used to learning it all, I was the kind of person who gets it all done. I have never been able to learn facts by heart; I act on the basis of logic. But in the academy nobody told us how, why, for what and when. Nobody said which tasks should be solved. You had to create everything yourself. To decide yourself what was good and what was needed to make it excellent.” In addition, she had to manage alongside tough band members, who also happened to be leading Estonian musicians − pianist Jürmo Eespere, bassist Mihkel Mälgand and drummer Eno Kollom were her first and biggest teachers. “I was a total beginner and they showed no mercy. It was an emotionally very difficult time, but I managed.”

“As I was writing, the story began to develop itself, the characters started to live, it intertwined with the nature around me and with myself,” says the singer. “The text has been compiled into a small book and illustrated by Urmas Viik, which is almost a second volume to his book “The Angels of Muhu” (original title “Muhu inglid” − ed.).

Now as a teacher herself, Voorand tries to act as a filter to her students in order to explain what is happening to them and make their study period brighter and more hopeful.

It is Voorand’s main wish to purvey a sense of goodness and lightness, which would make the performers and the audience breathe in one step and share emotions with each other.

The most important work of her life In the beginning of 2017, Voorand was contracted by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir − one of the top choirs in the world − to write a piece for the dark autumn period known as “the time of the souls”. The singer was researching everything for an appropriate story but could not find it in the ancient fairy tales of traditional songs. Hence there was nothing to do but write the story herself. She found inspiration for the text and music in her beautiful ancestral home of Lahemaa. Surrounded by birds, under an oak tree and in the sauna, the short epic “Giving Myself to the Sea” was born. Voorand considers it her most important piece of music to date.

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“More and more it seems to me that people everywhere are the same. The essential thing is to move people to find a deep sense of love within themselves. If a concert moves one to tears, my job is done. Powerful vocals and technical mastery of instruments are just means. The aim should not be to go to show what you can do; I have tried to keep that in balance.”

Spreading her wings Voorand has been working hard for years in order to spread her wings abroad. Her experiences have been great; the concerts have been very well-received.

Kadri Voorand’s upcoming concerts

Photos by Stina Kase

4. 12 Hits by Adele at Nordea Concert Hall 6. 12 Christmas Jazz, Tallinn − Värttinä feat. Kadri Voorand 22.−29. 12 Estonian Voices and Curly Strings − Christmas tour 13. 01 New York, Globe Festival 25. 01 London A Cappella Festival, Kings Place 16. 02 Tel Aviv, Israel, Mustonen Fest − Tormis Project − Voorand/Koikson/Sooäär/Daniel 20. 03 Budapest, Hungary − Opus Jazz Club

“It is my dream to go on tour abroad with a very well-prepared project. In Estonia, it is not possible to go on tour with the kind of music I create. Here I can give a maximum of five concerts within one project, a tour remains a dream. The audiences are simply not big enough here. Unless you do mainstream pop music, you will not be invited to villages. You need to be constantly creating new things.” She admits that she could have more concerts abroad although she cannot really complain about the current situation. “I don’t have an agent. I did not know how to pick a manager at the right moment. It is something I’m working on. I will release an album in Germany soon and hopefully it will be easier to organise concerts after that.” A lot depends on pure luck, she believes − moving that one important decision-maker in the music scene, who happens to be sitting in the audience during your performance, with your music. At one workshop she gathered all her courage and put her CD in Nils Landgren’s hand. “He wrote to me two years later and invited me for a performance. You may be incredibly talented and very hardworking, but you need to have a lucky break too. I have had many offers for the Tallinn Music Week. It may also be the case that somebody has come and heard me perform over six years, but those project have not enthused them, and in the seventh year there is suddenly an invitation for me to perform. That is a real compliment when there are people who have been following your progress for years.”

Most of the time she performs as Kadri Voorand abroad, but recently also with the vocal group Estonian Voices. “Culturally speaking, China is a very uncomplicated place as it is not defined by religion − people are people. We were warned that people do not know how to behave in a concert hall, but they did. The audience was very cultured and intelligent and our music was received very well. If you create music with your heart, then it knows no national boundaries.” Voorand considers all her projects to be equally important. Of course, those in which she gets to create the music are best. Due to the busy period at the end of the year, she regrets that she hasn’t had the time to write new Christmas songs. One thing has become clear − you can’t do everything at once. This is why she delegates a lot of things to her assistant. She had to cope with everything herself before. “If you’ve been putting up posters, giving interviews, writing press releases and social media posts for three hours and you end up on stage totally exhausted and haven’t had a chance to rehearse the song, you ask yourself − what is the point of it all?” These days, instead of answering mail, she turns off the computer and rehearses. During the last months of the year it is time well spent.

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Photo by Tõnu Runnel

Estonia through 100 pairs of eyes By Ingrid Hübscher

It is said that the eyes are a mirror to the soul. They reflect our experiences, our worries, dreams and hopes, what we believe in and what we find unbelievable, the things we like to show and the stuff we’d rather keep hidden. But is it possible to get a glimpse of the soul of a country by looking into the eyes of its people? And can what they see offer some unique insight into their homeland that might otherwise remain invisible?

“The idea to create a photography project bringing together different Estonians was ticking away in the back of my mind for quite some time,” says Kaire van der Toorn-Guthan, an Estonian graphic designer who has lived in the Netherlands for the last twenty-five years. Typical of many Estonians who have moved away, Kaire felt the desire to do something for Estonia. Over time and in discussions with various people, the idea to create a visual story about Estonia and its people ripened. Until one day, Kaire called Toomas Volkmann, a friend and a renowned Estonian photographer, to ask whether he would be interested in creating 100 portraits of 100 Estonians, a visual memory spanning 100 years, and to wrap it all up as a present for the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia in 2018. Needless to say, Toomas was hooked. This is how the project “Estonia through 100 pairs of eyes” was born. For Kaire and Toomas, the question from the outset was who is this mythical Estonian who, according to Ernest Hemingway, can be found in

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every port all over the world? Can we capture the essence of being Estonian visually? Is nationality something only to do with physical, cultural or linguistic properties? Or does everything begin with feeling the earth beneath our feet? Seeking answers has taken them and their team on a journey of discovery, photographing Estonians at home and abroad. The resulting photo book and the accompanying exhibition tell the story of Estonia through 100 portraits of Estonians aged from 1 to 100. Each beautifully composed black-and-white portrait depicts an Estonian born in a different year during the hundred years of the existence of the Republic of Estonia. Thus the oldest person portrayed − lady Linda − was born in the same year as the Republic of Estonia in 1918, whilst the youngest one, baby Jako, only came into this world on the 24th of February 2017. In addition, each portrait is accompanied by a short poetic caption of that person’s story and another photograph expressing their individual emotion relating to Estonia.

Photo by Toomas Volkmann

1960 _ Ants Leiaru

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Team selfie after the photo session with freestyle skier Kelly Sildaru.

Who are the people in the photographs? “We definitely did not want to create an Estonian Hall of Fame!” says Toomas Volkmann. The people portrayed are men, women and children − some living in Estonia, others abroad. They have different ethnic, religious and occupational backgrounds. Indeed, some are famous like Arvo Pärt (composer), Aldo Järvsoo (fashion designer), Ita Ever (actress), Kelly Sildaru (freestyle skier), Tommy Cash (singer), Kriss Soonik-Käärmann (lingerie designer) and Ilon Wikland (illustrator, Sweden) to name just a few. But other equally interesting characters are relatively unknown in the public eye and include a cemetery keeper, a fisherman, the oldest chocolate maker in Estonia, the “world’s nicest saleswoman” from Viimsi, an Estonian language teacher in Brussels, the only female lighthouse guard in Estonia and the Estonian translator in Mali, for example. In fact, the main criteria for selection was that the people portrayed have diverse backgrounds, that they are interesting, open-minded and positive. Therefore, the actual process of finding people became very organic. “It is like putting together a giant puzzle where finding one piece could lead to the next one,” says Kaire van der Toorn-Guthan. The only complicated task was related to the fact that each year could only be represented by one person. However, as a result, the portraits depict a truly fascinating and diverse group of people from all walks of life, each one’s facial expression and body language hinting at their character, background and field of activity. A simple repetitive element in all the photographs is the table. People are either seated at a table, stand next to one or have propped themselves on top. After all, the long table is something very traditionally Estonian − whether at birthdays, weddings or funerals, Estonians tend to gather around a long table for most occasions. Metaphorically speaking, the people portrayed have also gathered around one long table, each engaging with the photographer, telling him their own private story. “A table is something solid, something concrete, something to lean on even when one’s feet cannot reach the ground. It is timeless,” says photographer Toomas Volkmann. He has sought the same simple and timeless, even iconic, quality in the portraits. Volkmann’s aim has been to find the emotionally tensioned zero point. We do not know what precedes or follows the moment of capturing an image. Will the singer burst out into a tune, the grey-haired

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dame take a nap, the mischievous looking child pick her nose or hide under the table whilst giggling hilariously? Everything is possible. And this is exactly what turns the photographs into a timeless and dignified collection where a twinkle in the eye, a grimace and even a huge smile all possess the kind of gravity that goes beyond the banalities of daily life. As the name “Estonia through 100 pairs of eyes” indicates, the portraits are always focused on the eyes. “A portrait in itself can be one-dimensional,” explains Kaire van der Toorn-Guthan. “But once you lock eyes with another person, it becomes personal and you begin to enter their world,” she adds. Whether dignified, mischievous, tired, naughty, pensive, playful, angry, intriguing or inviting, the eyes tell a story even when lips remain closed. This focus on eyes lends the portraits a kind of immediacy and intimacy and speaks volumes about the level of trust and communication established between the photographer and his subject. Perhaps it comes as no surprise that, Toomas Volkmann with all his years of experience did not find it difficult to have his subjects ‘open up’ in front of the camera. However, what he did find surprising was how people’s way of physically expressing themselves becomes more ‘closed’ the older one gets. “Children have no fear of form. It is a different story between the ages of 40 and 60,” he explains. Therefore, it was a unique challenge to bring people of such different ages around the metaphorical table, whilst keeping the images stylistically and compositionally compact.

Photo by Tõnu Tunnel

Gathered around a long table

Photo by Toomas Volkmann

2013 _ Sirel Sofia Tootsen

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Photos by Tõnu Tunnel

Estonia is an emotion Through each person portrayed in the project, we also get a glimpse of how they see Estonia as a country. Everyone was asked to share the main emotion they have when they think of Estonia, be it a moment, an object, a place or an event. What is Estonia? Is it the sweetness of wild strawberries or the chewy texture of freshly baked black bread? The scratching of the woolly national skirt against bare legs on a hot summer day at the song festival? The piercing shriek of seagulls as they dive into the mirror-like sea for their catch of the day? The summer evening light? The cobbled streets of the Old Town of Tallinn or access to wireless in the woods whilst picking mushrooms? Whatever the emotion, two talented photographers Tõnu Tunnel and Tõnu Runnel have captured them in 100 colourful images which form the second part of the gift book and exhibition. The portraits and emotional images are linked together by captions of text. Although it was never the primary aim of the project, the link between the people portrayed and their stories has in fact showcased Estonia as the small country it is, known for some great things such as Skype, TransferWise, e-Residency, LetsDoIt campaign and choir music to name a few. However, the photos do not only provide an idea about the country’s culture, cuisine, nature, traditions and technological progress to those who have never been to Estonia and offer a sweet sense of recognition to everyone who has. Through these images we get a sense of the soul of Estonia.

Their hearts and souls in the project A project of this calibre would not be possible without an amazing team which, in addition to the abovementioned people, includes writers Piret Jaaks, Miriam Matiisen and Tiiu Suvi as well as make-up artist Liis Piksar and sound designer Sven Sosnitski. Many other people have supported the development of the project with their advice and skills. “The team is everything!” says Kaire van der Toorn-Guthan. “It is amazing how many great people we have met and how many people have shown their support for this project.”

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But have the people behind the project also learned something new about Estonia in the process? “It is incredible how different we are! Estonians are not only shy, introvert and blue-eyed! Also the wave of supportive energy we have experienced has been amazing. Being involved in this project has been a true gift!” says Kaire van der Toorn-Guthan. Certainly, the 420-page photography book and exhibition will be a wonderful gift to Estonia. The exhibition will open on the 2nd of February 2018 at the Estonian National Museum in Tartu. It is no coincidence that this date marks the anniversary of the Tartu Peace Treaty of 1920, signed by Estonia and Bolshevist Russia, which made Estonia a de jure independent state. The exhibition will then travel to Stockholm, Berlin, Madrid, Rotterdam, Brussels, Luxembourg, Toronto and San Francisco.

Photo by Kaupo Kalda

The Christmas Market is home to one of Europe’s oldest holiday traditions

Christmas in Tallinn The Christmas Market in the Town Hall Square Each year, the most famous Christmas market in Estonia unfurls on Tallinn’s Town Hall Square with the Christmas tree as its crown jewel. An annual contest seeks out the most beautiful spruce tree in all of Estonia to become the market’s centrepiece. This year, the tree was unveiled on November 9th and will adorn the Town Hall Square until January 28th. The tree is decorated with 50 LED light strands, 5000 smaller lights, 2500 larger lights and white, transparent orbs. It will also be dressed with 240 red and gold balls and 50 illuminated hearts. LI FE I N ESTON IA N o 47

The history of Tallinn’s famous tree Legend has it that the first Christmas tree was brought to Tallinn in 1441 by the Brotherhood of the Blackheads, a Livonian merchants’ association. If this is true, that would make it the first Christmas tree placed in a town square in Europe, a claim debated by the city of Riga, where a similar tradition was started by the Brotherhood of the Blackheads around the same time. The ceremony of carrying the tree into the heart of Tallinn became quite an affair over time, attracting such nobility as Peter the Great, Emperor of Russia, who participated in the event in 1711.

Experience Christmas The Christmas Market is open from November 17th until January 6th and is the perfect place to sip hot mulled wine and shop for traditional handicraft gifts. You can also check out nearby Estonian design shops for modern presents. If you’d like to sample some typical Estonian Christmas food, try gingerbread, black pudding and sauerkraut at the market, or venture to a local restaurant for a feast. In old Estonia, the Christmas Eve meal marked the end of fasting and it was recommended that one eat nine or twelve servings to bring good luck for the new year. The Tallinn Christmas Market is one of the most charming and affordable in Europe, just one of many reasons Tallinn is ranked the world’s best value destination for 2018 by Lonely Planet.

Estonian Tryouts Game Discover if there’s an Estonian hidden in you and come to the 100th birthday of the Republic of Estonia. Visit Estonia have created a test where everyone can try their pronunciation skills and learn some Estonian. The player has to listen to fun words like küsimusi (question)

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and jäääär (edge of the ice), try to repeat them and he`ll be entered in a monthly raffle to win a free trip by Nordica for two to Estonia! Play the game on game.estonia.ee and share your results on social media using #estonia100, #visitestonia and #flynordica.

Photos by Lauri Laan

Foodie stories by Anders Husa

Mon Repos LI FE I N ESTON IA N o 47

PĂ¤daste

Estonian food is influenced both by the seasonality (pure and fresh ingredients) and the long traditions in preparing it. Estonian chefs, food establishments and retailers have a similar understanding of the nature and future of Estonian cuisine, manifesting loyalty to healthy ingredients cooked into simple dishes that reflect the mastery of Nordic culinary traditions. Luckily, the Norwegians have noticed this too! In October 2017, a TV channel from Norway called Matkanalen together with a famous gastronomy influencer named Anders Husa visited Estonia to find and capture the best Estonian food experiences that might interest him as a foodie, as well as discover the most passionate, young, and exciting chefs to talk to on the way.

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Photos by Lauri Laan

Noa

The visit included some great restaurants like Mon Repos, NOA, Parrot, Renard Coffee Shop etc. Anders Husa also visited Estonian Master Chef Peeter Pihel, who bakes traditional Estonian black bread at Kotzebue Bakery & Charcuterie, and the country’s top craft beer producer Põhjala Brewery.

Parrot

The visit climaxed with the trip to the island paradise of Muhu in Estonia where Husa paid a visit to the country house of a Finnish cookbook author and TV-chef Sikke Sumari, and ate lunch in her restaurant Nami Namaste before checking in to the spectacular 16th-century castle turned luxury resort − Pädaste Manor. Here, Anders Husa had dinner in restaurant Alexander − currently ranked no. 2 in the country by the White Guide Nordic. The TV series was shot in 4 episodes during three busy days in Estonia − and was well-received by both the viewers and Anders Husa himself. Find out more at visitestonia.com facebook.com/andershusacom instagram.com/andershusa

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Estonia is a country half covered by forest, has 2222 islands, 5 national parks and can boast as one of the countries with the cleanest air not only in Europe but in the whole globe. The tap water is pure, much of the food is natural and unprocessed and they really know how to host a sauna party! Here’s a rundown of the 5 most tranquil activities in the country.

canoeing While canoeing or boating along Estonia’s rivers, you can peek into the surrounding forests, sandstone canyons and secret bogs. Those who enjoy being around water will enjoy what’s known as ‘the fifth season’, a time in early spring when the river basins overflow, flooding the meadows and forests of the Soomaa National Park to create an almost otherworldly canoeing experience.

camping In a country with such an abundance of natural beauty it’s no surprise that camping is the favourite pursuit of many in Estonia. Many see camping as a chance to get the tents up and be at one with the wilderness, others wish to be out in the natural environment but with a few luxuries from home; Estonia has it all!

5 relaxing ways to relieve stress 78

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bog walking Some say this is Estoniaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ace card. There are many bog trails across Estonia with specially erected boardwalks just above the marshland. Passing through enchanting forests, the boardwalks take in a stunning vista of bogs and sparsely covered meadows, often covered with light magical mist. These trails have such different personalities, some have museums, secluded villages and other are close to campsites. The most unique way to hike through Estoniaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bogs is using snowshoes. Anyone who is capable of hiking, is capable of snowshoe hiking.

foraging Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a certain time of the year when the forests come alive with those looking to collect its fruits. From July to October the mushrooms and berries are available in abundance, and the locals are always among the first to go and investigate. With comfortable clothes, a basket and a small knife you can experience the real pleasure of finding and picking your own wild foods.

smoke sauna The smoke sauna tradition is an important part of everyday life in Estonia. It comprises a rich set of traditions including the actual bathing customs, the skills of making bath whisks, building and repairing saunas, and smoking meat in the sauna. The sauna is a building or room heated by a stove covered with stones and with an elevated platform for sitting or lying. It has no chimney, and the smoke from burning wood circulates in the room. visitestonia.com/en/stressbuster

Estonian Stress Buster is waiting for you!

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Events calendar: Highlights from December to March Life in Estonia recommends

Tallinn Christmas Market 17. 11 -6. 01

New Year’s Eve Ball Anniversary Ball 31. 12. 2017

Estonian History. A Nation Born of Shock An opera by Manfred MIM

Tallinn Christmas Market with a touch of a fairy tale will be held at the Town Hall Square of Tallinn. Everything is possible at the Christmas Market! The star of the market is the Christmas tree, which is the most important Christmas tree in Estonia and has been set up in Town Hall Square since 1441, making it the first Christmas tree ever to be put on display in Europe.

Conductors: Lauri Sirp and Kaspar Mänd Hosts: Juuli Lill and Rauno Elp

Supported by the Estonian State and produced in cooperation with the Estonian National Opera and Kanuti Gildi SAAL

Local merchants will offer Estonian Christmas cuisine, from black pudding and sour cabbage to gingerbread and hot Christmas drinks, as well as various handicrafts. Our younger guests can enjoy merry-go-rounds and there is a diverse Christmas programme. The real gem of the Christmas Market is Santa Claus, who will greet children in his own home and arrive by reindeer sleigh! christmasmarket.ee/eng/ visitestonia.com/en/ tallinn-christmas-market

This year’s New Year’s Eve Ball is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia and the Estonian ballet, it is also the 25th anniversary of the New Year’s Eve Ball itself! Inspired by the festive atmosphere, we present you with the greatest melodies of such Estonian and international composers as Eino Tamberg, Eugen Kapp, Johann Strauss, Franz Lehár, Imre Kálmán and more, with performances by the Estonian National Opera’s soloists, chorus, orchestra and ballet troupe.

World premiere on January 19, 2018 at the Estonian National Opera Conductor: Kaspar Mänd In March of 2014, 24 Estonian theatres decided to celebrate the centenary of the Republic of Estonia with a grandiose stage project: 12 performances spanning from the autumn of 2017 to the spring of 2018. The theatres were paired up and a raffle was conducted that divided the 10 decades of Estonia’s statehood amongst them. The Estonian National Opera and the Kanuti Gildi SAAL drew the 1960s. As a lucky coincidence, the partners found a libretto and a score written around the 1960s by the innovative inventor and scientist Manfred MIM. The opera tells the story of a people and land whose history was affected by a great cosmic natural disaster that inadvertently caused them to become the founders of European culture. The legacy of Manfred MIM has been researched and prepared for the stage by Tatjana Kozlova-Johannes, Andrus Laansalu, Andrus Aaslaid, Karl Saks, Raul Keller, Taavet Jansen, Maike Lond, Oksana Tralla, Mart Koldits, Henri Hütt, Kalle Tikas, Andres Tenusaar and Evi Pärn.

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26.01–4.02.2018

Nordic Combined World Cup Otepää 6. -7 .01

MustonenFest 26. 01 -4. 02 Concerts in Tallinn, Tartu, Pärnu and Jõhvi

Simple Session 3. -4. 02

The Nordic Combined World Cup will be held in Otepää for the first time! This event will open the calendar of Estonia’s 100 sports event. The event brings world-leading combined skiing athletes to Otepää, including four-time world champion Johannes Rydzeki and World Cup champion Eric Frenzel. owc.ee

MustonenFest − one man’s unchanging musical vision! This year’s precious music pearls include Krzysztof Penderecki’s oratorium “Dies illa” performed at the opening concert by the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, the mixed choir Latvija and Estonian vocalists; an international piano ensemble, for which four concert pianos will be positioned on the floor of the Estonia Concert Hall, and exotic musicians from Morocco, Turkey, Spain and Israel; and of course beloved Estonian choral music. The festival will conclude with a gala concert of popular works in music history. concert.ee

The 18th edition of the annual Simple Session contest series, one of the world’s most prestigious action sports events, will take on the heart of the notorious Nordic winter in 2018, taking place on February 3rd −4th, in Tallinn Estonia. The world-renowned international contest will once again host 140 contestants from 35 countries and their newest show-stopping tricks at the cosy Saku Arena, the place that everyone has come to love through the series. As one of the most international action sports events out there, Simple Session 18 pits the globe’s best BMX riders and skateboarders against each other on its magnificent one-off contest course, so watch out for the ultimate show of progressive riding ever seen! The contests will again be held in pro BMX street/park and Pro skateboarding street/park + additional shows/demos. The electrifying contest will be followed by non-stop after-parties and make up one unforgettable festival experience. session.ee

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The Land of Music 5. -18. 02

Estonian Celebration 15. 02 at the Estonian National Opera

With the project “Land of Music”, the Baltic Academies Orchestra offers a holistic week related to music and music making. Activities will take place in three different cities: Tartu, Viljandi and Pärnu. Project week includes performances, lectures, masterclasses for musicians and soloists and many more.

A concert performance in two acts with dance, warm dinner and strong drinks

gmf-lanota.com/ estonia-the-land-of-music/

Conductors: Vello Pähn, Jüri Alperten, Lauri Sirp, and Kaspar Mänd Soloists: Kristel Pärtna (soprano), Janne Ševtšenko (soprano), Heli Veskus (soprano), Helen Lokuta (mezzo-soprano), Mehis Tiits (tenor), Mati Turi (tenor), Rauno Elp (baritone), Jassi Zahharov (baritone), Ain Anger (bass) Librettist: Wimberg Stage Director: Marko Matvere Estonian National Opera Chorus and Orchestra, Estonian National Ballet This opera gala dedicated to the centenary of the Republic presents highlights of Estonian stage works in a witty new production. Estonian composers have written many beautiful pieces and the Estonian National Opera will bring the greatest of those to you. During the long intermission you will enjoy a hearty meal, excellent drinks and live music in the many halls and cafes of the theatre! Dress code: national.

Tartu Marathon 11. -18. 02 The Tartu Marathon is the best known and most popular skiing event of its kind in Estonia. It is held every year on the third Sunday in February and forms part of the international Worldloppet and Estonian Estoloppet cross-country series. The full marathon course, through Tartu and Valga counties, covers a distance of 63 km, with the shorter route covering 31 km. The marathon is traditionally held in

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the classic style. Its rules comply with the competition regulations of both the FIS (International Ski Federation) and the ESL (Estonian Ski Association).

tartumaraton.ee visitestonia.com/en/tartu-marathon-2018

Winter Swimming Championships Pirita Open 6. -10. 03 The Winter Swimming Championships Pirita Open, a large gathering of people who enjoy winter swimming, will take place for the eighth time. This time, the two-day festival will be held in the town centre − in the Admiralty Basin of Port of Tallinn. This is because in 2018, the Winter Swimming World Championship will take place at the same location. Spectators will have a good view of the championships from Kuunari Street. During the festival, the Estonian Open Championship and the IWSA CUP VI stage in winter swimming will be held. There will be over 500 participants from Estonia and other countries. winterswimming.world visitestonia.com/en/winterswimmingchampionships-pirita-open-2017

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