eciec.eu | Entrepreneurial Cultures in European Cities

Follow the link below to the interview with an entrepreneur from Tallinn, owner of a popular coffehouse chain in the capital city Tallinn with migration background. This interview is a part of the current project research made by the Tallinn City Museum:

Vello

The Estonian capital city is home to approximately 400 000 people of different nationalities. The majority are Estonians, the largest minority Russians. This is due to Estonian history. During the countries independent statehood between  the two World Wars, Estonians formed almost 90% of the population. In 1939 Estonia lost its sovereignty, suffered through occupations by the soviets and the Nazis only to be left in the hands of the Soviet murderous regime. Because of mass deportations to Siberia, many Estonians fled the country as refugees. After the war Estonia was subject to colonialist demographic politics and russification. As a result, Estonians were in danger of becoming a minority in their own land. Fortunately in 1991, Estonia was able to regain its independence. Now there are about one million Estonians left in the world, most of who live in Estonia and form about 65% of the population. Because of Estonia’s painful history, it has never been a conqueror, colonizer or occupier. Therefore it doesn’t wear the burden of inflicting pain into others and subsequently does not have a distinct responsibility to citizens of distant lands. Hence the most common immigrants in Estonia are actually former refugees, who have returned to their native land in order to lead their lives here. On of these fascinating persons is Vello, owner of a popular coffeehouse chain in the capital city Tallinn. The majority of Vellos employees are stundents. Since they are constantly expanding their minds, Vello feels they possess a special kind of power and radiance. The zealous youngsters he has hired offer customers handmade truffles and coffee roasted especially for the cafés. A percentage of the organizations payroll goes directly to the support of different cultural activities. For example - albums by different musical groups have come into beeing with the help of money earned by Vello and his staff.