Sabor is the Spanish word for flavor or taste. Anyone who has grown up adjacent to Spanish-speaking cultures would know this word as it’s plastered across all foodstuffs and restaurants far and wide. It’s probably not so well known to the pedestrians of Tallinn’s Old Town, but will soon be. A couple from Colombia is currently setting up a cafe on Vene Street. When its doors open later this month, there will be a lot of sabor to be savored. Mucho sabor.
The name of the cafe is Sabor Molekular Latin Food and Coffee. It’s the brainchild of Diana Katherim Mejia Lozano and her husband Mario Alejandro Ruiz Gonzalez, entrepreneurs who have come to Estonia to establish a European foothold for their growing coffee business.
“Just as a molecule is the union of equal or different atoms, my husband and I come from two different worlds,” says Diana. Mario is from Santander, a state in northern Colombia known for its vibrant coffee culture. Diana comes from Bogotá, the Latin American country’s busy capital. In Sabor Molekular, the couple have decided to merge their culinary cultures.
“We draw from the best of each, with the aim of offering customers a traditional traditional product transformed into a unique sensory experience,” says Diana.
Mario and Diana met in the business district of Bogotá. While employed in other sectors, several years ago, they decided to get into the coffee business. “My hometown is known for its coffee culture,” says Mario. “So we began to sell it. This is my passion,” he says.
The duo have sought to incorporate the best Colombian flavors and ingredients into their coffee products, offering blends spiced with cinnamon, clove, and anise, as well as whiskey cream.
They have also been interested in adopting new technologies, and sell coffee cube packages that can be prepared at home. They sell similar cubes of herbal teas with red and yellow fruits and cane extract, as well as chai tea. “These are all typical flavors of Colombia,” remarks Diana.
Their interest in technology has also led them to acquire a machine that can print images, such as selfies, on cappuccinos. At their cafe in the Old Town, they will also offer arepas, a kind of flatbread sandwich popular in South America, that include their slogan, Sé inspiración, “Be Inspiration,” in edible ink. This should help them create brand awareness in their new market.
But why would a couple of coffee entrepreneurs from Colombia choose Estonia?
According to Mario, they had been looking to expand to the European market, as the Colombian coffee market is crowded and competitive. After developing some partnerships in Malta, they were advised to look into Estonia, as its e-Residency program could allow them to open and operate a European business easily. After learning more about Tallinn’s busy tourism sector, they were sold on the idea. Diana applied for and received her e-Residency. “It was very easy,” she says.
With their company established in Estonian, they are able to access the country’s ecosystem of digital services, invoice as a European firm, and take care of all of their taxes simply and online.
They were also able to rent a space for Sabor Molekular in Tallinn’s historic Old Town.
“The tourists in Estonia come here for its Old Town, for its history,” says Diana. “And that’s why we decided that we just had to be in the Old Town.”
“Here we have more of an opportunity to be competitive,” adds Mario, noting that Katariina Käik, a famous passageway, is just around the corner from their new cafe. It also happens to be one of the Old Town sites most popularized by Latin American influencers who are just beginning to introduce the Old Town to their followers. In that sense, Sabor Molekular sees its audience not just as Estonians, but also the Latin tourists who visit Tallinn in groups in the summer months.
Inside the cafe, Diana and Mario are working to give the interior a festive, Latin-inspired interior.
“We want it to look like a garden,” says Diana. “There should be roses here and other flowers.”
Diana and Mario do not intend to relocate here fulltime, but rather set up the European branch of their business in Estonia.
They also hope to employ, as they have in Colombia, invalids, or people who otherwise have a hard time finding employment. With their Estonian team in place, they should be good to go, as they open their doors, offering flavorful Colombian coffees and flatbread sandwiches. They also intend to do a brisk trade in home deliveries, bringing their foods and drinks to people who don’t have the opportunity to visit Sabor Molekular in person.
While Estonia and Colombia might seem worlds away from each other, Mario stresses that Estonian coffee blends are similar to Colombian ones, and that he is keen to work with local coffee makers. Diana sees Sabor Molekular as an unofficial consulate for Colombian culture.
“We see this as an opportunity to be a cultural bridge between Tallinn and Colombian,” says Diana. “We want to bring a bit of our flavors, joy, and color here, and to embark on gastronomic projects that foster tourism in Tallinn,” she says.
