“Mamu” is a Finnish slur for “immigrant.” By choosing this name for their brewery last year, Luka Balac (who hails from Serbia), Albert Franch Sunyer (from Spain), and Carlos Henriques (from Portugal) wanted to reclaim the word, and strip it of negative connotations—just as they planned to strip Nolla, their Helsinki restaurant, of waste.
That plan worked spectacularly. The place generates literally no trash because there’s not a sliver of single-use packaging coming into the restaurant. Everything is reused, repurposed, or goes into a composter able to process 28 kilos of leftovers daily. Butter trays and water carafes are cut from empty wine bottles. Aprons are made from bed linen. Hand towels and napkins are reusable, to avoid paper waste. All ingredients are local, aside from wine and olive oil. Spent grain from the brewery is sometimes used in ice cream and bread, or is composted and given back to farms that send their produce to the chefs.
As for their beer, all of it is table-strength, designed to be harmonious alongside the food and also low in alcohol. Part of the inspiration for that decision is Henriques who, as an ultra-marathoner, doesn’t want to give up either beer or running. But despite the low ABVs, Mamu’s beers are full of flavor, and don’t suffer from a lack of body. And yes—they’re also used as an ingredient in different dishes (including the sauce for a pike ceviche when we visit).
The restaurant is a hit, the kind where it’s hard to get a seat without a reservation. Does the same success await Mamu? When I see how Balac smiles to everyone, how relaxed and welcoming he is, how eager he is to tell you everything you want to know about the place, I believe they can do it, all three of them.
Words + Photo by Lana Svitankova