Story behind us
Mokkamaa's legendary story began in the summer of 2006, when 24-year-old Joensuu University graduate Pekka Laine was faced with a new challenge. He had to reconcile two seemingly distant issues: education as a philosopher and finding a job.
Running an own café had been on the mind before, but an own tea enthusiasm and the glaring lack of quality leaftea in the city made me think of setting up a shop first and foremost.
During the writing of the thesis, which explored the bends and balances of emotional life, a profound philosophical reflection on life was born. The pillar of a good life and happiness is that everyday life is good, and you don't always have to go looking for happiness somewhere else - on trips abroad or in expensive luxuries. This idea naturally led to a desire to help people make the small, big things in everyday life enjoyable and meaningful. The first things that came to mind were coffee and tea. Another fresh memory was the enchanting scent of the Makuparatiisi delicatessen in Hämeenlinna, my hometown. The idea of a warm and friendly shop was born, where shopping can be an experience in itself that improves everyday life. The idea of Mokkamaa was born.
Once the idea was born, it was time to take action. Without any commercial background, starting a business was surprisingly easy, thanks to a two-week entrepreneurship course and advice from the Enterprice Counselling Center. The autumn also saw the start of a hard search for suppliers, even if some of them were already familiar. The first suitable vacant commercial space was found in early January 2007 in the Minor Industrial Building, where the gates to Mokkamaa opened for the first time on Monday 12 February. just before Valentine's Day
The opening was naturally full of excitement, not least because a very private and not very outgoing character had just decided to become a full-time customer service agent. However, the opening day exceeded all expectations, as did the whole year, and it soon became clear that there was indeed a place and a need for this kind of enterprise in Joensuu. It soon became clear that meeting different people is the best and most rewarding part of the job - it even beats testing new chocolates! At the same time, these encounters slowly led to the realisation that Mokkamaa really does matter to quite a few people's lives - that something really important has been done here. There was also a desire to bring the same to as many people as possible, and to move the movement to a more central place.
The pedestrianised street already was attracting Mokkamaa, and in autumn 2010 the opportunity to move into the current commercial space presented itself, and we didn't have to think twice. The store was renovated to the brand of Mokkamaa at the turn of October and November, and the shop side was opened for Christmas season. After the turn of the year, it was time to renovate the old wareroom into a cosy coffee lounge, and by early 2011 Mokkamaa was already a combination of a shop and a small café.
The next major changes in operations were expected in autumn 2016, when the new website opened for the first time as an online shop. By now, Mokkamaa has grown from a small idea of one philosopher to a balanced whole, consisting of a Joensuu store, a coffee cabinet and an online shop. The journey has not been straightforward, but it has been all the more rewarding. And the journey goes on, and no one knows where the road will lead. The most important thing is to enjoy the journey and the little big things that we encounter along the way!