Who is this mysterious beer blogger?

get to know Hoppyrescue.

about

Me with my rabbit Vili

I’m Nadja, originally from a small fishing village on the coast of Finland. Since I was a child, I knew I wanted to work with food and drinks, and my parents noticed this too, especially since I was always so eager to make coffee for guests. I used to pick berries and bake all kinds of delicious things with my grandmother, and for some reason, it was always something sweet. A few years later, we found some peculiar-looking bottles in our barn, and it turned out that my mom had once tried to brew beer. They had been there for so long that we unfortunately didn’t dare to taste them.

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studies & work

I moved to Vaasa at the age of 16, a city on the coast of Finland. Attended culinary school, and worked as a cook in a lunch and catering restaurant for a while. I quickly realized that I belonged more on the restaurant floor, so I took a quick trip to Greece and attended the European Bartender School, where we went through alcoholic products, cocktail making, and working efficiently at a very fast pace.

Kyrö Distillery in Isokyrö Finland

In Finland, I also completed a bartender’s specialist qualification and worked in many different kinds of restaurants: from nightclubs with music until the morning, pubs, various types of restaurants, hotel breakfasts, to planning and maintaining drink stands at festivals.

I realized I needed a change and started working at a distillery, Kyrö Distillery. There, I mostly conducted distillery tours and tastings. My interest in beer grew stronger even i worked at a distillery that was focusing on gin & whisky.

At beerfestival with Keppo Brewery

Then, the pandemic began, and I had to take whatever job was available, so I spent the pandemic stacking meat and ready meals in a large grocery store. After that, a great opportunity arose, and I got a job at a craftbrewery, Keppo Bryggeri. I was responsible for sales and marketing, and working at the brewery was both educational and exciting. I traveled selling our beers around Finnish restaurants, pubs, and festivals.

The next job opportunity came when I became a sales representative for one of Finland’s largest beverage distributors, Hartwall. My area was Vaasa-Seinäjoki, roughly a 200km radius with about 300 customers.

Me in Tallinn Estonia

At the moment, I’m helping my family business from my homevillage. It’s time to update many things, like the website, and we decided that I will help the family as long as they need me. The business focuses on the maintenance and spare parts of potato and beets machinery in Finland. So, it’s quite far from my career in drinks.

However, I have a dream and a plan to focus on the world of craft beers. Something is brewing, and I hope to make it a reality soon.

cheers!