2020

The food culture of Estonia and its island of Muhu is not something that is widely known in Australia but that is about to change if Muhu Island founder, Alex Runne, has anything to do with it.

Muhu is a forest island in the West Estonian archipelago of the Baltic Sea and is the inspiration behind Alex’s new business. Muhu Island is geographically close to Finland, so it has a strong Nordic food influence, but the approach and preparation methods are unique because the island was isolated from so much of the world, especially during the Soviet era.

Alex is American by birth. His father moved to the USA from Estonia after World War Two, so his cultural heritage is founded in Eastern Europe. As he describes it, “It’s a beautiful country. It’s half-Nordic, half-Eastern bloc and it's ancient. The architecture looks like it could be straight out of a fairy tale.”

Alex’s former career had been driving innovation and brand creation for others all over the world and on his move to Australia, he decided to merge his love with Estonia and the foods of this Forest Island of Muhu with his own business acumen, thus, Muhu Island foods was born.

Think black breads and fermented foods, berries and plants. Alex has taken these traditional foods and ingredients, and created unique recipes that are delicious and nutritious.

Stay tuned. You’re about to learn a whole lot more about the foods of Muhu, Estonia.