Dani Hänninen, Wellamo

Dani Hänninen, head chef at Wellamo in Helsinki, how do you get your fish for the restaurant?

– I work with my wholesaler, Calle, who is about 1 km away from our restaurant. He’s organically certified and very knowledgeable within the industry. Often, he helps me get fish that nobody else wants, perhaps less well-known or of smaller size but still of good quality. He sometimes gets fish from a lake around here where the traffic is restricted to only electric boats; motorboats and other motorized vehicles are not allowed.

How about the coffee?

– We buy fair trade coffee roasted by a small producer. That connection is essential because we want to be assured that we use beans coming from sustainable sources. We have coffee tastings every second week to ensure the quality is continuously met. People usually don’t know, but the flavor profile changes very often.

What is the best way to ensure you get sustainable products?

– The team and I constantly exchange information and knowledge with our producers and the people behind the products we purchase. When it’s our birthday (the restaurant’s), we go to different farms to see and learn from them. Our generation is going to change a lot in the industry, and we are trying to do our best to contribute positively.